Boxoffice-October.1997

^ m^\
BER 1997. $3.95
EXCLUSIVE!
ING "THE RAINMAKER:'
E TRIALS OF
w^

I
RoitouiiM Nu. 9!>
• Over 1000* Dolby Digital titles have been released
and announced, more than any other digital fomiat.
• If you book a Dolby Digital title, you get a print
with a Dolby Digital soundtrack—no exceptions,
no excuses.
• When it comes to film sound, no name is
more familiar to audiences than "Dolby"
• When it comes to long-lasting soundtrack
improvements and dependable theatre
processors, no one is more tmsted by the
industry than Dolby Laboratories.
Dolby Digital is more affordable
than ever.
• Only Dolby offers a choice of exciting
digital trailers, plus marketing aids
from window signs to lobby posters.
[•
Need more reasons? Call Dolby
laboratories or your Dolby theatre
equipment supplier.
)f pihv I -ih^intnrirs Inc.
,.. l-nuKiKo. C^ 94103^13
h'lim Iti«41VW..VI373
I
Wilahirc SN4 8(^ l>ig)ancl
.
I793-8421(X) H« (44) 1793-842101 www,

FOR YEARS, OUR PROJECTION LIGHTING
HAS MADE MOVIES ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE
(PROVIDED THEY'RE NOT STUCK IN THE WRONG SEAT.)
EEEH-GAAD! Here's a scary picture. Imagine the with such features as high arc stability, unsurpassed
theater industry without OSRAM Xenon lamps from reliability, long life, and constant color properties
OSRAM SYLVANIA. Since inventing xenon, a star fok over 4o years. through lamp life. And in the future, we'll
this
technology over 40 years ago for
continue to provide innovative, superior
theaters, no lighting company has done
Xenon lamps. Call 1-800-LIGHTBULB
more to ensure their success. Today, we
offer the widest range of Xenon lamps
for information. Or visit our Web site at
OSRAM
www.sylvania.com. SYUi/JUMIA

1
4th
—
DEPARTMENTS
OCTOBER, 1997 VOL. 133 NO. 10
UNQUOTE: / made "The Godfather, ' 'The Conversation, " 'Godfather 11" and 'Apocalypse
Now, " and I was shocked at all the trouble I was in at the end of it.—FRANCIS CoppOLA
FEATURES
1 COVER: COPPOLA'S TRIAL RUN
The trials and tribulations of directing great Francis
Coppola. PLUS: Inside Coppola's new adaptation of John
Grisham's "The Rainmaker." By Susan Lambert
14 TRIBUTE: THE BEST MANN
Mann's Chinese Theatre turns 70. A look at the past and
future of exhibition's most celebrated movie palace.
By Jon Alon Walz
15 EXHIBITION EXTRA: MANN WITH A PLAN
Mann's ambitious development plan for the Chinese Theatre
includes new screens and a Chinese Theatre franchise.
By Christine James
1 8 SNEAK PREVIEW: GODZILLA—MAN'S BEAST FRIEND
A WIRED WORLD exclusive! The new technologies of
Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's "Godzilla" include
guess what?—a state-of-the-art man in a suit.
By IVIictiael J. Payne
22 SNEAK PREVIEW: HOLIDAY IN HELL
"Welcome to Sarajevo" sets journalists loose against the
backdrop of a contemporary holocaust. By Sean O'Neill
32 WIRED WORLD: WWW.EXHIBITI0N.COM
In this supplement to last month's Buyers Directory,
BOXOFFICE presents a compilation of the latest
website addresses of interest to exhibition professionals.
Compiled by BOXOFFICE
36 REVIEW EXTRA: BEST OF THE FESTS
As part of our commitment to bring you festival reviews on
unreleased titles, here's a potpourri of reviews we gathered
from this year's Seattle and San Francisco tests—and
brand-new breaking coverage of coming releases from the
current Toronto test! PLUS: Our regular reviews section.
Compiled by BOXOFFICE
58 THE BIG PICTURE: ZOETROPE REVISITED
Conventional wisdom says that the attempt to create a studio
called American Zoetrope was Francis Coppola's biggest
mistake. A look at the rise and fall of an idea that just
might have been too far ahead of its time. By Ray Greene
BOXOFFICE (ISSN 0006-8527). Published monthly by RLD Communications,
Inc., 203 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. Subscriptions: $30
per year, Canada and Mexico: $40; airmail: $80. Overseas subscriptions (all
airmail): $80. Periodical postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing
offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Boxoffice, 725 South Wells St.,
Floor, Chicago, IL 60607.
©Copyright 1997 RLD Communications. Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or part without permission is prohibited

'
^iP- ^
•A>j_.- .*.r:.:-t',-^ X ,;-.«-i
pnocEsaiNO
vH
You may have read in various publications about patrons that are suing theatres for hearing damage while attending
a movie with digital sound. One suit is from a patron that claims permanent "ringing" in his ears after attending
an action movie, another claimed headaches for many days after leaving the theatre.
The only product on the market that can control the level or digital players is the SMART Afterburner. This 6-
channel threshold limiter "burns off" the top dynamic range of the soundtrack without affecting the other sterling
qualities of digital soundtracks. It works with almost every brand stereo processor and costs about 500 bucks*.
The AFT660 can help save your sound components from an early death and save the patron's ears. Ideal for multiplex
installations with thin walls. Our friends call this the "no pain" product!
Wi
SiigROStnd retciil price ol the ArT(>(>() is
$-)'»''>.(M).
f'lf.iso ( onl.u I your SMART (((MJcr lor Iht- best
price, the new Al 1 W.OI'NI' li.is .1 llicairc net
price ol$f>7S.00
The AFT660PNP. The Afterburner with integrated
digital "Plug 'N Play" connectors for cinemas that
move digital players from one auditorium to another.
594S Peachtree Corners T.isl
Norcross, C"

6 BoxomrE
HOLLYWOOD
UPDATES
Ron Bass, who scripted the TriStar hit "My
Best Friend's Wedding," has signed a threeyear
exclusive writing deal with Sony Pictures
Entertainment. Before this pact (which
also will have Bass producing other writers'
scripts) commences in January, Bass will
fulfill three other scripting commitments:
"Mozart and the Whale," about a high-functioning
autistic couple, for DreamWorks; an
adaptation of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,"
also for DreamWorks; and an as-yetunnamed
project for Jerry Zucker and
Universal.
Producer Sean Cunningham ("Friday the
1 3th") has formed Sun Valley Film Corp., a
production company to handle mainstream
fare, while his Cunningham Prods, will continue
to focus on the horror genre. Currently
in development at Cunningham Prods, is
"Freddy vs. Jason" for New Line. Sun Valley's
first project will be the romantic comedy
"Gold Rush," about the relationship between
a businesswoman and the owner of the small
brewery she's trying to buy out. Their romance
is put to the test when she learns her
young-looking beau is really 177 years old.
Also in the works at Sun Valley is "Necessary
Evil," a comedy about an ex-con trying to get
his son back from inept kidnappers without
letting his wife know their child is missing.
Sandy Gallin's Sandollar Prods, has renewed
its first-look pact with Disney for its
theatrical product. Currently in development
under the deal is a third "Father of the Bride"
movie; a romantic comedy called "At Last"
by "Swingers" scripter Jon Favreau; and
"Bruno the Big Baby," a comedy by Robin
Schiff ("Romy & Michele's High School Reunion").
Inspired by the popularity and success of
touring musical festivals, filmmaker Suzanne
Myers has organized Fuel, which she hopes
will become the Lolapalooza of the exhibition
industry. Fuel, a program of four films
which will tour 1 1 cities, will feature Myers'
own "Alchemy," about a young sculptor;
Chris Smith's "American Job," which chronicles
one man's succession of dead-end jobs;
Dante Harper's "The Delicate Art of the
Rifle," a black comedy about the 1 966 mass
murder at the University of Texas; and Hannah
Weyer's "Arresting Gena," about a teenage
girl who lives with her uncle when her
mother falls into a coma. Fuel kicks off in
October in Raleigh, N.C., and will then proceed
to Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pa.;
Providence, R.I.; Cambridge, Mass.; Columbus,
Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, III.;
San Francisco, Calif.; Seattle, Wa.; and Portland,
Ore. Booking was handled by Jeff
Lipsky, co-founder of October Films and
most recently head of distribution for East-
West Film Partners. The venues Lipsky selected
are all independent theatres with a
commitment to art-house product. "I wanted
to stick with the exhibitors who were steadfastly
dedicated to independent film, to cutting-edge
cinema, who played as much
Strand Releasing product as they did
Miramax product," Lipsky told Boxoffice.
The cities were also strategically chosen to
target the right audience. "It's kind of a mix
between A and B markets, markets that have
some kind ofa college presence, markets that
are known as cutting-edge markets, where
such films tend to take root." The program
will play for a week in each site, with the
filmmakers travelling along to speak to audiences
about their films. A second group of
cities may be chosen to continue the tour in
January, depending on the success of Fuel's
maiden voyage. From there. Fuel may become
an annual event: "I know Suzanne has
every intention of creating a tradition here
and maintaining that tradition."
Actor Ben Stiller ("Flirting With Disaster")
has named George Linardos to run his Fox
2000-based production company. Red Hour
Prods. Linardos was previously Uma
Thurman's producing partner, and prior to
that, he worked as a development executive
for Oliver Stone's Ixtlan on such projects as
"The People Vs. Larry Flynt."
Hallmark Entertainment Prods. Worldwide
has appointed David Picker as its president
as part of a major expansion into
theatrical motion pictures. The company is
currently selecting movie projects to produce
and co-finance. Picker has headed production
at United Artists, Paramount and
Columbia in the past; most recently, he produced
"The Crucible" for 20th Century Fox.
David Friendly is leaving his position as
president of Davis Entertainment to form his
own production company. Friendly Prods.,
and has already signed on with Fox 2000 for
a three-year exclusive deal. Friendly's producing
credits include "Out to Sea," "Courage
Under Fire" and the upcoming "Dr.
Dolittle."
Miramax Films has inked a first-look deal
with "Shall We Dance?" director Masayuki
Suo, producer Shoji Masui and Altamira Pictures.
"Shall We Dance?," about a Japanese
businessman who secretly takes ballroom
dancing lessons, outperformed the debuts of
Miramax's other successful foreign language
films "Like Water For Chocolate,"
"Cinema Paradiso" and "II Postino," taking
in over $88,000 on its opening weekend
and averaging more than $17,000 per
screen. At press time, the film had grossed
$3 million.
Dimension Films, Miramax's genre label,
has entered into a two-picture deal with
Craig Mazin and Greg Erb, a comedy-writing
team who cut their teeth running Princeton's
humor magazine. The duo has already sold
two pitches: "Rocket Man," which Buena
Vista will release this fall; and "Senseless,"
the Damon Wayans starrer, due out through
Miramax in early 1998. Dimension has
bought Mazin and Erb's pitch "Daddy's
Boy," about a twenlysomething guy who
returns to his hometown to find that his
mother is planning on marrying his former
high school pal.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ray Greene
MANAGING EDITOR
Kim Williamson
SENIOR EDITOR
Christine James
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Susan Lambert
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Linda Andrade
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Alex Albanese
John Allen
George T. Chronis
Pat Kramer
Ann Kwinn
Wade Major
Joseph McBride
Lea Russo
ShIomo Schwartzberg
Jon Alon Walz
EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT
Melissa Morrison
e-mail; tomelis @ bohem-net.cz
BOXOFFICE ONLINE WEBSITE ADDRESS:
http://www.boxoffice.com
email: boxoffice@earthlink.net
Online service provided by Marlin Software
FOUNDER
Ben Shiyen
PUBLISHER
Bob Dietmeier (773)338-7007
NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Robert M. Vale (213)465-1186
ADVERTISING CONSULTANT
Morris Schlozman (816)942-5877
EAST COAST ADVERTISING REP.
Mitchell J. Hall (212)877-6667
WEST COAST ADVERTISING REP.
Gwen Campbell (310) 792-9011
BUSINESS MANAGER
Dan Johnson (773)338-7007
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
Chuck Taylor (312) 922-9326
OFFICES
Editorial and Publishing Headquarters:
6640 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100. Hollywood, CA
90028-71 59(213)465-1 186. FAX: (213)465-5049
Corporate: Mailing Address: P.O. Box 25485,
Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 338-7007
i6 The
Audit
Bureau
Circulation Inquiries:
BOXOFFICE Data Center
725 8. Wells St., 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60607
(312)922-9326
FAX: (312) 922-7209

International Cinema Equipment Co. is pleased to announce that it has introduced
a new line Steel Pre-fabricated Motion Picture Screen Frames. This new line of Frames
is the latest addition to a growing list of products manufactured by
the company for the Motion Picture & Theatre industry. For prices,
technical information and a free brochure call your theatre
equipment dealer or, write, fax or e-mail us today.
Quick delivery time is our speciality.
^
^
^R8
Other fine products we manufacture or distribute:
WestarATAP/k14
Automatic
Projectors
M.T.E. Studio Equipment
^Km
Westar 35 &
35/70 mm Projectors
Lens, Screen, Lamp and
Aspect Ratio Calculators
v?=
Westar HDMC
Projection Lenses
ooo

HOLLYWOOD
REPORT
WOODY HARRELSON
"Country" Boy
DAVID DUCHOVNY
"X" Marks The Spot
ANGELA BASSETT
Gets In The "Groove"
"THE HILO COUNTRY"
Woody Harrelson ("The People
Vs. Larry Flynt") and Billy Crudup
("Sleepers") will star in this film
based on a book by Max Evans
about two men who return from
World War II and fall in love with
the same woman. The project is
one that the late filmmaker Sam
Peckinpah had long wanted to
bring to the screen. Walon
Green, who scripted Peckinpah's
"The Wild Bunch," wrote the
"HiLo" adaptation. Stephen
Frears ("The Van") will direct.
(Distribution is to be set)
"DIRTY WORK" The perennially
sardonic Norm Macdonald
(TV's "Saturday Night Live")
will star in this comedy, which
he co-wrote with Frank
Sebastiano. Macdonald will
play a loserwhofinally finds his
niche when he opens a business
devoted to exacting revenge for
clients. (MGM)
UNTITLED WOODY ALLEN
The latest comedy from Woody
Allen (whose "Deconstructing
Harry" is due out through Fine
Line in December) will star Kenneth
Branagh ("The Gingerbread
Man"), Winona Ryder ("Alien
Resurrection"), Leonardo Di
Caprio ("Romeo & Juliet"), Kim
Basinger ("L.A. Confidential"),
Saffron Burrows ("Circle of
Friends"), Judy Davis ("Children
of the Revolution"), Famke
Janssen ("GoldenEye") and Jeffrey
Wright ("Basquiat"). (Distribution
is to be set)
"FREQUENCY" Tommy Lee
Jones ("Men in Black") may star
for director Renny Harlin in this
film about a fireman in 1969
who somehow accidentally
taps into the future through a
ham radio, crossing almost 30
years to make contact, by
chance, with his son, a homicide
cop, in the present day.
Through their conversations,
the son is able to prevent his
father's death in a fire, and tries
to track down his mother's serial
killer. (New Line)
"BQFINCER'S BIG THING"
Steve Martin ("Father of the
Bride 11") scripted this comedy
and will star as a down-and-out
producer who has written a
script and is desperate to make
the film with a particular star, to
be played by Eddie Murphy
("The Nutty Professor"). Frank
Oz ("In and Out") will direct.
(Distribution is to be set)
"MARTHA AND ARTHUR"
"My Best Friend's Wedding"
stars Julia Roberts and Rupert
Everett will reteam In this comedy
about a macho movie star
(Everett) who is married to
Roberts' character in an attempt
to hide his homosexuality from
his fans. Roberts and Everett first
worked together in Robert
Altman's "Ready to Wear."
(Buena Vista)
"JOHN CARPENTER'S VAM-
PIRES" James Woods ("Contact")
will play an expert vampire
hunter from the Vatican. Sheryl
Lee ("Bliss") and Daniel Baldwin
("Phoenix") also star. (Distribution
is to be set)
"BACHELOR" Based on the
1925 Buster Keaton starrer
"Seven Chances," this romantic
comedy will star Chris
O'Donnell ("Batman & Robin")
as a bachelor who has 24 hours
to get married in orderto receive
a multi-million dollar inheritance
from his grandfather.
(New Line)
"MARY STUART" Glenn Close
("Air Force One") and Meryl
Streep ("Marvin's Room"), who
worked together in 1 994's "The
House of the Spirits," will reunite
in this film adaptation of
Friedrich Schiller's play which
chronicles the rivalry between
royal cousins Mary Queen of
Scots (Streep) and Queen Elizabeth
1 (Close) that resulted in
Mary's execution. Richard Eyre,
thedirectorofthe National Theatre
in London, will helm.
Streep and Close are co-producing.
(Distribution is to be set)
"ELIZABETH I" Even in modern-day
Hollywood, Mary
Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I
are rivals: In this take on the
story. Gate Blanchett ("Paradise
Road") will play Queen Elizabeth
I opposite Geoffrey Rush
("Shine") as Sir Francis
Walsingham in this historical
drama which follows the coups,
assassination attempts and foreign
opposition Elizabeth faced
during her reign from 1 558 to
1603. "Bandit Queen's"
Shekhar Kapur will direct. (Distribution
is to be set)
BLACKWOOD"
"X-FILES:
David Duchovny and Gillian
Anderson of TV's sci-fi phenomenon
"The X-Files" will headline
this bigscreen version,
whose plot, appropriately
enough, is shrouded in mystery,
though parapsychology and
conspiracies will no doubt figure
largely. Martin Landau
("City Hall") will also star. "X-
Files" creator Chris Carter producis
and wrote the script; Rob
Bowman, a producer and director
of the TV series, directs. (Fox)
"LETHAL WEAPON 4" It looks
likely that Mel Gibson will
return
for the fourth installment of
the "Lethal Weapon" actioncomedies.
Reports indicate that
he'll receive a $20 million upfront
fee, while his backend participation
deal could earn him
an additional $1 5 millionto$20
million. Danny Clover will also
reprise his role as Gibson's partner.
Filmmakers Richard Donner
and Joel Silverof the "Lethal
Weapon" series (as well as the
recent Gibson starrer "Conspiracy
Theory") also return, and
"Conspiracy Theory" scripter
Brian Helgeland is writing the
screenplay. (Warner)
"ARMAGEDDON"
Michael
Bay ("The Rock") will helm this
action-disaster film in which
Bruce Willis ("The Fifth Element")
heads up a team sent into
space to destroy a meteor on a
collision course with Earth. Billy
Bob Thornton ("Ll-Turn"), Steve
Buscemi ("Con Air") and Ben
Affleck ("Chasing Amy") also
star. Jonathan Hensleigh ("The
Saint") wrote the script, and Jerry
Bruckheimer and Gale Anne
Hurd produce. (Buena Vista)
"HOW STELLA GOT HER
GROOVE BACK" This adaptation
of Terry McMillan's
bestseller will topline Angela
Bassett (who also starred in the
screen version of McMillan's
"Waiting to Exhale) as a divorced
working mother who
takes a trip to Jamaica where she
has an affair with a younger
man. Whoopi Goldberg ("The
Associate") will play Stella's
best friend. "Exhale" scripter
Ron Bass also returns. (Fox)
"ALMOST ROMANTIC" Janeane
Garofalo ("Matchmaker")
and Jon Stewart (TV's "The Jon
Stewart Show") are in talks to
star as the contentious maid of
honor and best man at their
friends' wedding. When the
groom is incapacitated, they're
offered the non-refundable Carribbean
honeymoon, which
they accept, despite their mutual
disdain. (Buena Vista)
ETCETERA: Ron Howard is in
talks to direct Jim Carrey in New
Line's remake of "The Secret
Life of Walter Mitty"...Jeff
Goldblum and Kelly Preston
have joined Eddie Murphy in
the comedy "Holy Man". ..Following
Brad Pitt and Cwyneth
Paltrow's breakup, Paltrow's father
Bruce, who was to have
made his directorial debut on
Columbia's "Duets," pulled the
plug on the project, which
would have starred the duo.

nCS Corp Introduces "The Producer'
Now every theatre can
afford to play optical
stereo or SR soundtracks
for the exceptionally low
price of $10,599.95 or
$250.16 per month.*
The "Producer" is a complete 6 channel cinema
stereo system. A factory wired wall rack
includes the new 6-channel MOD VI stereo
processor, the MN600 "Soundcheck" booth
monitor, the newTA6300 6-channel power
amplifier, 3 Stage 1-90 screen loudspeaker
systems, 8 SMART Wharfedale 2180 surround
speakers for split surround, and the
powerful DS573 18" subwoofer. This new
system is designed for auditoriums with 250
seats or less. All components in the system
are matched for perfect sound reproduction
and maximum efficiency.
Adding a digital player is very easy! Ask for
the new Digital Now package that includes
the AFTERBURNER threshold limiterand
and the digital Plug 'N Play panel that allows
you to move your "roll around" digital players
from system to system. This option is only
1 cent more in price.
^^^^^3[^BBL
FREE! Each theatre purchasing "Producer" stereo systems will
receive a SMART digital "On-hold" telephone message player.
Your own professionally recorded commercial message featuring
your theatre's name with royalty-free background music is
included. A $690 value.
Call your nearest NCS office for more details!
Eastern Regional Office, Tampa Florida (800) 776-6271
Midwest Office, Cincinatti, OH (800) 543-0418 or Lenexa, KS Office (800) 457-3357
West Coast Office, Castaic, CA. (888) 900-1984
240 volt systems available for export customers. Lease not available outside the U.S.

t kL'L'l/ -L*
—
Cover
TRIAL
RUN
Maverick Filmmaker
FRANCIS COPPOLA Takes
His Case to the Court
of Public Opinion With
"THE RAINMAKER"
Thirty
years ago, Francis Coppola (who
in 1977 dropped his middle moniker,
Ford, stating he didn't trust anyone with
three names) was on the brink of what was to
become the most hailed—and often simultaneously
railed-upon—career of any American
filmmaker since Orson Welles. His "You're a
Big Boy Now" opened in March of 1967 to
good reviews and was considered a breakthrough
artistic piece for the young director/screenwriter.
Later that same year, Coppola
began shooting "The Rain People," an
experience which generated so much
camaraderie between the director and
his crew that it inspired in him the idea
to create a revolutionary film studio
American Zoetrope. Three decades,
five Oscars, one failed film studio and
many controversys later, the man who
was once lovingly referred to by his
actors as Ayatollah Coppola took a moment
during his post-production schedule
on "The Rainmaker," an adaptation
of yet another John Grisham courtroom
bestseller to talk about his latest project
and his visions for the future. The result
is something unique: a portrait of the
artist as a middle-agedjourneyman, plying
his tndc in a)rporate America
While the Coppola who filmed "The Rain
People" was an ambitious young idealist-without-a-cause,
the Coppola of "The Rainmaker"
is a cautious, realistic artisan who recognizes
the value of commissioned work. It's interesting
to note that when Coppola's representatives
at American Z4xan)pe, his pnxluclion
company, agreed on his behalf to this interview,
there was one condition: no questioas
about "The Godfather" Just about everything
there is to say about "The Godfather" has been
said and re-said, but with any powerful figure,
stipulations like that can be the first step in
creating an interview diat is too cautious at
best, promotional nonsense at worst.
But the interesting and compelling thing
about Coppola, in conversation as in even the
most problematic of his films, is that the artist
in him usually gets the best of him. His flaws
as well as his virtues have a compelling purity
You can H really exist
without [a studio 's]favor.
They own it. And there
is not a filmmaker or an
artist on the board of any
one of those companies,
to them that shines on through his work.
And he has so much to say. Coppola spent
years being led around by his vision; it was
vision that pushed him to the pinnacle and
pushed him off of it. He survived, and found a
way to come back from difTiculties that might
have destroyed a less detemiined filmmaker
That t)ne of the true modem American artists
and visionaries has in tlic pRx:ess been forced
to become a high-priced gun for hire may say
by Susan Lambert
more about our time and the nanire of the
movie industry than it says about the man.
A maverick who allows himself to be temporarily
tamed in order to get what he needs
from the establishment faces the possibility of
losing what set him apart to begin with. But
Coppola not only made some of the great
American movies, he still believes in the idea
of them, and that's what keeps him going, and
makes him still so fascinating.
c:
oppola admits he picked up a
copy of Grisham's "The Rainmaker"
out of curiosity. "I
thought I would read it and see what I
could leam about what makes something
such a besLseller" On a plane to
France, Coppola found himself jotting
notes in the margins of the book about
what he liked. He was drawn to the
characters and the story of Rudy, a
young law student involved in the lowdown,
sleazy worid of ambulance chasers
who eventually takes on an
important case fighting a big, bad insurance
company that refuses to pay for a
bone marrow transplant that would save
a young man's life.
Coppola knocked off a letter to
Grisham asking if the rights were available. "In
my letter I said, 'Plea,se don't sell it to the
studios, because they're stupid, stupid, stupid.'
You have to know the book to appreciate that
(reference], otherwise it's jast an insult to the
studios." Coppola pauses before adding (ironically?),
"Which, of course, I would never do."
Grisham wn)te back that the rights had already
been acquired by Michael Douglas and

—
October. 1997 11
Steven Reuther, who eventually came around
to ask Coppola if he would be interested in
directing the film. Obviously, he was.
"If you're not in the position to just go out
and do the movie you might want to do," says
Coppola, "it's certainly much better to do
something like a John Grisham 'Rainmaker'
than to do something about a plane getting
hijacked or whatever—a story that they [the
studios] seem to do over and over again."
In an industry that survives on image, control
and calculation, Coppola is candid about
his fall from grace, and surprisingly honest
about his hired gun status. "These are not
projects that I'm creating from scratch as I've
sometimes had the privilege of doing in the
past. The market isn't really so much interested
in films from filmmakers doing their personal
work, so basically, the jobs are to do projects
that exist."
It's almost as if he's apologizing for taking
on an obvious sell Uke the Grisham book, but
Coppola's history is one of taking popular
novels (Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather," S.E.
Hinton's "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish"
and even "Bram Stoker's Dracula") and turning
them into, at the very least, popular cinema
and at the very best, great cinema. "Obviously,"
says Coppola, "Great hterature is great
for a reason, and it's theoretical that if you can
capture that, you can have great cinema. But a
lot of wonderful movies have [also] been made
out of so-called 'popular novels.' John
Grisham definitely has a talent for coming up
with a story and interesting characters."
It was those characters that really interested
Coppola in 'The Rainmaker." Because he saw
them as "a wonderful bunch of parts for actors,"
preserving them intact became the greatest
challenge when he began adapting the
novel to the screen. "1 felt the insurance in this
case was a wonderful cUmax to the story, but
I would have been very disappointed ifwe lost
some of the peripheral characters."
Coppola says that even when he tries to
remain as faithful to the book as possible, the
nature of a film often makes it difficult to
interweave the many subplots a novel contains.
"If you introduce multiple stories in a
movie, you are always in danger of interrupting
what the audience is interested in, so you
have to do it very deftly and you have to do it
at the right moment." Coppola finds audience
test screenings to be helpful in the editing
process. "I found on 'Godfather II,' where we
had a lot of multiple stories, it took me a while
to really find the combination ofhow one story
would begin and go to another story... It requires
a little bit of editorial skiU and patience
to lead the audience so it isn't a competing
story or an interrupting story, but a parallel
story."
Coppola feels he found the right balance for
"The Rainmaker," though he admits that an
unconventional romantic subplot pxjsed special
problems. 'The love interest is a tough
one," he says, "because there are so many
stories and then, all of a sudden, there's another
one." In the book, Rudy falls for a very young
and horribly abused married woman named
Kelly. For Coppola, casting Claire Danes
("Romeo & Juliet") in the
role became vital to making
it work. "It's a pretty tough
role, because she had to play
a character basically in tears
and beat up most of the
time," explains Coppola. "I
had hoped—and I hope
that just Claire's essence
and her youth—she's only
about 18 years old or so
brings the role to hfe."
Though he has high
praise for Danes ("She's a
prodigy," he says) Coppola
seems surprisingly hesitant
when pressed about what
else he's doing to make the
difficult relationship work.
"1 don't know, her skill, the
relationship, a 'love theme'
[for the characters]?"
He's equally reluctant to
speak of "The Rainmaker''
on a personal level. In the
book, a family watches their
son die needlessly. The situation
can't help but bring
to mind the untimely death
of Coppola's own son, Gio,
wlio was killed in an accident
on Coppola's 1987
movie "Gardens of Stone".
But Coppola
doesn't see the connection. "My own personal
story is not all that really relevant to this particular
book," he says. "I mean, when anyone
loses a child I can very be very moved. This
last year there have been instances [among
people I know], and I find it very moving. But
no, I don't think that had a lot to do [with 'The
Rainmaker.']"
Coppola says the film surprises people because
it turned out to be very funny. "In fact,
people at first are like, 'Well, is this a comedy
or a drama?* And I say, 'It's like Chekhov, you
know, it's both.'"
Thematically, Coppola sees 'The Rainmaker"
as more a David and Goliath
story. "I think the theme of a young,
ideaUstic lawyer coming in at the bottom and
finding himself battling a gjant corporation is
appealing." But even Coppola's works-forhire
have such an infusion of Coppola's vision
that it's hard to not find connections between
the story and the filmmaker.
There is at least one potential view of "The
Rainmaker" that fits in with the notion of
Coppola as artist/auteur. Coppola himself was
once a young, ideahstic fikn student working
in the bottom echelon of the film world—i.e.
his early work on pom flicks and Roger Gorman
films—who ended up battUng the studio
giants.
In 'The Rainmaker," Rudy wins his batde
against big money, but the kid has already died
from his illness, and the settlement never materializes,
so the win is double-edged. "Most
things that involve big money as a goal, in the
end, the money all evaporates and you die of
cancer ot you lose your kid or something much
FULL COURT PRESS: Coppola on the set of his new Vavid and
Goliath" legal saga. John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker."
more important basically makes the money
goal all add up to nothing," says Coppola. "I
think that's what the book is driving at. You try
to win, but in the end, there are more impcxtant
things than those money prizes."
An interesting philosophy taken in context
with Coppola's own very pubUc financial difficulties
(all of which stemmed from his failed
attempt to create a studio in the early 1980s).
He once made a comment about being embarrassed
by the duality of his success and failure.
"In my own case," says Coppola, "I was so
young and full of enthusiasm and I made
movies more out of, really, a kind ofinnocence.
1 just did it. I made 'The Godfather' and "The
Conversation' and 'Godfather W and 'Apocalypse
Now,' and I was shocked at all the trouble
I was in at the end of it. How disgraced 1 was.
That's before Ireahzed it was sort of all agame,
and I took it very hard— my disgrace after
"Apocalypse" and "One From the Heart" and
losing my studio. I kind of even didn't know
what I had done wrong. Now I look back and
I say, 'Gee, that was quite a run I had going.'"
I
In
ndeed it was—an unparalleled run of
achievement, followed by a dramatic
downnim worthy of Shakespearean drama.
many ways, the sheer magnitude of his
success made his failures seem perhaps even
more significant than they were. "The only
movies that got wild with me," he claims,
"were the ones that I financed, so I basically
was not hurting any investors."
Now on a comeback trail that really seemed
to begin with the critical and commercial success
of "Bram Stoker's Dracula," Coppola no
longer spouts the rhetoric of a rebelUous outsider,
particularly when it comes to the bottom

R/iv#ktrfnrv
"
line. He would appear to understand all too
well what the price of success and failure is in
the film industry. He answers now to higher
authority, the very thing he fought so desperately
against for so many years. Coppola exto
do, but he doesn't put a lot of stock in critical
acclaim or disclaim. "Historically, the movies
that got really trashed went on to be put in
among the great movies, so it's sort of hard to
take it too much to heart. More important is the
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST: Francis Coppola on the set of "The Rainmaker.
plains, "I've been very careful [of late] to make
films that have been impeccably produced and
done without controversy. These movies are
under-budget and under-schedule. Obviously,
I'm trying to earn that trust."
This from the man who once said, "The way
to come to power is to make a place in the
Establishment and then challenge and doublecross
the Establishment." One of the most
interesting aspects to Coppola's films and his
career was that even when he tried to become
the Establishment, the artist in him never gave
in long enough to the businessman to make
anyone believe the charade. Even now, as he's
"playing ball," Coppola is contemplating another
trip to the summit.
"I did want to do a couple more pictures
where I got paid before I basically just write
movies that may or may not ever get made,"
says Coppola. "I'm considered an attractive
director for actors and what-have-you, [and] I
thought it would be nice, really, to make a
couple of [commercial] pictures before I go off
on the long, cold, lonely journey. 'Jack' was
the first, and 'Rainmaker' was the second. I
thought there would be a third, but I reqlly
don't see one. So maybe there will only be
those two. I have quite a good track record, so
I'm hoping all that will eventually hold me in
good stead when I'm ready to leap off a cliff."
Coppola refuses to talk about what those
pepional projects might be, or even when he
would pursue that track. "Obviously it has to
be at a lime when I'm sure that I've really
provided for my family. I'm 58 years old and
in pretty good shape and have no limitations
except that I'm less able to put up with doing
stuff that I'm not in love with."
Coppola says he hopes critics will respond
to his movies and understand what he's trying
perception of whether people want to let me
make another movie or not."
Coppola says that because of the state ofthe
industry at the moment, that's a very real concem.
And not just for him. "I don't know any
major, established director who is not in the
same situation, where they fear that basically
the time is rapidly growing near where they'll
never be able to make films again." He adds
that it's impossible to get a film made that is
not a studio-ftiendly (i.e., market-driven) picture.
"It's very hard to say to them, 'I'd like to
make another 'Apocalypse Now." Obviously,
not in that setting, but of that scale or with that
kind of original theme."
Coppola's ability to do that died with the
bloody death of American Zoetrope's studio
incarnation. But 2i)etrope, like the filmmaker
himself, has survived in a smaller, more realistic
form. Coppola explains, "Zbetrope exists,
but we don't risk our own money anymore, so
that means we're less. The films we make are
not those wonderfijl, daring and special films
like 'Koyaanisqatsi' or 'Apocalypse' or the
style of films that we love." But Zoetrope does
produce eclectic movies, like the excellent
Latino-themed "Mi Familia" as well as bigbudget
cable and network television, like the
TV smash "The Odyssey" and an upcoming
adaptation of "Moby Dick." Coppola is proud
of Zoetrope, which now also pRxluces a .short
story magazine, even if it's not the grandiose
studio he wanted it to be. "It has a great track
record, when you think about it."
there is something almost wistful
Still,
about Coppola's as.sessmenl of himself
in the context of the filmmaker he most
wishes he could be. "The filmmaker I admire
most is W(K)dy Allen," he says. "Hejust makes
his own films. You don't hear about him directing
a John Grisham book, or a Disney
project. I have such admiration for the fact that
he's created his career in that way. 1 would love,
in the near future, to be considered a filmmaker
that only does his own writing. I hope."
Even Coppola's most personal movies are
almost always of a very different breed than
Allen's, created on a scope and scale that
requires significant financial backing. "It does
take a partner to finance [my work],'" he agrees,
meaning a major studio. "It's not just their
money [1 need], because I've produced a lot of
films without their money. It's ultimately their
distribution. You can't really exist without
their favor. They own it. They own the means
of distribution. They own the finance. And
there is not a filmmaker or an artist on the board
of any one of those companies."
For a moment, the fiery, maverick, idealistic
Coppola peeks through before the hard-won
pragmatic side takes over again. Asked if he
now accepts the idea that the studio system he
tried to overthrow is the best way to run a film
studio, the wiser, older, "cooperative" Coppola
says, "I'm basically disinterested. I don't mind
if," Coppola sighs before continuing the
thought, "if the public supports their products.
Me, I'm in the wine business." The reference
is to Coppola's flourishing vineyards in Northem
California, and it's not an entirely flippant
one. In fact, Coppola says his wine company
is doing better than his film company is.
So will the wine someday pay for the feature
films? "I don't know if it would ever do that,"
Coppola says, "but it's not impossible. Certainly,
the wine supports my family."
Coppola has been gracious with his time,
stretching the scheduled 30 minutes to almost
an hour. It's time to go, but Coppola hesitates
before wrapping things up. He has one thing
left to say, perhaps the most optimistic and
benevolent comment in a surprisingly candid
bunch;"l leave you with one thought. The
United States has the most extraordinary wave
of young talented people in their 20s and 30s
that are coming who are passionate about film
and are extremely pure about it. 1 would say in
four or five years they're going to hit the
so-called establishment with such a force. And
I just... my gut tells me, they're just not going
to be able to buy them off... This young generation
that they refer to as Generation X? That's
a misnomer. If anything, they're Generation P,
they're the promising generation. They're
going to change what movies are."
Taken from the man who thirty years ago
predicted digital systems and electronics
would revolutionize the industry and whose
pioneering efforts led the way for DreamworLs
SKG and Lucasfilm, these are words not only
to heed, but perhaps commit to memory. They
are the words of a man who has been to the
brink and back, and who isn't afraid to get back
out there along the edge.
Hi
"The Rainmaker." Starring Malt Damon
and Claire Danes. Directed and written by
Francis Coppola. Produced by Michael
Douglas and Steven Reulher. A Paramount
Pictures release. Nov. 13 (tentative).

Sony Pictures entertainment
Congratulates
Mann's Chinese
Theatre
On ITS
70th Anniversary
SONY
PICTURES"
W0

14 Rnvnmrr
Tribute
THE BEST MANN
As Mann's Chinese Theatre Turns 70, BOXOFFICE
Celebrates A Glorious Exhibition History byJonAlon Walz
In 1973, Mann Theatres
acquired the Chinese Theatre—
one of the most famous
moviehouses in the
world. Instantly, the Chinese
became Mann 'sflagship, and
a living symbol ofthe circuit 's
commitment to the past and
future of the movie medium.
To understand the unique
symbiosis between Mann and
the Chinese, it is necessary to
go back into the past some 70
years, when a pioneering exhibition
visionary decided to
create the ultimate viewinii
space...
the past 1 00 years,
Over
the art of the motion
picture has evolved
from the simplicity of random
moving images projected
in a dusty comer of
Thomas Edison's basement
into the amazing multinational,
multibillion-dollar
economic behemoth it is
today. And no one cinema
better exemplifies the grandeur
and integral import of
exhibition than Mann's Chinese
Theatre, which turns
70 this year. The venue of
choice for Hollywood premieres
and one of the topvisited
tourist attractions in
the United States thanks to
its unique forecourt of celebrity handprints and footprints, the
Chinese was the brainchild of exhibitor Sid Grauman. The last
theatre he would ever build, the Chinese capped off in a typically stellar
style Grauman's lifelong dedication to the business of showmanship.
In the seemingly simpler time before 30-screen multiplexes,
3,000-print releases and digital
surround sound became de facto
industry standards, this cutting-edge West Coast exhibitor—working
with nothing but a big dream and some grandiose notioas—single-handedly
created the craft of large-scale exhibition publicity and
ultimately elevated it into an art.
CHINESE ARCHITECTURE: Sid Grauman built Hollywood's world-famous
Chinese Theatre in 1927. Today, it's one of the most visited tourist spots in America.
Although he did not live to see the first multiplex, Sid Grauman will
always be remembered as the visionary who recognized the public's
need for movies and glamour By building such renowned Los Angeles
theatres as the Chinese and Egyptian and consistently promoting them
in a grand style, Grauman was among a tiny group of insiders who
collectively turned a sleepy little movie town in Southern California
into "Hollywood."
"Showmanship is like any
other merchandising," Grauman
noted in 1 93 1 . "You must
first buy desirable material,
then present it to attractive advantage,
and price it right.
Above all, you must let the
whole world know what you
have to sell."
Grauman spent virtually his
entire life selling and promoting
events and entertainment.
Bom in 1879 to Rosa and
David Grauman, he was soon
whisked fix)m his birthplace in
Indianapolis to a small mining
community in Colorado,
where his father was a participant
in the great gold rush of
the late 1800s. Adopting his
father's adventurous approach
to life—it took a certain type
of person to fully embrace the
promise and risks of the gold
rush—Grauman was quick to
make friends wherever he
went. According to Charles
Beardsley, author of
"Hollywood's Master Showman:
The Legendary Sid Grauman,"
one ofGrauman's earliest
successes as an impresario was
at a rather well-attended birthday
party for a young girlfriend.
As the evening progressed and
the mood became somber, 10-
year-old Sid canvassed the
crowd looking tor people with
either musical or dramatic talent in order to put on a little show.
'It was not long before Sid put a young lady on the town hall platform
to recite humorous poeras while he found a rustic violinist and a
hannonica player who were glad to improvi.se mdimentary diince music,"
writes Beardsley. "And eventually when the diuicing palled, he led the
partygoers in communal games. He realized that he had a very real ability to
cater to people's tastes, to know in.stinctively what they wanted. This may
well have been his firet conscious awareness that he could please the public."
From Colorado, Grauman and his father followed the gold rush mania
to the Yukon Territory in Alaska. Here, Grauman staged the (x'casional
variety show for the entertainment-starved residents. An early success
was a benefit for the local newsboys. Blizzards had prevented regional
papers from reaching the town, and the newsbciys were quickly going
broke. Sid sccxired the town for talent of any sort to perform in his show.
Respoase was overwhelming: The event raised an impressive $1,200.
Soon after, his father left Alaska for San Francisco to take care of
one of Grauman's sisters who had fallen ill. Grauman stayed in

Alaska for another year before rejoining
his family in California, where he
started his life in the movies.
Grauman
saw his first movie at San
Francisco's Cinemagraph theatre.
Impressed by and curious
about this odd spectacle, he landed a job
at the theatre as a jack-of-all-trades, and
quickly recognized that the ever-expanding
revenue streams produced by
these flickering "novelties" made them
as legitimate a business as any other.
His father, redirecting his gold rush
fever, agreed to help young Sid start his
own movie theatre, the
Unique on Market
Street. It was an instant
success. Adopting a
part-live show, partmovies
program, Grauman
was the first to hire
such performers as
Jessy Lasky, who
would later help found
Paramount Pictures, and
Al Jolson, who later became
a major movie star
"Sid had, even in those
days, the uncanny ability
to pick exceptional talent,"
notes Beardsley.
Several years later, the Graumans
built a new theatre, the Lyceum, that,
along with the Unique, was completely
destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake and fires. Quickly devising a
stunt to return movies to the city, Grauman
struck a deal with an evangelist who
sold him a big-top canvas tent and
enough pews for 3,000 people. Mere
days after the disaster, movies retumed to
San Francisco under Grauman's mammoth
promotional baruier, which assured
patrons there was "nothing to fall
on you except canvas."
The canvas theatre was, again, another
instant hit, drawing 10,000 people
a day. It operated continuously for two
years and solidified Grauman's standing
as San Francisco's master showman.
Grauman began expanding his theatrical
franchise further into the Bay area
and even operated two theatres on two
different occasions in New York City.
Around 1917, he and his father made
their most important decision yet—a decision
perfecdy consistent with the impulsive
nature of their Uves thus far:
Sell it all. Move to Los Angeles.
The
Graumans' first Los Angeles
theatre was not designed to be
just another venue for the movies.
It was designed to dominate and
eclipse the marketplace. Opening February
1, 1918 in the downtown area.
the 2,345-seat Million Dollar Theatre
was the West's largest and most lavishly
appointed motion picture venue.
Opening night drew such luminaries as
ONE SMALL STEP FOR MANN,
ONE GIANT STEP FOR MANKIND
Mann Theatres Helps Revitalize Hollywood;
Brings Chinese 'Theatre to New Cities
Mann
Theatres, owners of Sid Grauman's world-famous Chinese Theatre since 1973, is
adding 14 screens to the Hollywood landmark as part of a major revitalization of
Hollywood Boulevard: The 15-screen Chinese will anchor a $145 million, 500,000-
square-foot entertainment complex being developed by destination center designers TrizecHahn.
The chain is also in the process of choosing locales for replica Chinese Theatres in select sites
across America. Mann president and CEO Chuck Coldwater spoke with Boxoffice about Mann's
A sketc h of the entertainment center in whicli
ttie Chinest Theatres' 14 new screens will be housed.
plans to expand the Chinese dynasty.
Boxoffice: Mann's Chinese Theatre is the last of the
grand Hollywood movie palaces that's still very much
a going concern. What is the secret?
CHUCK COLDWATER: The secret is the magic of
the theatre that has endured for 70 years now. It's the
timelessness that the years have created for it. Certainly
the unique nature of the forecourt of stars has created
that sense of timelessness. Ifs given it a unique and
personal attachment to the stars whose footprints are
Immortalized there.
BoxOFHCE: What are the details of Mann's expansion
plans for the Chinese?
COLDWATER: As part of the new entertainment project
being developed [by TrizecHahn], we are going to do
some considerable renovation to the existing Chinese
theatre. Some clean-up, fix-up, patch-up, re-touch. We're contemplating re-seating the big Chinese
Theatre auditorium. We're going to have 1 4 new screens In what (will be] several hundred thousand
square feet of a new entertainment retaH/nestaurant/entettainment project [that is] the vision and the
Implementation of David Malmuth, who previously was with Disney in putting together their42nd Street
project In New York City.
Boxoffice: What do you think this is going to do for Hollywood?
COLDWATER: It's certainly going to continue and hopefully accelerate the revitalization that is
already underway In Hollywood.
BOXOFFICE: How do you feel to be the custodian of such an important piece of movie history as
the Chinese Theatre?
COLDWATER; Well, for me personally as a former film student who started as an usher In this
feel an extraordinary privilege and pride in being part of this grand tradition. [At Mann],
business, I
we all take greatly to heart that the Chinese Theatre is ours to preserve and enhance, going forward
into the future. We see it as such a special element of our company that we're working to create a
prototype theatre based on the Chinese Theatre experience—the world's most famous movie theatre
and everything that connotes, the grandeur of Hollywood that it represents—and create a unique
and differentiating moviegoing experience in the new theatres that we'll be building in major
destination locations.
Boxoffice: You're going to recreate the Chinese in different sites?
COLDWATER: That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to replicate the experience witliout
in any way diminishing or diluting the original. We have one under construction right now in
Southeast Denver. It will be 1 6 screens, 4,000 seats, all-stadium, all-digital stereo, the finest in film
and sound presentation and customer service excellence. And there are others that we're contemplating—very
selectively. It is not the kind of attraction that we would do on every street corner It
would be reserved for special, major potential destination sites.
Boxoffice: Will you replicate the forecourt?
COLDWATER: Rather than doing a forecourt of movie stars, our approach is to do a forecourt of
fame of the local community stars: the police officer or firefighter hero of the year, the community
volunteer leader, the student scholar athlete of the year, [so that] as well as being a place of
entertainment that people come and partake of, [it] also becomes a local community landmark that
everyone in the area participates in.
Boxoffice: What excites you about the exhibition industry?
COLDWATER: What excites me is customers are respondi ng to the great new movie theatres that
are being built. They're responding to the improvements—the size, the scale, the convenience, the
modern technology, the comfort—that all these new theatres are providing to them. And it
encourages all of us to build these new theatres, to make sure we run them right with our customers
foremost in mind. It tells me that showmanship is alive and well. Customer sea'ice is the road to the
future. And Sid Grauman was right. Give the customers something to keep them coming back, and
they will keep coming back. — Christine James
Ortnhpr 1QQ7 I?

—
—
Cecil B. De Mille, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas
Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith. Tens of thousands
turned out in an attempt to get into the
theatre, which was declared a success by residents
and the local papers before the first
patron was even seated.
The opening feature was the William S. Hart
vehicle "The Silent Man," which was preceded
by a rough version of the Sid Grauman
Prologue, a live presentation of dance, recitation
and song that was designed to complement
the night's feature. Grauman
experimented with prologues in San Francisco
in the years after visiting New York
City and seeing similar presentations by
rival Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel.
"[Grauman's prologues]
were essentially
half the evening's entertainment
the film was the second half," actor
Douglas Fairbanks Jr., whose father was
good friends with Grauman, told
BoxoFFiCE. "The prologue took almost as
much time as the film ! He used them to set
the atmosphere for the feature, and they
were too lavish to be beUeved."
Grauman's prologues in Los Angeles
became as popular as many of the pictures
he showed in his theatres. "Whereas Roxy
beUeved in presenting a diversified program
of high-toned musical acts that bore
no relation to the theme of the feature, Sid
built his prologues around the picture, so
that a Grauman show, movie and all, was
a complete unit in mood, music and pageantry,"
writes Ben Hall in "The Best Remaining
Seats." These pre-feature
promotional devices immediately endeared
Grauman to the entire city. Grauman
had finally struck gold. For the rest of
his Ufe he had to turn enthusiastic, paying
customers away fiom his theatres. He was
a star in the only town where stars are real.
Following the opening of the Million Dollar,
Grauman purchased and refurbished the
nearby Rialto, a 9(X)-seat theatre constructed
in 1910by entrepreneurJ.M. Quinn. The name
"Grauman" above the door of the Rialto
equaled instant success.
Grauman quickly became close friends
with the heads of all the studios, as well as
all the major stars and directors of the day,
all ofwhom wanted and needed him to show
their movie in the hottest showcase in America.
Grauman valued and cherished his
friends, and would always go out of his way
to help them—though they weren't spared
from occasionally becoming the targets of
his devilish sense of humor. "He liked to
play practical jokes on people," recalls
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. "There was a trick he
and my father played on Chaplin during a
preview of one of his films. They persuaded
him to stand in the back of the theatre so no
one would see him and so he could judge the
audience's reaction without them responding
to his presence. But there was no audience
reaction at all !
They didn't laugh at any
of the jokes— it was dead as a funeral. This
went on for a long time until Grauman and
my father revealed that the entire audience
consisted of wax dummies."
By the early '20s, in an effort to retain
maximum profits from their features, the studios
began buying and building their own
theatre chains to exclusively display their
product, while simultaneously coercing the
"independents" to sign exclusivity contracts
with one of them—otherwise, essential studio
product would be denied. It would take until
the 1950s for antitrust regulations to curb such
strong-arm practices.
At this point Grauman was operating as an
CEMENTING THEIR FRIENDSHIP: Trowel in hand.
Sid Grauman (right) helps Mary Picl

PARAMOUNT PICTURES
CONGRATULATES
MANN'S CHINESE THEATRE
ON ITS 70^" ANNIVERSARY
;A^^ ^
#«jt = :
Q\uwnaimt
jKd^-:
'^*.^^^.»-.SV'
,^0,'

SPECIAL REPORT: Wired World 1997
GODZILLA: MAN'S
BEAST FRIEND
Japan's Fire-Breathing Beliemoth Goes Digital Via a New Spin
on the Old "Man in a Monster Suit" byMichaelJ. Payne
MAN-MADE MONSTER: (Left:) A FutureLight technician demonstrates a digital "man-in-a-suit" approach to CGI. (Right:) Godzilla, circa 1956.
Agraceful, athletic actor stands on an
empty soundstage looking like some
futuristic commando. A tight, black
bodysuit covers him, encircled with weblike
strands of wires that connect 72 light-emitting
markers placed at various spots on his body.
"Virtual reality" goggles cover his eyes.
Eight specialized cameras—four high and four
low—are aimed at him fiom each of the four
walls of the soundstage. To the side, three
techniciaas monitor the actor's movements on
a video screen. But what they see on the screen
is not a body-suited actor on an empty soundstage.
Instead, they see that famous radiationproduced
monster known as Godzilla
As the body-suited actor makes any movement—walking,
swinging his arms—the
computer-generated Godzilla creature on the
video screen makes the same exact movement.
In effect, the actor is "performing" Godzilla,
live and in real time. If Roland Emmerich, the
director of the TriStar summer 1998 release,
wants to change the "performance" of his digital
monster, he simply tells the actor what he
wants to be different and they go ahead and
shoot another take immediately.
This real-time computer animation process
is known as "motion capture," and it's the latest
innovation in the ever-expanding world of
digital special effects.
Emmerich and his partner, producer Dean
Devlin, have always been on the cutting edge
of special effects technology, as shown by their
previous efforts together, "Staigate" and "Independence
Day." Due to their interest, this
particular motion capture system (designed by
FutureLight, the R&D division of Santa Monica
Studios' visual effects house VisionArt
Design & Animation) was created specifically
with "Godzilla" in mind. FutureLight's contribution
to the multi-dimensional effects palate
that will bring Godzilla back to the screen is
just one element in a larger effort by effects
artisans in a wide range of pnxluction houses;
their virtual reality puppctecring will make up
perhaps only a few moments of screen time.
Still, for those with a seasc of the Godzilla
character's history, this "man in a suit" approach
has interesting histcxic resonances.
"tjodzilla" is slated to open on May 20,
1998 (the Wednesday before Memorial
Day)—a major vote of confidence from
TriStar given that date's traditional "start of
summer" status. Its effects will use technologies
light years beyond that utilized for 1954's
"Gojira" (the original Japanese title). For the
past decade, lacking motion capture technology,
traditional computer animation (known as
"keyframe" animation) has requiiied CGI animators
to manipulate their digital creatures by
manually imputing getimetric data. It's a slow,
tedious process; programmers must spell out
to the computer each specific movement they
want their animated creature to make.
Today's CGI animators don't have things
quite that bad; they have to work only on the
frames where a movement begins and where
it ends (these are called "keyframes"), and then
the computer "interpolates" what happens in
between (these interpolated frames are appropriately
called "in-betweens"). Considering
that an animated creature might have two
arras, two legs, a tail, and various other moveable
limbs (all of which require separately
designed keyframes), the human animators

Happy Birthday!
Mann's
Chinese
Theatre.
from your friends at
Pepsi-Cola Company

PUPPET MASTERS: 1D4" team Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich tal

QSC Audio Products, Inc.
Congratulates Mann's Chinese Theatre
70 Fabulous Years of Cinema!
^W
m^^'
rr-";."^
'^j
D I O
The World's Largest Supplier of Professional Power Amplifiers to the Theatre Market
The Power Behind the Pictures"^
www.qscaudio.com

11 BOXOFFICE
Sneak Preview
"
a
—
—
HOLIDAY IN HELL
Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom
Welcomes Audiences to "Sarajevo "
by Sean O'Neill
HOT SET: Stephen Dlllane (left) and Woody Harrelson (center) are journalists
covering the Bosnian conflict in Miramax's "Welcome to Sarajevo.
To
much of the world, the
bloody and horrific conflicts
in the region once
known as Yugoslavia might have
been a minor curiosity—a source
of occasional, temporarily sobering
dispatches detailing man's capacity
for inhumanity, even in
Europe, even in the '90s. But then,
everywhere but there, that distant
war could disappear with the click
of a channel changer, replacing
scenes of carnage with the easy
comfort of a sitcom orgame show.
British film director Michael
Winterbottom ("Jude"), however,
was among those who found he
couldn't change the channel. His
two-year effort to record one story
from that war will reach its culmination
on Nov. 14, when Miramax
debuts his "Welcome to Sarajevo"
in New York and Los Angeles.
American actors Woody Hairelson
and Marisa Tomei provide
supporting turns; English performer
Stephen Dillane has the
lead role, that of a U.K.-based
journalist whose involvement in
the war becomes much more personal
than he could have foreseen.
"It seemed like what was happening
in Bosnia was one of the
most important events to have
happened in Europe since the Second
World War," Winterbottom
says during a traasatlantic call to
BOXOFFICI'; from Lx)ndon one
recent moming. "And the point of
the project was to make something
that tried to deal with what
was happening there and to deal
with the attitudes of people living
in places like England or America
toward it."
The film
focuses on foreign
joumali.sts covering the conflict,
Winterbottom notes. "That was
interesting, because it's both about
people ftxjm the outside who went
there at the risk of their lives—
lot of joumali.sts were killed in
Sarajevo—while
of course
also being about the Bosnians
who were actually involved in
the war. The film had to have
a kind of balance between
how immediate it was [for the
people on the front lines] and
how different it was to those
of us who watched the stories
back at home."
It's odd to think it was only
a dozen years ago that Sarajevo
proudly hosted the Winter
Olympics. But, when
Winterbottom and company
began making regular pilgrimages
to Bosnia in January
19%, less than two months after
the signing of the Dayton Accord
(which halted the fighting), the
landscape was vastly changed
from those halcyon days. Nonetheless,
even more than the physical
devastation, it was the
indomitable spirit ofthe local people
that affected the director.
"Despite what happened there,
it was actually a very enjoyable
place to work," Winterbottom
says of the setting for his third
feature film. "The people had an
incredible kind of spirit. We
worked with a lot of Sarajevans,
and they were all very cooperative.
They wanted
their story to be
told. Obviously, it
was very shocking
at times, but
one of the positive
things
was how
everyone was trying
to live a normal
life, have a
good time, go out
to bars. Sarajevo
is a very lively
city, a very European
city, a very enjoyable city to
be in, which makes what happened
there even more tragic."
Tragic, and far-reaching. "I'd
never been to a city so recently
affected by war," Winterbottom
says. "Although I'd seen masses
of documentary material, I don't
think anything can prepare you for
going to main streets of town
certain areas, say around the airf)ort—that
have been completely
destroyed. Our interpreter, who
was kind of an adviser for the film,
was taking us around, and we
were having a nice time, going to
coffee bars and restaurants, and
then we went past her flat. She
lived there through the whole four
years of the war, and the place was
"It seemed like what
was happening in
Bosnia was one of
the most important
events to have
happened in Europe
since the Second
World War/'
riddled with what seemed like
thoasands of shell holes and bullet
holes. Her family would just sort
of move from rcK)m to room, depending
on which direction
the
sniper fire was coming from."
The film is based on Michael
Nicholson's nonfiction work
"Natasha's Story," detailing the
circumstances under which Nich-
olson brought back a young female
orphan to England and legally
adopted her. In choosing to
dramatize the Bosnian conflict by
telling the story just that way
through a British reporter (now
named Michael Henderson)
whose character and resolve are
challenged when
an idle promise
that
he makes to
an orphan of the
war-tom country
is put to the test
Winterbottom realizes
he risks
charges of being
Anglocentric.
But he says he's
prepared for such
criticism,
"Part of any
war like that is that people come
ftom outside to look at it," he .says.
"And we were outsiders making
the film. It's about what it must
have been like to be a journalist in
that situation, and we see things
through their eyes. But I hope it's
not a preachy film. It's not meant
to be that at all. It's not about how
people were for ignoring this situation.
When you see TV pictures
every day, it's hard to make a distinction—
you should feel for
these pictures and not those.
"And, unfortunately, you can't
say, 'This is what we learn from
Bosnia: You must do this or that'
It's hard to go to a city like Sarajevo
and not feel there should
have been more NATO intervention
earlier, but the specifics
of any involvement are much
more complicated than that.
This film is about the experience
of individuals.
"You know, you just make
films and hope people come
to see them. And I hope that
people can't help but be
moved and involved by these
stories," Winterbottom says.
"Hopefully, there are enough
people out there who still
want to be moved by film that
this project will be a success."
" Welcome to Sarajevo. " Starring
Stephen Dillane. Woody
Harrel.wn and Marisa Tomei. Directed
by Michael Winterbottom.
Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Produced by Graham Broadbent
and Damian Jonen. A Miramax
release. Docudrama. Rated R.
Opens 11/14 NY/IA.

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.
MARSI
THEATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
A division of MovieFone! Inc.
Response No. 78

24 Boxoffice
NOVEMBER
TRAILERS
Hollywood's Holidays Are Opening,
And It's One Crowded Calendar
Cinema's last big season, summer 1997, began
v^eakly, thanks to less-than-expected performance
of much-anticipated sequels. Now come Hollywood's
big holidays, and the only mega-setiuel for Thanksgiving
is "Alien Resurrection." Aside from tv^o remakes—"The
Jackal" and "Flubber"—most film fare
will be brand-nev/ narratives, needing to go from
never-heard-of to must-see status before release.
And many distributors, both major and minor, are
opening their releases in a now-or-never wide pattern.
Case in point: Nov. 7. Warner ("Mad City") and
TriStar ("Starship Troopers") of course target thousands
of screens— but so do Trimark and Gramercy.
Things really ^et arresting— either of the absorbing
or heart-stoppmg variety— during the November's
second half, as distributors jockey to gobble their
1 1/28 lineups include, along with "Flubber" and the
fourth "Alien" and specialized fare. Fox's animated
"Anastasia"; Paramount's "The Rainmaker" from
Francis Coppola; New Line's programmer sequel,
"Mortal Kombat: Annihilation"; MGM's "Red Corner,
" starring Richard Gere; and Warner's "The Man
Who Knew Too Little," headlining Bill Murray.
But is this so much heavier a bill than was last
year's? Well, yes. In 1996, the 11/22 and 11/29
"101 Dalmatians," "Star Trek: First Contact" and
"Jingle All the Way," just one of which spotted its
way to $ 1 00+ million glory. And, looking forward,
how does Christmas 1997 shape up? A quick glance
at this issue's Studio Feature Chart tells the tale: 20
releases in December alone. Here's to hoping that
audiences treat this season as holidays of ooligation.
NOVEMBER 7
Mad City
when he's laid off, a museum
staffer Qohn Travolta) snaps, accidentally
shoots a guard and then
takes patrons hostage. A tabloid
reporter (Dustin Hoffman) decides
to exploit the situation. Alan Alda,
Mia Kirshner ("Leo Tolstoy's Anna
Karenina") and BIythe Danner costar.
Constantin Costa-Cavras
("Music Box") directs; Tom Matthews
(former BOXOFFICE managing
editor) and Ebbe Roe Smith
("Falling Down") script; Arnold
Kopelson and Anne Kopelson
produce. (Warner, 1 1/7 wide)
Exploitips: This comes with an
audience-friendly PC- 13, even if
Costa-Cavras is l

"
"
and Sean Penn). Robert Downey Sr. ("Putney
Swope") directs, and co-scripts with his late
wife Laura Downey; Barbara Ligeti ("Motorama")
produces. (First Look, 1 1/7 NY/LA)
Exploitips: First Look moved "Mrs. Dalloway"
off this date to February, probably
fearing the novel-based period piece would
battle for its audience with "The Wings of the
Dove." "Hugo Pool" is much different in sensibility,
so sell the contemporary angle to maximize
younger specialized turnout.
Sick
Subtitled "The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan,
Supermasochist," this documentary
tells of the life and profession of the late
performance artist Bob Flanagan, whose disturbing
routine involved self-torture. Kirby
Dick directs. (CFP, 1 1/8 NY/LA)
Exploitips: To build hypable avant-garde
buzz, highlight the subject's "sickness.
A Further Gesture
Playing a hard-luck Irishman, Stephen Rea
("Michael Collins") exits the Emerald Isle for
New York City, only to become involved in
an attempted assassination. (Castle Hill, ltd)
Exploitips: Given a certain popularity of
Irish-themed films stateside, the Irish element
and Rea's name are the sells.
The Knowledge of Healing
This documentary focuses on Tanzin
Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Frank Reichley
directs. (IN, 11/5 NY)
Exploitips: This is nicely timed to split the
calendar between the Tibet-themed "Seven
Years in Tibet" and "Kundun. "
The Jackal
NOVEMBER 14
In this "The Day of the Jackal" variant, a
ruthless killer (Bruce Willis) known as The
Jackal is on a global murder mission; to track
him down, an FBI deputy director (Sidney
Poitier) and a Russian officer (Diane Venora)
enlist the aid of an imprisoned IRA terrorist
(Richard Cere). Michael Caton-Jones ("Rob
Roy") directs; Chuck Pfarrer ("Barb Wire")
and Kevin Jarre ("The Devil's Own") script;
both of "Michael," James Jacks and Sean Daniel
produce. (Universal, 1 1/14)
Exploitips: The A-list teaming of Willis and
Cere can be counted on to draw both genders
and expand ticket sales beyond thriller-genre
fans, although an R rating (for strong violence
and language) will limit below- 17 turnout—
who will likely be reboarding "Starship
Troopers'" anyway. Key competition will be
weekend #2 of the similar-demo "Mad City.
READY THEATRE SYSTEMS
SOFTWARE FOR TICKETING, CONCESSIONS &
COMPLETE INVENTORY CONTROL
800 676-9303 616 463-8458
Response No 130
BlBlBiaBMBiaBIBiaBiaBlBJBBMBtBIB/BMBBlBfBiaBMBMaaBiaBIBlBIBMaaBiaBOBBEIBfBlBI^^
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
SUPERGLO
A durable peariescent,
smooth surface offers
maximum reflectivity 8f
light distribution.
HURLEY SCREEN
SILVERGLO
A smooth, aluminized surface
offering the highest
reflectivity for special applications
such as 3D.
MW'16
A heavy guage matte
white surface offering
excellent light distribution,
image clarity, and
color rendition.
Screen Framing • All Types Available
FAX # (410) 838-8079
I
i
///////////z//yA^J
I AUTOMATED HIGH SPEED U/L APPROVED TICKETING EQUIPMENT
I
Factory Service, the only authorized manufacturer and repair center.
i
I
I
AUTOMATICKET
HURLEY SCREEN CORP.
A Division of Cemcorp
A Subsidiary of Cemcorp
i
110 industry Lane - P.O. Box 296
I
Forest Hill. MD21C60
I
410-838-0036 • 410-879-3022 • 410-879-6757 • 410-836-9333
i.
BliaBMaaaaBiaBMBtaBMMaaBiaaBMBiaBiBiaaiBiaBiaaBiBEtBiBiaBiBiBiBBiaBiBiBiBigiBiBiaB/BiBic
Response No. 57
Genuine
GLassForm ®
The Little Mermaid
The story of a beautiful young mermaid
named Ariel, who longs to be human, and her
handsome prince is told again in this reissue
of the 1989 Disney animated film, based on
a Hans Christian Andersen tale. Voices by
Rene Auberjonois, Jodi Benson, Buddy
Hackett, Kenneth Mars and Edie McClurg.
John Musker and Ron Clements (the
"Hercules" duo) direct and script; Musker
Fiberglass Trash Receptacles
and Bench Seating.
1-800-995-8322 or 1-800-842-1121
Response No. 62

"
produces with the late Howard Ashman. Alan
Menken does the Oscar-winning score; another
Oscar went to the Ashman/Menken
song "Under the Sea." (Buena Vista, 11/14)
Exploitips: Even as the first of the new
Disney's big animation successes (it did $84
million), this C-rater is likely to have just one
big weekend. Though non-Disney, with all
the perils that portends. Fox's new "Anastasia"
is directly targeted at young girls come
11/21— and then Disney trumps itself with
"Flubber" the following week. One can still
expect continued play through the holidays.
One Night Stand
The latest from Oscar-nom'd filmmaker
Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas") is a romantic
drama about a married man who has what he
thinks will be a one-night stand with a married
woman. Unable to forget her, he tries to rekindle
the romance—with unexpected consequences.
Wesley Snipes, Nastassja Kinski
("Fathers' Day"), Robert Downey Jr. (also in
"Hugo Pool"), Kyle MacLachlan ("Showgirls")
and Ming-Na Wen ("The Joy Luck Club") star.
Figgis scripts (joe Eszterhas originated), and he
produces with Annie Stewart and Ben Myron.
(New Line, 1 1/14 300 runs)
Exploitips: Even in this era, the black/white
romantic casting might put off regional audiences,
so expect best results in urban areas—
thus the limited opening— and with the distaff
demo. Snipes has a following, and the Figgis
name (thanks to the Academy and public
attentions to "Leaving Las Vegas") could draw
crossover audiences. Rated R for strong sexuality
and language, and for drug content.
Oscar and Lucinda
Brought together in love and guilt by a
shared passion for gambling, a British priest
("The English Patient's" Ralph Fiennes) and an
Australian glassworks heiress (Gate Blanchett)
decide to work together to transport a glass
church by river to a remote Down Under
parish. Tom Wilkinson and Clive Russell costar.
Gillian Armstrong ("Little Women") directs;
Laura Jones ("High Tide") adapts Peter
Garey's Booker Prize-winning novel; "Cosi's"
Timothy White produces with Robin Dalton.
(Fox Searchlight, 11/14)
Exploitips: The arthouse crowd will have
two key choices this weekend; expect the
more mature set to opt for "Oscar and Lucinda,
" while the younger go for the more
politically current "Welcome to Sarajevo."
The Armstrong and Aussie pedigrees will pull
the "My Brilliant Career"/"Shine" types (at
$13 mil., this is very expensive Down Under
fare), but the best bet for broadening the
audience is to highlight Fiennes' presence,
last onscreen exactly a year ago with the hit
"The English Patient. "
Welcome to Sarajevo
British and American journalists, including
a female producer ("Shallow Grave's" Kerry
Fox), a novice reporter (Emily Lloyd) and a
jaded writer (Woody Harrelson), cover the
war in Bosnia. For one—U.K. correspondent
Michael Henderson (stage actor Stephen Dillane)—
it becomes personal when he, helped
by an American aid worker (Marisa Tomei),
decides to smuggle to safety a little orphan
girl. Michael Winterbottom ("Jude") directs;
Frank Gottrell Boyce scripts; Graham Broadbent
and Damian Jones produce. See Sneak
Preview in this issue. {MWamax, 1 1/1 4 NY/LA)
Exploitips: In our 3 1/2-star review (July
issue), our Cannes critic called this
docudrama "a complex, deeply moving
story... an extraordinarily affecting, personal,
and at times uplifting tale." Winterbottom's
camera is candid: The film is rated R for brutal
images/war atrocities and language. Expect
the younger broodamong arthouse audiences
to favor this, given its topicality, while the
older opt for "Oscar and Lucinda.
The Tango Lesson
Filmmaker Sally Potter ("Orlando") recounts
her romantic involvement with Argentine tango
dancer Pablo Veron and her multicontinental
efforts to make a film about the Latin dance.
Christopher Sheppard (also "Orlando") produces.
(Sony Classics, 11/14 NY/LA)
Exploitips: Potter's challenging "Odando"
grossed a good $7 million take in 1 993, and
highlighting that credit could draw arthouse
audiences that might otherwise be resistant to
dance fare. Though "Orlando" would hardly
have filled the bill, "The Tango Lesson"—
rated a promotable PC (for brief language and
some violent images)— might allow outreach
to local art programs for exhibitors eager to
take advantage of the age-friendly rating.
Anastasia
Meg Ryon voices the title character in this animated interpretation of the life of
Czarevnc Anastasia. daughter of Russia's last Czar, Nicholas II, who might have
escaped alive the Killing of the royal family in 1917 during the Bolshevik
Revolution. In this telling, a girl who remembers nothing of her heritage follows a
clue to Paris in an attempt to find her identity; the evil Rasputin pursues her, and
a charming conman befriends her. Kelsey Grammer, Angela Lansbury, John
Cusack and Christopfier Lloyd provide other voices. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman,
the team for "An American Tail ' and "All Dogs Go to Heaven," direct and produce;
Eric Tuchmon, Susan Gauthier and Bruce Graham script. (Fox, 11/21 wide)
Exploitips: Like DreamWorks, Fox is going heavy into animation— even as recent
Disney animated fare has been struggling to reach the once-easy $1CX) million
mark. This $50+ million effort is the studio's first out of its new Arizona facility,
and although it's likely to pull the family demo in general it trends toward the
iittlegirl side In particular— the same group that Disney satisfied just last weekend
with its "The Little Mermaid' reissue. Yet the advantage should be "Anastasia' s."
given that it's a new entry opening at the start of theihanksgiving school break.
Slaves to the Underground
In this drama set against the slacker music
scene of Seattle, a love affair between two
all-girl rock group bandmates (Molly Gross
and "Love Always'" Marisa Ryan) runs
aground when one of the gals runs into her
ex-boyfriend (Jason Bortz) and their relationship
reignites. Documentarian Kristine Peterson
directs, and she produces with Bill Cody
and Raquel Caballes Maxwell; Bill Cody
scripts. (First Look, 1 1/14 NY/LA)
Exploitips: In our 1
1/2-star review (April
issue), our Women in Cinema/Seattle fest critic
had a number ofproblems with "Slaves to the
Underground"; still, on an arthouse-heavy
weekend, this R-rater (for strong sexuality and
language) could successfully skew to younger
female/lesbian auds unserved elsewhere.
NOVEMBER 21
The Rainmaker
Adapted from John Grisham's 1995 bestseller,
this David and Goliath tale follows the
struggles of a recent law-school graduate
("Courage Under Fire's" Matt Damon) pitted
against an unscrupulous insurance industry
giant and a big-name law firm. Claire Danes
("William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet"),
Danny DeVito, Jon Voight ("Most Wanted"),
Danny Glover (also in "Switchback"), Virginia
Madsen ("Ghosts of Mississippi") and
Mickey Rourke co-star. Francis Ford Coppola
directs and scripts; Michael Douglas and Steven
Reuther produce for Douglas/Reuther

"
"
October. 1997 27
Dirty Dancing
LATE MOVIE MOVES...
Patrick Swayze stars in this
reissue of the 1 987 hit as the
dance instructor who makes the
Catskills summer of a comingof

. Plug
Prods, with American Zoetrope. See this
issue's Cover Story. (Paramount, 1 1/21)
Exploitips: This is the seventh Crishambased
film in just five years, and the last one
("The Chamber") was received coolly. Given
"A Timeto Kill's" response, though, thatmight
have been an aberration rather than a sign of
audience overdose. Expectations are that
Damon might be the next McConaughey
(who leaped to fame with "A Time to Kill"),
and the supporting cast is solid. Of course,
Coppola remains a name that draws attention.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
A group of courageous warriors must survive
new challenges when they do battle with
an evi I warlord who wants to ru le Earth. Christopher
Lambert, Robin Shou and Talisa Soto
return for the sequel; supermodel Irina
Pantaeva co-stars. John Leonetti ("Child's Play
3") directs; Brent V. Friedman ("Hellbound")
scripts with Bryce Zable; Larry Kasanoff produces.
(New Line, 1 1/21 wide)
Exploitips: "Mortal Kombat," directed by
Paul Anderson, generated $70.4 million in
summer '95. This second iteration, originally
skedded for August (when New Line successfully
birthed "Spawn "), should draw the same
arcade/videogame aficionados hitting the
malls over the Thanksgiving break.
Liar
In this psychological thriller, a Charleston
blueblood ("Hoodlum's" Tim Roth) who
might have brutally killed a prostitute ("Jerry
Maguire's" Renee Zellweger) uses his bril-
Sloper, whose birth caused her mother's
death and whose life her wealthy father has
never forgiven her for. Jennifer Jason Leigh
and Albert Finney star. Agnieszka Holland
("Total Eclipse") directs fne Caravan production.
(Buena Vista, Oct. undated)
Exploitips: Buena Vista advanced
"Washington Square's" release date, perhaps
to take advantage of good press
generated at the Toronto fest. Exhibitors
might be wary of the Caravan name (think
"Gone Fishin'"j, but this is excellent
filmmaking; see our review, this issue.
Most Wanted
In this R-rated action/adventure, a Gulf
War hero ("Glimmer Man's" Keenen Ivory
Wayans) is framed for assassinating the
First Lady. He must find an eyewitness (Jill
Hennessey) to clear his name. Eric Roberts,
Paul Sorvinoondjon Voight co-star, David
Hogan ("Barb Wire") directs; Wayans
scripts. (New Line, Oct. undated)
Exploitips: The casting, rating and genre
make this fare for twentysomething and
urban males, so highlight the presence of
Wayans, whose late-night talk show has
raised his profile with that demo further.
Marian
In this Czech-language drama, institutionalized
violence and abuse leads an
abandoned gypsy boy to grow up to be a
criminal. Petr Vaclav ciirects and co-scripts.
(Turbulent Arts, 1 0/3 Chi)
Exploitips: Our Toronto critic gave this a
one-star review (Aprilj, but this promotably
won a Silver Leopard at the Locarno fest.
Nick and Jane
An executive and a cab driver try to
make love work. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
and James McCaffrey star. Rich Mauro
directs and co-scripts. (CFP, 10/10)
Exploitips: Our Santa Barbara critic
gave this two stars Pune '96j; still, everyone
loves a love story, so hype the genre.
Beaumarchais
This French-language comedy set in
1 770s France tells the story of the humbly
born man who grew into a writer, inventor,
businessman and court favorite. Fabrice
Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain and Manuel
Blanc star. Edouard Milinaro directs and
co-scripts. (New Yorker, 10/24)
Exploitips: See our four-star review in this
issue. New Yorker has been expanding,
and this looks to be a triumph for the small
house, which advanced this when indie
fare looked headed for a Christmas crush.
Son of Gascogne
Jean-Claude Dreyfus stars in this French comedy.
Pascal Aubier directs. (Filmpolis, 1 0/24)
Exploitips: hiighlight the film's Frenchlanguage
nature and its
comedy genre to
attract the more light-hearted sophisticates
among the arfhouse set.
A complete Windows 95 I NT point of sale .solution
Touch Screen Box Office Cashier Workstations
Customer Self-Serve Kiosks (ATMs)
Intelligent Concession Workstations
Total Site Management Back Office software
Rapid Debit and Credit Card acceptance
Head Office Integration
and Play modularity
= Customizable to meet your chain's specific needs
« Hundreds of installed & functional ATMs
t- Flexible support offerings including K(X) Help Desk
'
IDT^C
lunagement display
ll>i Donly Drive Soulli. P.O. Box 421
I^ Xi/lJ .Siiiicoc. Onlario, Canada N.1Y 4L.S
DATA
"*•"" '

0/3
Switchback
In this R-rated thriller (aka "Going West
in America"), a serial killer is being
tracked by an FBI agent. Dennis Quaid
and Danny Glover star for debut director
Jeb Stuart (scripter of "Die Hard"). Gale
Anne Hurd produces. (Paramount, 1
1
)
Exploitips: Now set to open vs. the similar-aenre
"Incognito, " this might move to
1 1/7— but the draw is even v/orse there.
Happy Together
Asian sex symbols Leslie Cheung and
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai star as gay lovers in
tumultuous relationship. Wong Kar-Wai
directs. (Kino, Oct. undated NV)
Exploitips: This nabbed a best director
nod at Cannes, though our reviewer
(Sept.) accorded the film just two stars.
Telling Lies in America
Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro star in this
story of a Hungarian immigrant boy's experiences
in America. Screenwriter Joe
Eszterhas ("Showgirls," usw) bases this
personal tale on his childhood. (Banner,
Oct. undated ltd, mid-Nov. exp)
Exploitips: The Bacon, Renfro and Eszterhas
names will raise this one's profile.
Forgotten Silver
CcKiirectors/scripters Peter Jackson ("The
Frighteners") and Costa Botes spoof the craze
for discovering obscure films and neglected
liance to play mental games with two detectives
("Mulholland Falls'" Chris Penn and
filmmakers in this mockumentary about a
New Zealand film pioneer who used
"Trigger Effect's" Michael Rooker). Ellen
sound and color in movies years before
Burstyn and Rosanna Arquette co-star. Jonas
Hollywood. (First Run, Oct. undated NY)
and Josh Pate direct and script; Peter Clatzer
Exploitips: We gove this a 3 1/2-star produces for MDP. (MCM, 1 1/21 ltd)
review {March}. Exhibitors might also program
shorts; "Forgotten Silver" runs 52 min.
Exploitips: An acquisition to help fill out
the Lion's slate, "Liar" (a tentative title) faces
no new genre competition on its limited rollout,
though it will have to battle holdover
A Gun for Jennifer
Producer/co-scripter Deborah Twiss stars business for the higher-wattage "The jackal.
as a battered housewife who takes up with As leads, the players here are more arthouse
vicious women. (Greycat, Oct. undated) names, so expect a specialized level of turnout.
Some extra media attention is likely given
Exploitips: Expect a mature female turnout
here, though males might be intrigued.
the fact that the directors are twins.
Matchmaker
The Butcher boy
When a jaded political professional ("The
In a small Irish town in the early 1960s,
Truth about Cats and Dogs'" Janeane Garofalo)
arrives in Ireland to track down the
a young boy (Eamon Owensl with an
alcoholic fatner ("Michael Collins'" Stehen
Rea) and a manic-depressive mother
homespun Irish relatives of a senator (Jay O.
Sanders) to help his U.S. re-election campaign,
she finds herself In the middle of an
Aisling O'Sullivan) but one good friend
Alan Boyle) has his life turn for the worse
annual matchmaking festival. Romantic complications
ensue. David O'Hara, Denis Leary
when all three exit his life. Neil Jordan
(also "Michael Collins") directs and produces,
and he scripts with Patrick
("Wide Awake") and Milo O'Shea co-star.
Mark Joffe directs; the "Father Ted" duo,
McCabe. (Worner Bros., fall)
Karen Janszen and Louis Nowra, script; Eric
Exploitips: In a four-star review (Sept. FellnerandTim Bevan ("Bean") and Luc Roeg
issue), our Galway fest critic said Jordan's produce for Working Title. (Gramercy, 1 1/21)
10th film is "an extraordinary piece of
Exploitips: Despite the sleeper status of her
cinema. . . . [N]ot only are the performances
Fox hit, Garofalo is not a mainstream marquee
stunning; so is Jordan's direction, of the
pull; that and the foreign setting make
caliber that says 'Oscar.'" The R rating
"Matchmaker" (aka "The Strangest Places")
makes this one for adult audiences, probably
in the same number that attended
something of a specialty title. That element—
along with its salable romance genre— means
"Michael Collins" ($ 1 1 million).
the film's key competition will be...
"
THEATRE
EXHIBITION
EQUIPMENT
NCS Corporation
WORLDWIDE CINEMA SUPPLY DEALER
CONCESSION
&
LOBBY
PRODUCTS
Corporation
.^ly^fflU'wiiii
XENON
BULBS
BOOTH
supplies
&
LENSES
FILM
PROJECTORS
&
SOUND
SYSTEMS
J
7t ONE STOP SHOPPING SOURCE
FACTORY DIRECT PRICING
V TOLL FREE ORDERING
^ ^ MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED %^
7t PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TEAM
>- WORLDWIDE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION
A- OUR GUARANTEE 100% SATISFACTION
Call 1-800-776-6271
EH^ ^3 B
LOBBY
&
BOX OFFICE
FIXTURES
NEW
&
USED
EQUIPMENT
SCREENS
&
FRAMES
Ftesponse No. 6
lom
TO

Sliding Doors
Gwyneth Paltrow ("Emma") stars in this
contemporary love story about Helen, a
young woman whose destiny Is about to be
changed by the sliding doors of a London
subway train. From that moment, the film
bisects to tell the two parallel stories of what
happens if Helen makes the train and if she
doesn't. John Hannah, John Lynch ("Nothing
Personal") and Jeanne Tripplehorn ("'Til
There Was You") co-star. Peter Howitt directs
and scripts; Sydney Pollack produces for Mirage
with William Horberg and Philippa
Braithwaite. (Miramax, 1 1/21 NY/LA)
ExplOitips: Like "Matchmaker, " this will be
distaff-driven. Given the similarity of the two
film's elements (genre, setting, lead's gender),
the boxoffice question could come down to
Paltrow vs. Carofalo. That, plus Miramax's
marketing power, could give "Sliding Doors"
the advantage in its markets.
Flubber
Robin Wi 1
NOVEMBER 28
1 iams takes on the role originated
by Fred MacMurray (see photo) in this remake
of the 1961 family comedy "The Absent-
Minded Professor." Williams plays a scientist
who invents Flubber (a rubbery substance
with anti-gravity powers); Christopher Mac-
Donald ("The Rich Man's Wife") plays the
prof's nemesis who tries to purloin the putty.
Marcia Gay Harden ("The First Wives Club")
plays his long-suffering fiancee, now updated
to college president, and there's a flying robot
assistant named WEEBO. Les Mayfield ("Encino
Man") directs; John Hughes scripts, and
he produces with former Hollywood Pictures
head Ricardo Mestres. (Buena Vista, 11/261
Exploitips: Four years (and two days) ago,
Williams and Hughes protege Chris Columbus
launched the family comedy "Mrs.
Doubtfire" to Thanksgiving-through-New
Year success and a very domestic $220 million.
Clearly, Disney hopes for that kind of
number, vs. that for its previous Williams
starrer, the 8/96 "jack" ($59 million). The
chances? Especially given its predictable PC
rating (for slapstick action and mild language),
not bad. Expect "Alien Resurrection" and
"Red Corner" to draw the non-competing SF
and adult demos, and the same-genre "The
Man Who Knew Too Little" to perhaps prove
its title by going up against "Flubber."
Alien Resurrection
Sigourney Weaver as Ripley again battles
malevolent extraterrestrials in this fourth installment
of the "Alien" franchise. This time
out, evil scientists clone our hero to access the
alien queen that died inside her body when
Ripley suicided in "Alien^." Winona Ryder
co-stars with Dan Hedaya, Brad Dourif and
two from "The City of Lost Children," Ron
Perlman and Dominique Pinon. Jean-Pierre
Jeunet (also "The City of Lost Children") directs;
Joss Whedon ("Toy Story") scripts;
David Giler, Walter Hill, Gordon Carroll and
Bill Badalato produce. (Fox, 1 1/26)
Exploitips: Fox goes for the gusto in its
directing choices for this franchise. Though the
artfully dark vision ofDavid Fincher (who went
on to make "Seven") of1992's "Alien^" didn't
win wide audience support, the studio (after
winning and then losing "Shallow Grave's"
Danny Boyle) went with Jeunet, whose offkilter
vision (with co-director Marc Caro) drew
foreign-language fans to "The City ofLost Children"
and "Delicatessen." Will the arthouse
aficionado fare well on the megaplex screen?
That this is one of only two sequels this month
should help; even as "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation"
draws younger, this R-rater (for strong
sci-fi violence and gore, some grotesque images
and language) should trend older.
Red Corner
In this thriller, a savvy entertainment lawyer
(Richard Gere) comes to China to broker a big
TV deal. While celebrating, he seduces a
beautiful Chinese woman. Awaking the next
morning, he finds himself accused of raping
Xenon Lamps
Yumex ILC, Ltd. proudly introduces its line of xenon lamps for film
projection. These xenon lamps will provide stable, bright
performance for today's highly vivid films. Movie theatres
everywhere are ordering our lamps. For more information, call:
Cinema Xenon • 7613 LeBerthon Street • Tujunga CA 91042
Phone: 818-352-6448 • Fax: 818-353-4091
30 Boxoffice
No. 202

and murdering her. Caught in a legal system
that affords no presumption of innocence and
given a skeptical court-appointed attorney (Bai
Ling), he faces imminent execution. Jon Avnet
("The War") directs, and he produces with
Jordan Kerner, Rosalie Swedlin and Charles
Mulvehill; Ron Koslow ("Last Dance") scripts
with Robert King. (MGM/UA, 1 1/26)
Exploitips: This could be a bit boxed into a
corner, Cere having just appeared eadier this
month in "The jaclcal" and the similar-demo
"Alien Resurrection" boasting a presold title.
Avnet (who also directed "Fried Green Tomatoes")
makes quality films, though, so this
could benefit from word of mouth.
Exploitips: Amiel ("Copycat," "Sommersby")
is adept at various genres; the question
mark is whether the talented Murray, of
"Chostbusters" and "Croundhog Day" fame,
can draw substantial audiences after "Kingpin"
and "Larger Than Life. "Despitetherating
here, PC (for language, innuendo, comic violence
and sensuality), the release timing
yff« *M^
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Aka "Watch That Man," this caper comedy
tells the story of an American (Bill Murray)
who attends a London interactive stage show
that puts participants in the middle of crimesolving
adventures. Without his knowledge,
the Yank becomes embroiled in a real case of
international espionage. Peter Gallagher ("To
Gillian on Her 37th Birthday") and Joanne
Whalley ("Trial by Jury") co-star for director
Jon Amiel, with whom they worked on "Tune
in Tomorrow" and "The Singing Detective,"
respectively. Robert Farrar adapts his novel;
Jon Amiel produces with Mark Tarlov, Michael
Nathanson and Arnon Milchan for New
Regency. (Warner Bros., 1 1/28)

SPECIAL REPORT: Wired World 1997
WWW. exhibition,com
Doing Business on the World Wide Web
As an adjunct to last month's Buyers Directory and as a special feature to
complement the contents of this issue's Wired World theme, here is a handy
reference guide listing website addresses for the exhibition industry's
distributors, manufacturers, dealers, and allied companies that are currently
online. If your company is not listed, please send your URL and a description
of your product or service to BOXOFFICE via fax at 213-465-5049 or
via e-mail at boxoffice@earthlink.net for inclusion next year.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Ortnher. 1997 .13
CADDY PRODUCTS
pages.prodigy.com/exodus/mts.htm
Cupholders
CAPITOL SEATING CO.
www.capitolseating.com
New or rebuilt theatre seat refurbishing
C.CRETORS&CO.
home.navisoft.com/cretors
Popcorn, caramel corn and cotton candy machines;
kettle cleaners: supplies
CFS/RENTEC
www.cfsren.com
Motion picture equipment: consoles, platters,
projectors, sound systems
CINE-UNE/DECOUSTICS
www.decoustics.com
Acoustical wall panels and ceiling systems
CINEMA COMPUTER SYSTEMS
www.ccsonline.de
Total Information Management System (TIMS):
ticketing,
movie theatres
DECLERCQ'S
www.declercqs.com
concession and management for
Theatre draperies, rigging hardware, wall treatment
systems
DIGITAL THEATER SYSTEMS
www.dtstech.com
DTS 6-track digital playback for movie theatres;
6-track digital cinema processor with automation;
analog and digital equipment
DOLDY LADORATORIES
www.dolby.com
Equipment forDolby Digital, Dolby SR, and Dolby
Stereo cinema sound
EASTMAN KODAK CO.
www.kodak.com/go/motion
Eastman colorprintfilm forrelease prints; training
seminars for projection & film handling
ELECTRONIC CREATIONS, INC.
www.ticketingsystems.com
Electronic theatre management systems including
ticketing, concessions
HECTROMC THEATRE CONTROLS
www.etcconnect.com
Lighting and dimming equipment
EVI AUDIO
www.eviaudio.com
Electro-Voice and Altec Lansing loudspeakers
and electronics
EZCARAY INTERNATIONAL
www.ezcarayinternational.com
Cinema seating
FUNACHO
www.funacho.com
Nacho chips, cheese sauce, chili, salsa
GAMMA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
www.gamma-tech.com
Electronic moving message displays: indoor,
outdoor, single- and multi-color
GOETZE'S CANDY CO., INC.
www.goetzecandy.com
Caramel creams, caramel apple sticks
GOU) MEDAL PRODUCTS CO.
www.gmpopcorn.com
Complete concession equipment, popcorn poppers
and supplies
HAFLER
www.hafler.com
Audio amplifiers
HERMAN GOELITZ CANDY CO., MC.
www.jellybelly.com
Jelly Belly jelly beans
HITEC GROUP INTL. INC.
www.hitec.com
Assistive listening devices
HI-TECH MOTION PICTURE SYSTEMS
www.870.com
Automations and light dimmers
INDIANA CASH DRAWER CO.
www.icdpos.com
Electronic or manual cash drawers
INTL. CINEMA EQUIPMENT CO., INC.
www.iceco.com
Westar projection equipment; supplier of motion
picture, theatrical, video and studio
equipment
IRWIN SEATING CO.
www.irwin-seat.com
Complete line of standard and luxury theatre
chairs
IWERKS ENTERTAINMENT
www.iwerks.com
Linear-loop 35mm & 70mm film proj sys.
JBL PROFESSIONAL
www.jblpro.com
Loudspeaker systems for any cinema application,
including amplifiers and crossovers
KARMA, INC.
www.karma-inc.com
Beverage dispensers
KINETRONICS CORP.
www.kinetronics.com
Anti-static and dust control products
KOALA CORP.
www.koalabear.com
Booster Buddy children's seat with cup and
candy/popcorn holder
KOSSCORP.
www.koss.com
Speaker equipment
LAVI INDUSTRIES
www.lavi.com
Beltrac public guidance stanchions, Directrac
signage and brass railing systems
LAWRENCE METAL PRODUCTS
www.lawrencemetal.com
Crowd control posts, ropes, tensabarriers, railings
and signs
LAZARUS LIGHTING DESIGN, INC.
wvw.lldinc.com
Fibre-optic displays; lighting contractor
UGHTMG & ELECTRONH; DESKN
www.hidesert.com/led
Aisle lighting systems, exit signs, chandeliers,
MDI
light curtains,
wall lighting & control equipment
viAww.mdiwortdwide.com
Postergrip, easy snap-open frames; StoreWorks
modular sign system
MODULAR HARDWARE
vww.modhdwe.com
Toilet partition hardware, washroom accessories
and grab rails, ADA-approved
MVE, INC.
www.mve-inc.com
Bulk C02 systems
NATIONAL TICKET CO.
www.nationalticket.com
Thermal ticket stock for admission systems
NAVITAR, INC.
www.navitar.com
Presentation products
N.T. AUDIO VISUAL SUPPLY, INC.
www.ntaudlo.com
35 & 70mm mylar leaders, specialized and custom
test
OCTAGON HANDELS GMBH
www.popcorn.de
Concession equipment and supplies
OMNIMOUNT SYSTEMS
viAA/w.omnimount.com
Mounting devices for speakers and monitors
PACER/CATS
www.pacercats.com
Computerized boxoffice, concession and management
systems; teleticketing
PROMOTION IN MOTION COMPANIES, INC.
ww/w.register.com/promotion
Candy: Care Bears, Sour Jacks, Lemonheads,
Planters chocolate peanuts, Sunmaid chocolate
raisins, Smarties, Mighty Malts
PRO-TAPES & SPECIALTIES, INC.
www.protapes.com
Pressure-sensitive tape; specialty tapes include
gaffer and glow tape

1i
nnvnvcirc
QSC AUDIO PRODUCTS, INC.
www.qscaudio.com
7776 largest range of THX-approved amplifiers for
ttie cinema marketplace
RDS DATA GROUP, INC.
www.rdsclata.com
Boxoffice ticketing and concession systems
RICO PRODUCTS CO., INC.
www.ricos.com
l^dios, snack foods and concession trailers
ROUNDUP FOOD EQUIPMENT
www.ajantunes.com
Concession equipment, cases and counters,
grills,
warmers, scales
SCHNEIDER CORP. OF AMERICA
www.schneideroptics.com
Lenses & filters for motion picture projection
SCHIAT INDUSTRIES, INC.
www.sc tiult.com
Tfieatre displays, signage,
projection
SENSIBLE CINEMA SOFTWARE
www.sensiblecinema.com
boxoffice
systems,
Point-of-sale ticketing and boxoffice report software;
printers, poledisplays, cash drawers and
turnkey systems
TRU-ROLL, INC.
www.truroli.com
Stage equipment, tfieatre furnistiings
UNITED RECEPTACLE, INC.
www.unitedrecept.com
Maintenance and sanitation
VOGEL POPCORN CO.
www.vogelpopcorn.com
Popcorn grower and processor
WELDON, WILUAMS & LICK, INC.
www.wwlinc.com
Roll and folded tickets
WILUAMS SOUND CORP.
www.williamssound.com
FM and infrared fiearing assistance systems
YUMEX ILC CO., LTD.
www.ilct.com
Xenon arc lamps; metal halide lamps
DEALERS
BOSTON UGHT AND SOUND
www.blsi.com
Projection/sound equipment sen/ice/installation
NCSCORP.
www.ncsco.com
Projection equipment, soundsystems, cinemasupplies,
concession casework & products
VANTAGE UGHTING
WVTO/.3000. com/vantage
Replacement lamps; logo,
hologram, image and
special effects projectors; 3-D laser systems
ALLIED
ACCESSORIES/
TRAILERS/SHORTS
METROUGHT STUDIOS
wvw.metrolight.com
3-D computergraphics, special effects, animation
WEST GLEN COMMUNICATIONS
wvw.westglen.com
The Popcorn Reportand other free shortsubjects
WILLMING REAMS ANIMATION
wvw.wranim8.com
Policy trailers, concessions, computer and character
animation, video monitor program, studio
trailers on tape
SERVER PRODUCTS, INC.
www.se rver-products.com
Popcorn poppers and warmers, nacho equipment,
condiment pumps, etc.
SMART THEATRE SYSTEMS
www.smartdevcom
Cinema sound products and systems
STAGE ACCOMPANY (SA USA, INC.)
www.stageaccompany.com
Sound systems
STEWART FILMSCREEN CORP.
vww.stewartfilm.com
Seamless pmjection screens and frame equipment
STRONG INTERNATIONAL, INC.
www.strongcinema.com
Projection and sound equipment; xenon slide
projectors; spotlights
TALK-A-PHONECO.
www.talkaptione.com
Intercom systems, talk-through equipment
T1CKETPR0 SYSTEMS
vww. movie-info.com/ticketpro
Boxoffice and concessions systems
TOASTMASTER
www.middleby.com
Cooking and warming equipment
TRANS-UIXCORP.
wviw.trans-lux.com
Programmable signs, message centers, indoor
and outdoor
CINEMA EQUIPMENT, INC.
www.miamicinema.com
New and used theatre equipment
CINEMA EQUIPMENT SALES OF CAUFORNIA
www.cinema-equip.com
Worldwide sales, service, installation; equipment
furnishings and supplies
CINEMA SERVICE AND SUPPLY
www.cssinc.com
Cinema equipment: sales, service and installation
CINE-WAY, INC.
WWW.1 23easycom/gcn/cineway
Theatre equipment and accessories
BITERTAINMENT EQUIP. CORP.
vww.entequip.com
Cinema equipment sales, service and design
GENERAL THEATRICAL SUPPLY
www.esta.org/homepages/gts
Turnkey theatre packages; two-way radio and
paging systems for theatres
INR. CINEMA EQUIPMENT
vww.iceco.com
Sales, service and repair
JBL PROFESSIONAL
www.jblprocom
Cinema loudspeaker systems
MONARCH THEATRE EQUIPMENT
wvw.kerasotes.com
Theatre equip, sales, service, consultation
BOOKERS
THEATRE SERVICE NETWORK, MC.
home.earthlink.net/theatres
Theatre booking
CONSULTANTS/
DESIGNERS/
ARCHITECTS
PROCTOR COMPANIES
wvw.proctorco.com
Consultation & design of concession stands, popcorn
warmers, boxoffice & lobby fixtures
THORBURN ASSOCIATES
vww.ta-inc.com
Acoustical consulting and audio visual design
ENTERTAINMENT
CENTER EQUIPMENT
AND SUPPLIES
COLORADO HARDSCAPES
wvw.coloradohardscapes.com
Simulated rock formations
IMAX CORP.
vww.imax.com
Large format equipment/state-of-the-art sound
systems and IMAX 3-D

kxtnKo.- 1 007 te
LASER FANTASY INTERNATIONAL
www.laserfantasy.com
Lasers and laser light shows
INSURANCE
MAROEVICH, O'SHEA & COGHUN
www.maroevich.com
Entertainment insurance company
REYNOLDS & REYNOLDS
www.iix.com/rnr_inc
Movie theatre insurance
MERCHANDISING
BASSTOY INTERNATIONAL
www.tribute.ca
Entertainment-t}ased promotions
PROMOTIONAL MGMT. GROUP
www.pmg-online.com
BASELINE
MISCELLANEOUS
www.pkbaseline.com
Online database for the entertainment and communications
media industries
BRAUN BRUSH CO.
www.braunbrush.com
Screen and maintenance brushes,
popcorn
squeeges, environmental cleaning chemicals
CFI (CONSOUDATED FILM INDUSTRIES)
www.cti-hollywood.com
Film lab and video tape services
EARTH COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
www.oneearth.org
LEXIS-NEXIS
www.lexis-nexis.com
Online entertainment library with industry info
and Hollywood news
MODULAR HARDWARE
www.modhdwe.com
Partition hardware/washroom accessories
M0VIE-INF0.COM
www.movie-info.com
MOVIELINE INTERNATIONAL
www.mlifbo.com
nim information
PRE-VUE ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE
vmw.pre-vuemagazine.com
In-lobby movie magazine (free to patrons)
S-H-0-W-T-l-M-E
www.tvincars.com
Telephone movie showtimes/info
TRIBUTE MAGAZINE
w/ww.tribute.ca
In-theatre entertainment magazine
RENTALS
BOSTON UGHT & SOUND, INC.
www.blsi.com
Projection equipment dailies
CHARTER FINANCIAL
vmw.chartfin.com
Leases and finances theatre equipment
SCREEN ADVERTISING
CAPTIVE COMMERCIALS, INC.
wvm.issuesprocon.org
Theatre screen advertising sales
NATIONAL PRE-VUE NETWORK
wvm.pre-vuemagazine.com
Rolling stock commercial advertising on screens
(military market)
SERVICE
DECLERCQ'S THEATRICAL SPECIALTIES, INC.
wvm.declercqs.com
Theatre rigging, hardware, screen cleaning
ULTRAFIAT
wvm.los-angeles-online.com/ultrflt
Xenon reflector and motion picture
recoated, repolished and repaired
DEEP VISION 3-D
wvm.3dglasses.com
3-D glasses
3-D
MARKS POLARIZED CORP.
wvm.iacsoft.com/mpc
3-D viewers, projectors and camera adapters
optics
ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
ONLY $149.95
M naw cottcaptlon In SB am spUcns
that must ba saan ta ba baUavad.
1^ "*-^,
• Top quality
• Inexpensive price
• All metal — no plastic
• Wholesale to the public
• Dealer inquiry welcome
EQUIPMENT ETC.
p. O. Box 1194
Snellville, GA 30078
Phone-(770) 979-FILM
Fax-(770) 979-0919
Ans. Mach. 24 Hrs. A Day
Response No. 443
Save
America's
Forests
The natiomvide campaisn
to protect & restore
America's vHId and
natural forests.
Mease call orwrite to
kmi how you can help.
NFS (NATIONAL FILM SERVICE)
www.nationalfilm.com
Film storage and delivery warehouse service
PLOTKIN GROUP
www.plotkingroup.com
Employee testing an training
VIDEO ADVERTISING
WILLMING REAMS ANIMATION
vwm.wranim8.com
Video monitor program, trailers on tape
Save America's Forests
4 ybrary Court, SE Washington, DC 2000;
202-544-9219

—
M) rR-146( BOXOFKK K
—
.
Ht^fflS?S9
REVIEWS
October 1997
DAY AND DATE: OCTOBER 24
like
BEAUMARCHAIS, THE
a James Bond movie in a powdered
wig—and now it is.
SCOUNDREL ••••
Beaumarchais, the Scoundrel" is a
Starring Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine
Kiberlain and Manuel Blanc. ply a hoot from beginning to end. Like the
lush, lavishly mounted costumer that is sim-
Directed by Edouard Molinaro. main character, it is sly and funny and
Written by Edouard Molinaro and whip-smart but never takes itself too seriously—combining
the French-court intel-
Jean-Clause Brisville. Produced by
Charles Gassot. A Nev/ Yorker release.
Comedy. Not yet rated. with the bravura, breezy dash of "Tom
lectual intrigue or "Dangerous Liaisons"
French-language; English subtitles.
Running time: 100 min. Molinaro achieves the historical/costume
Jones." Director/co-scripter Edouard
Opens 10/24 NY/LA.
filmmakinq grail:
In 1770s France
connecting me audience
to the school-
lived an intriguing
fellow known as
book characters
Pierre Augustin
onscreen not by making
them modern but
Coron de Beaumarchois.
Though
by making them
of, as they soy, humble
birth, he was a
One small setpiece
human and real.
brilliant writer, inventor
has Beaumarchais
and shrewd
meet with Ben Frank-
businessman, and
lin, and as presented
he married well
here Poor Richard is
twice (both ladies
a study in eccentricity
unfortunately expiring
that will leave no
shortly after the
moviegoer looking
ceremonies). His
at a hundred-dollar
title was a purchased
bill in quite the same
one, and he
way again.
climbed his way into
Although "Beaumarchais"
some-
court circles, but he
also was a relentless BOWING "BEAUAAARCHAIS": Fabrice times ploys a bit fast
gadfly and critic of Luchini stars in iho New Yorker release, and loose with history,
the film suc-
me aristocracy.
Between stints in the Bastille for his insolence,
ceeds not only as a work of entertainment
he spied for the Crown, smuqgled but also as a tease that makes one wont to
arms to the American Revolutionary Army, find out more about the man and his world
had affairs, and wrote the wildly popular,
It presents the Age of Enlightenment as an
poetically subversive comedy 'The Marriage
of Figaro," which was banned by makes you want to read a copy of "The
attractive, smart, dangerous place. Hell, it
both Louis aVI and Hitler. His life reads Marriage of Figaro." Alex Albanese
••••• OUTSTANDING
*••• VERY GOOD
*•• GOOD
•• FAIR
* POOR
(no stars) BOMB
DAY AND DATE: 10/24
Beaumarchais, thie Scoundrel .... R-146
FEST REVIEWS
Carla's Song R-1 50
FairyTale: A True Story R-1 47
Franchesca Page R-149
Guy R-149
Hard Core Logo R-149
In and Out R-147
Ttie Island on Bird Street R-149
Loved R-148
The Maker R-150
A Moment ot Innocence R-1 51
Not Love, Just Frenzy R-149
The Other Side of Sunday R-148
Pizzicata R-1 51
Secrets of the Heart R-148
Still Breathing R-149
Suicide Kings R-148
Wake Up, Love R-150
Washington Square R-147
Year of the Horse R-148
REVIEWS
Air Bud R-154
Conspiracy Theory R-1 53
The Edge R-152
Event Horizon R-153
Free Willy 3: The Rescue R-153
Leave It to Beaver R-153
Masterminds R-153
Money Talks R-153
The Peacemaker R-152
The Twilight of the Golds R-1 52
REVIEW BRIEFS
Butch Camp R-155
Happiness Is in the Field R-155
Never Alone R-1 54
Ratchet R-155
Sleepy Heads R-154
Stag R-154
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre:
The Next Generation R-155
SPECIAL FORMATS
Marvin the Martian in
the 3rd Dimension R-154
FLASHBACK: 1956
Godzilla, King of the Monsters .
. . R-152
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
Coming lilms already reviewed ... R-1 50
REVIEW DIGEST
Our monthly release overview ... R-155
Hit littf>://u'ww.boxoffia'.com
ever}/ Fridm/for rei'ieius .
of the Infest releases!

—
—
FEST REVIEWS
%g Sh^;,^^^^^^h^^^^h^,
CONGRATULATIONS]
FAIRYTALE: A TRUE
STORY •***
Starring Florence Hoath,
Elizabeth Earl, Peter O 'Toole
and Harvey Keitel. Directed
by Charles Sturridge. Written
by Ernie Contreras. Produced
by
Wendy Finerman and
Bruce Davey. A Paramount
release. Fantasy. Rated PG
for brief mild language. Running
time: 98 min. Opens 10/24.
In the manner of the best
children's works, "FairyTale:
A True Story" has a motifpacked
opening section. Very
quickly, the audience of this
Charles Sturridge ("Where Angels
Fear to Tread") film begins
to feel they're in the process of
watching something special.
For the most part, this Icon
production is exactly that. The
story—which scripter Ernie
Contreras bases on real-life
events—is about two young
cousins, Elsie and Frances
(newcomers Florence Hoath
and Elizabeth Earl), who produce
photographs of fairies
that become the center of
worldwide controversy in this
century's second decade.
Wisely, the filmmakers avoid
the global scope, preferring
quiet conversation in the intimacy
of the little girls' shared
room and such telling considerations
as a tiny empty treehouse
built for the fairies by
Elsie's now-dead brother.
(Frances has emotional trauma
too: Her father, away in the
Great War, is missing in action.)
Even more than "A Little
Princess," which famously
opened to lavish praise and
empty theatres, this movie has a
complexity of character and
concept that works against a
simple emotional payoff
onscreen. Instead, "FairyTale: A
True Story" comes close to
achieving the cinematic sub-
Ume: Being a film for all ages for
the ages. Kim Williamson
IN AND OUT •••
Starring Kevin Kline, Joan
Cusack, Tom Selleck and Matt
Dillon. Directed by Frank Oz.
Written by Paul Rudnick. Produced
by Scott Rudin. A Paramount
release. Comedy. Rated
PG-13 for sexual content and
some strong language. Running
time: 90 min.
Surprisingly hilarious at
some turns and overly simple
at others, "In and Out" fades in
and out in terms of its success
as a comedy. Peppered liberally
with celebrity cameos, it's
a small film made to feel big
while still seeming off the
beaten path. The story is about
a well-liked English teacher,
Howard Brackett (Kevin
Kline), whose impending marriage,
peaceful life and personal
emotions are thrown into
turmoil when he is mistakenly
"outed" by a former local boyturned-superstar
actor (Matt
Dillon) during his Oscar acceptance
speech for his portrayal
of a gay war hero.
Howard tries eliminating
some of his more effeminate
mannerisms to help squelch
the rumors, but that task
proves easier said than done
for this die-hard Barbra
Streisand devotee. Even as
Howard must sort through his
own feelings, the situation is
further complicated by his insecure
fiancee (Joan Cusack),
who's freaking out, the high
school principal (Bob Newhart),
who's covertly threatening
Brackett' s job, and by the
town's populace, whose reactions
are mixed.
There's not a lot of plot momentum
and the denouement is
a bit simplistic and patronizing,
but this light-hearted fare has
enough fun moments and witty
social-commentary barbs to
make it worthwhile—not to
mention the fact that it features
one of the funniest and most unexpected
screen kisses in film
history. Christine James
WASHINGTON
SQUARE iri^irM2
Starring Jennifer Jason
Leigh, Albert Finney, Ben
Chaplin and Maggie Smith.
Directed by Agnieszka Holland.
Written by Carol Doyle.
Produced by Roger Birnbaum
and Julie Bergman Sender. A
Buena Vista release. Drama.
Rated PG for thematic elements
including some sensuality,
a childbirth scene and
briefmild language. Running
time: 115 min. Opens Oct. 10.
Agnieszka Holland's films
("Europa, Europa," "The Secret
Garden") typically tell
story in which she attempts to
make beauty of gloom, but in
the end it's a failing fight of
light against darkness. This
a
Mann's Cftinese
Tfteatre
on your
70th Anniversary
Jrom aCfyourJriends at
Odell^s
gMfg
M^^M#J^#%M^#'M':MVM¥^
Congratulations
Mann's Chinese
Theatre
on your
70th AnnhfcTsary
from •Jour friends at
w t n T t c

—
—
38 (R-148) BoxoFFiCE
s
—
—
—
FESTIVAL REVIEWS
time out, Holland—aided by debut scripter
Carol Doyle—adapts the novella by Henry
James previously reworked by William
Wyler in 1949's "The Heiress." Though the
new version is unlikely to bring actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh (who again mistakes
tics for depth) the Oscar that the Wyler film
brought Olivia de Havilland, the story of
Catherine Sloper— -whose birth cost her
mother her life, marking her unforgivably
in the eyes of her wealthy father (Albert
Finney)—seems tailor-made for Holland.
From the fu^t scene, she has a lock on her
theme: the mother dead on a bloody bed, the
father reflising to hold the child, the infant in
her crib with an incredible expression on her
tiny face—a melding of losmess, devastation
and dread—that virtually tells the movie in an
instant. The rest is details. Those details include
Catherine's growth into a woman devoted
to her unyieldingly disappointed father,
and her affection for a poor man ("The Truth
About Cats and Dogs'" Ben Chaplin) who
insists he wishes to marry her for herself and
not her father' s money, and which as the film'
major subplot functions sufficiently but not
artfiiUy. Yet, well through the movie, when her
father says to Catherine, "How obscene—that
your mother should give her Ufe so you can
inhabit space on this earth," the film shows it's
not moved past the point captured with the
infant in the crib. Yet, having cut to the bone
of one daughter/father relationship, "Washington
Square" is a movie that makes a virtue
of the reflexive property. Kim Williamson
SUICIDE KINGS iririr
Starring Christopher Walken, Denis
Leary, Henry Thomas, Sean Patrick Flanery.
Jay Mohr and Johnny Galecki. Directed
by Peter O'Fallon. Written by
Wayne Rice and Gina Goldman. Produced
by Wayne Rice and Morrie Eisenman. A
Live release. Thriller. Rated Rfor strong
violence and language, and for some nudity
and drug use. Running time: 107 min.
In this darkly comic thriller, five boys, in
a desperate attempt to save one of their
sisters from a gruesome fate at the hands of
kidnappers, abduct former mob boss
Charles Barrett (Christopher Walken) in the
hopes that he can use his connections to free
the girl. This rash gamble puts their own
lives in danger, because, as the enraged
Barrett points out, just as he could save the
girl with one phone call, he could order a
quintuple hit with equal ease.
The scheme is more than a little farfetched,
and the boys don't adequately
convey a sense of worry for the kidnapped
girl that one would expect from people
going to so much trouble and such peril to
save her. This slackens the tension, but
interest in the story is revivified with an
intriguing plot twist. Also enlivening the
proceedings is Walken, who is excellent as
usual in portraying the darkly intimidating
yet principled and wryly humored excrimelord.
There's some sloppiness and
confusion in piecing the elements together,
and the story would have benefited from a
closer examination of the protagonists and
their motivations. Christine James
YEAR OF THE HORSE ^^1/2
Directed and written by Jim Jarmusch.
Produced by L.A. Johnson. An October
Films release. Documentary. Not yet
rated. Running time: 108 min. Opens Oct.
Although those who've become ardent
fans of Neil Young and Crazy Horse
through their many albums since "Everybody
Knows This Is Nowhere" in 1969 on
through 1 996' s "Broken Arrow" might well
love this documentary that primarily records
(onto Super-8 and 16mm) the band's
1996 tour of America and Europe, moviegoers
only modestly or less enamored of
such ditties as "Cinnamon Girl" and "Like
a Hurricane" could find this something of a
sit. Aiming to make a movie that's "100
percent Crazy Horse," Jim Jarmusch
("Dead Man") ends down in two digits.
He shows great affection for Young and
his band offstage and onstage; performances
of songs blessedly run full-length,
with little commentary via camera cuts.
(The visuals of a now 50-something Young
attired in shorts and dark socks onstage,
looking like an aged Macintosh dweeb, provides
its own message.) It's the behind-thescenes
sections in which the film
disappoints. Capturing a unique moment in
time, "Woodstock" and "Monterey Pop"
had a built-in electricity; "Year of the
Horse" needs deep insight into Young's
creative drive and into the personalities of
his bandmates to have equal impact. But
moviegoers will leave the theatre knowing
virtually nothing more about Crazy Horse
and Young than when they went in; the
most interesting dialogue is provided by an
on-camera appearance by Jarmusch himself
Although the addition of footage of
1976 and 1986 tours (filmed by Bernard
Shakey) adds some nice grace notes, "Year
of the Horse" is a pleasant but uncompelling
historical curio. Kim Williamson
SEATTLE
THE OTHER SIDE OF SUNDAY iririr
Starring Marie Theisen, Bjorn Sundquist
and Hildegun Riise. Directed by
Berit Nesheim. Written by Berit Nesheim
and Lasse Glomm. Produced by Nrk
Drama. A First Look release. Drama. Norwegian-language;
English subtitles. Not
yet rated. Running time: 104 min.
If there is one binding element to all of
Scandinavian cinema, it is a relentless obsession
with religious angst. From Carl
Dreyer to Ingmar Bergman to Bille August
to Lars Von Trier, Nordic filmmakers have
so thoroughly plumbed the subject over the
decades that it's hard to imagine anyone
bringing something new to the tableau. And
yet Norwegian filmmaker Berit Nesheim
na,s done just that in her Oscar-nominated
"The Other Side of Sunday."
Set in a small Norwegian village in 1959,
Nesheim's film is essentially acoming-ofagc
tale, told through the eyes of a restless
16-year-old giri named Maria (Marie Theisen).
As the day of her confirmation draws
near, Maria begins to question many of the
fundamental tenets of her faith, even as she
grows curious about village boys, makeup,
jewelry and American rock-'n'-roll.
Adapted by Nesheim and Lasse Glomm
from Reidun Nortvedt's novel "Sunday,"
"The Other Side of Sunday" is a warm,
affectionate tale of young womanhood
staged by an exceedingly sensitive director.
Considerable credit also goes to a uniformly
outstanding cast; in particular, young Theisen
carries the film magnificently on her
shoulders, her radiant face displaying a torrent
of adolescent emotions. Wade Major
LOVED irir
Starring Robin Wright-Penn, William
Hurt and Amy Madigan. Directed and
written by Erin Dignam. Produced by
Philippe Calandand Sean Penn. No stateside
distributor set. Drama. Rated PG-13
for intense thematic elements, brief disturbing
images, language and nudity.
Running time: 103 min.
Abusive relationships are an entertainment
staple. TV movies of the week,
bigscreen dramas and afternoon talk shows
explore and exploit the horrible subject of
men beating the women they supposedly
love. With "Loved," writer/director Erin
Dignam works hard to make her take on the
topic avoid such well-worn paths in favor
of^ a high-minded road seeking food for
thought rather than outright entertainment,
"Loved" centers on Hedda ("She's So
Lovely's" Robin Wright-Penn) and her
iron-clad devotion to an ex-boyfriend who
scarred her. He stands accused of the death
of a later girlfriend, and prosecuting attorney
K.D. (William Hurt) persuades Hedda
to testify at her beloved's trial. Rather than
point blame, Hedda tells the court that their
violent incidents weren't his fault and why
she sometimes "wasn't worth hitting." K.D.
and Hedda' s family try to comprehend her
justification of abuse. It's a frustrating experience
for all, including the audience.
Dignam starts "Loved" with a wallop—the
death in question—and proceeds to unravel
the mental forces responsible for the action.
But "Loved" soon becomes a victim of its
success. By trading immediacy for temporal
and emotional distance, Dignam soon exhausts
the audience curiosity she had deftly
constructed; frustration gives way to apathy.
Wright-Penn and renowned monotone Hurt
perfectly inhabit their languid roles but, as
Dignam intends, "Loved" provokes thought,
not the audience.
Ian Hodder
SECRETS OF THE HEART ••V^l/Z
Starring Andoni Erburu, Carmelo
Gomez, Maria Charo I^pez and Silvia
Munt. Directed and written by Montxo
Armendariz. Produced by Imanol Uribe
and Andres Santana. A Sogepaq production;
no stateside distributor set. Drama. 4
Spanish-language; English subtitles. Not "
yet rated. Running time: 108 min.
Eight-year-old Javi (Andoni Erburu) and
his older brother Juan ( Alvaro Nagore) live
with their spinster aunts (Maria Charo
t
'

—
—
—
—
— —
October, 1997 (R-149) 39
FESTIVAL REVIEWS
Lopez and Vicky Pena) in provincial Spain
i?)
^ of the early 1960s. The mischievous Juan
tells Javi that the dead whisper secrets left
unspoken in life; Javi is easily persuaded,
and he becomes fixated on the room where
his father died, always kept locked by his
mother. When the brothers return on school
holiday to the house where their mother,
uncle and grandfather live, Javi uncovers
the secrets surrounding his father's death.
Films rarely explore the world from a
child's viewpoint believably. There are innate
limitations; inevitably, it's an adult's
clouded memory of childhood onscreen,
and the reminiscence is only as good as the
child actor set to the task. But Spain's "Secrets
of the Heart" is a charming film that
succeeds both as a coming-of-age drama
and as an authentic portrayal of a child's
view of the world's mysteries. Greg Lee
STILL BREATHING ^1/2
Starring Brendan Fraser and Joanna
Going. Directed and written by James F.
Robinson. Produced by James F. Robinson
and Marshall Persinger. An October
Films release.
Romance. Not yet rated.
Running time: 109 min.
Rest assured, lonely hearts: A perfect
romantic partner does indeed exist. What's
hard is finding that mate. Take the case of
young Fletcher ("George of the Jungle's"
Brendan Fraser), a Texas street performer,
»and Roz ("Little City's" Joanna Going), a
gold digger from Los Angeles. Despite their
differences, the duo make a love connection
thanks to Fletcher's psychic ability and a
case of mistaken identity. It's a cruel irony,
however, that the movie about their attraction
fails to engage its audience.
Like an unwanted suitor, "Still Breathing"
strives to make us like it. Director/writer
James F. Robinson infuses the
film with "Sleepless in Seattle"-style plot
twists and tidbits of Hollywood mysticism
a la "Forrest Gump." The problem isn't
Robinson's corny script—which could succeed
under better conditions—but rather
the film' s lifeless direction and, most of all,
fatal choice of stars. As Fletcher, a puppeteer
with psychic abilities and a passion for
collages and stone sculptures, Fraser is
more doofus than artist. (Incredibly, Fraser
won best actor kudos at the Seattle fest.) As
Roz, Going has the conniving bitch role
down, but she never exhibits any interest in
their love affair. If this is a date movie, it's
one for couples on the wane. Ian Hodder
NOT LOVE, JUST FRENZY ^^1/2
Starring Nancho Novo and Cayetana
Guillen Cuervo. Directed and written by
Miguel Bardem and
Alfonso Albacete,
David Menkes. Produced by Fernando
Colomo and Beatriz de la Gandara. A
Mainstream production; no stateside dis-
»tributor set. Comedy/drama. Spanish-language;
English subtitles. Not yet rated.
Running time: 103 min.
"Frenzy" certainly describes the driving
force behind the graphic, drug-fueled "Not
Love, Just Frenzy." It's a comedy, a drama
and raunchy erotica held together by a thin
murder storyline. Despite the plot concerns,
the movie barrels along at such a fast,
techno-pounding pace that it's hard not to
get caught up in the spectacle.
Not for the faint of heart, "Not Love, Just
Frenzy" is set against the backdrop of the
Madrid disco scene, where slightly shocking
people do even more shocking things to
and against each other. The action revolves
around a gigolo framed of a sex crime by a
psycho cop, the rent-boy's ex-lover and her
slutty roommates. Various fluids are exchanged
among the characters, but as
graphic and disturbing as it can be "Not
Love, Just Frenzy" is an entertaining jaunt
through Madrid after dark. Greg Lee
FRANCHESCA PAGE ^1/2
Starring Varla Jean Merman, Rossy de
Palma and Francesca Leon. Directed and
written by Kelley Sane. Produced by Pietro
Cuevas and Mark Downie. No stateside
distributor set. Musical comedy. Not yet
rated. Running time: 101 min.
Camp - humor = tortured audience: This
simple formula is the undoing of
"Franchesca Page," an unfunny comedy
that attempts and fails to parody the world
of musicals and theatre. In it, an overbearing,
dramatic stage mom/performance artist
named Rita Page persuades her untalented
daughter Franchesca to audition for a part
in a local theatre production. Though
Franchesca botches her performance, a
sleazy, bondage-geared producer named
Veronica hires her anyway. As cast members
are mysteriously murdered, Franchesca,
Rita, her neighbor Melba and the
show's star must join forces to stop the
killer and save the production.
Interspersed throughout the melodrama
are song-and-dance numbers that are supposed
to satirize the overly cheerful and
frequently ridiculous nature of musicals,
but the humor is annoyingly obvious. The
catty screenplay by Kelley Sane, who also
directs, is the biggest flaw; yet, because the
actors are doing their best to deliver dead
sentences with sass, it comes off as nagging.
Still, costumes, sets and makeup are noth-
Lea Russo
ing less than inspired.
THE ISLAND ON BIRD STREET ^^
Starring Patrick Bergin, Jordan Kiziuk,
Jack Warden and Michael Byrne. Directed
by Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. Written
by John Goldsmith and Tony Grisoni. Produced
by Rudy Cohen and Tivi Magnusson.
A Gallery Motion Pictures production;
no stateside distributor set.
Drama. Danish-language; English subtitles.
Not yet rated. Running time: 107 min.
Hope is good. Being homeless is bad.
Some people are good. Nazis are bad. Life
on the street is especially disagreeable when
you're a 12-year-old Jewish kid in Nazi-occupied
Poland who is ever so certain that
Poppa will come back for him. Denmark's
"The Island on Bird Street" is an earnest
film that hopes to get all of the above across
to the moviegoer in a gritty, touching narrative
but, as hard as it tries to convince the
viewer that it is A Story That Must Be Told,
further consideration yields a less poignant
conclusion: No, It Didn't.
Based on the partly autobiographical
novel by Polish/Jewish author Uri Orlev,
"The Island on Bird Street" succeeds more
as an action flick than a drama. Director
Soren Kragh-Jacobsen elicits a good performance
from Jordan Kiziuk, but the boy has
an annoying Oliver Twist quality about him
that soon grates. And it's a feeling of coerced
sentimentality that emerges most
strongly from this film. Greg Lee
HARD CORE LOGO ^•^/2
Starring Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith
Rennie and Bernie Coulson. Directed by
Bruce McDonald. Written by Noel S.
Baker. Produced by Christine Haeblerand
Brian Dennis. A First Run release.
Drama. Unrated. Running time: 92 min.
The first films in Bruce McDonald's unofficial
road trilogy ("Roadkill" and "Highway
61") were joyfully innocent and
inspired pop-culture sprees that radiated
high-octane energy. McDonald's new
movie has some of the same drive as those,
but the innocence is long gone.
"Hard Core Logo" is a mockumentary
about a disbanded punk music group of that
name from Vancouver. Its members decide
to overcome their personal differences and
exit retirement to play a benefit concert for
an aging mentor, but they discover that they
can never really go home. "Hard Core
Logo" is harsh analysis of rock celebrity,
but it's also McDonald's wistful examination
of what the pleasures of moviemaking
mean to him. Kevin Courrier
GUY •••1/2
Starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Hope
Davis and Kimber Riddle. Directed by Michael
Lindsay-Hogg. Written by Kirby
Dick. Produced by Vincent D'Onofrio and
Renee Missel. A Polygram production; no
stateside distributor set. Drama. Not yet
rated. Running time: 89 min.
With last year's "The Whole Wide
World," character actor and indie stalwart
Vincent D'Onofrio showed he had a knack
for producing even as he carried a lead role;
no different. D'Onofrio plays an
"Guy" is
everyman who finds himself under the unrelenting
gaze of a woman and her camera.
The woman ("The Myth of Fingerprints'"
Hope Davis) spies Guy in downtown Los
Angeles and begins maJcing a documentary
about his life—without his permission.
Taken aback by this intrusion into his life,
Guy responds sequentialh' with bewilderment,
anger, resignation and ardor.
Scripter Kirby Dick's controversial documentary
"Sick: The Life and Death of Bob
Flanagan, Supermasochist" received a special
recognition award at the Sundance fest
this year for its unflinching look at painful
subject matter. His teaming with helmer
Michael Lindsay-Hogg has crafted a startling
look at our spectator society, wrought
by expert watchers. Greg Lee

—
'
—
FESTIVAL REVIEWS
SAN FRANCISCO
CARLA'SSONG iririr
Starring Robert Carlyle, Oyanka Cabezas
and Scott Glenn. Directed by Ken
Loach. Written by Paul Loverty. Produced
by Sally Hibbin. No stateside distributor
set. Drama. English- and Spanish-language;
English subtitles. Not yet rated.
Running time: 127 min.
As he did in his award-winning "Land
and Freedom," director Ken Loach continues
to explore the intersection of passion
and politics. This time, the focus is not the
Spanish Civil War but current-day Scotland
and Nicaragua. After an encounter in Glasgow,
romance blooms between local bus
driver George (Robert Carlyle) and Carla
(Oyanka Cabezas), a Nicaraguan emigre.
Beautiful but despondent, Carla conceals
a painful secret that can be unearthed only
when the lovers travel to her homeland.
There, George meets a disaffected ex-CIA
operative (Scott Glenn) who lectures him
on atrocities wrought by the American government.
So defamatory is Glenn's speech,
in fact, that it has been blamed for the film's
failure to find stateside distribution.
Loach has fashioned a moving, rhapsodic
love story that's also part political thriller,
part psychodrama. As he showed in
"Priest," "Trainspotting" and "The Full
Monty," Carlyle is an actor of astonishing
range and depth. Cabezas and Glenn are not
so fortunate; she's too internalized, he's not
quite credible. Lael Loewenstein
THE MAKER ^^1/2
Starring Matthew Modine, Mary-Louise
Parker and Jonathan Rhys-Myers. Directed
by Tim Hunter. Written by Rand Ravich.
Produced by Andrew Lamr and Demitri
Samaha. No stateside distributor set. Drama.
Not yet rated. Running time: 98 min.
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: SEPTEMBEfWCTOBER/NOVEMBER FILMS
In light of our continuing commitment to bring you revievi/s as early
as possible, we now provide a reader guide to upcoming releases
we've already crHicfued. The alphabetical list belov/ notes the issue
of BOXOFFICE in w/ii'ch the revievi^ appeared, gives its star rating, and
provides nev/ly updated distributor and release date information.
"Anthem" ••••: Zeitgeist, 9/19 NY; see Sept. 1997.
"Bandwagon" •••1/2: CFP, 9/12 ltd; see April 1997.
"Bean" •••1/2: Gramercy, 11/7 wide; see Sept. 1997.
"Breaking Up" •••: Warner Bros.. 9/26 NY/LA/Tor; see Sept. 1997.
"Deep Crimson" ••••: New Yorker, 10/8; see April 1997.
"The Delta" •: Strand. Sept. undated exp; see July 1997.
"Different for Girls" ••: First Look, 9/12 NY/LA/SF; see March 1997.
"The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca" ifirVl: Sony Releasing, 9/12 ltd; see Sept. 1997.
"The End of Violence" -k-kii: MGM, 9/12; see Aug. 1997.
"Fast. Cheap & Out of Control" -k-k-k: Sony Classics, 10/3 NY/LA; see April 1997.
"Forgotten Silver" •••1/2: First Run, Oct. undated NY; see March 1997.
"Going All the Way" •••: Gramercy, 9/19NY/lJi, 9/26 exp; see April 1997.
"Gravesend" -kxa: Manga, 9/5 NY. 9/19 LA; see Sept. 1997.
"Happy Together" ••: Kino, Oct. undated; see Sept. 1997.
"The House of Yes " • • • 1/2: Miramax, 10/10 NY/LA, exp 10/17 & 10/24; see April 1997.
"Hurricane Streets" •••: UA, 10/24; see April 1997.
"The Ice Storm "kit 1/2: Fox Searchlight, 9/26 NY, 10/1 7 exp; see July 1997.
"In a Strange City" •••1/2: Filmopolis. Sept. undated; see July 1996.
"Intimate Relations" ••: Fox Searchlight. 9/5; see Sept. 1996.
"/ Was a Jewish Sex Worker" k-k 1/2: Greycal, 10/1 7 NY; see April 1997.
"Kicked in the Head" ••: October Films, 9/26; see Aug. 1997.
"L.A. ConfulentM" kkkVl: Warner Bros., 9/19; see Aug. 1997.
"La Rencontre" ••: Artistic License, Sept. undated; see March 1997.
"LUies" •: Turbulent Arts, 10/10 SF, 10/17 NY, 10/24 M; see April 1997.
"The lA>ng Way Home" kkk: Seventh Art, 9/17 lA. 9/19 NY; see Sept. 1997.
"Love Always " • 1/2: Ugacy, 9/26 ltd; see April 1997.
"Marian" •: Turbulent Art's, 10/3 Chi; see April 1997.
"Mouth to Mouth" •••1/2: Miramax, 9/5 NY/IA; see Sept. 1996.
"My Sex Ufe... "kkk: Zeitgeist, 9/17 NY; see Aug. 1996.
"The Myth of Fingerprints" •••1/2: Sony Classics, 9/17.MY; see Apr. 1997.
"Nenetie el Boni"kkk: Strand, 10/3 NY, 10/10 lA; see April 1997.
"Nick and Jane" ••: CFP. 10/10; see June 1996.
"Omaha: the movie" ••1/2: Movieworld, 9/26 reissue; see April 1996.
"Parallel Sons" kkk: Greycat, Nov. undated; see May 1997.
"Riding the Rails" ••••: Artistic License, 9/5 LA, 9/12 NY; see July 1997.
"A Self Made Hero"kkkk: Strand, 9/26 lA; see March 1997.
"Slaves to the Underground" •1/2: First Uiok, 11/14 NY; see April 1997.
"Talk of Angels" -kkk: Miramax. 9/12 NY/IA; see Sept. 1997.
"Timeless" kkk: Phaedra, Oct. undated; see April 1996.
"Trojan Eddie" kk: Castle Hill, early Sept. lA; see April 1997.
"Welcome to Sarajevo" •••1/2: Miramax. 11/14 NY/LA; see July 1997.
"Wide Awake" •••: Miramax, 9/19; see .Sept. 1997.
An eerily menacing performance by Matthew
Modme is a key virtue of this uneven
drama by Tim Hunter ("River's Edge").
Modine plays Walter, long-lost older
brother of Josh Minell ("Michael Collins"'
Jonathan Rhys-Myers). Appearing on
Josh's 18th birthday, Walter invites his little
brother on a "business trip"—for grand
theft and assault. Frightened yet intrigued.
Josh must decide whether to follow him into
a life of crime, not merely as a player but as
"the maker": the one who makes the rules.
The film boasts a host of noteworthy
performances: Fairuza Balk ("The Craft")
sparkles as Josh's lesbian best friend Bella;
Michael Madsen ("Species") is deliciously
dark as a criminal underlord. and Mary-
Louise Parker ("The Portrait of a Lady")
suggests her role as a policewoman is fuller
than the writing would allow. That the
script is so inconsistent is one of the film's
shortcomings; much of the dialogue is witty
and surprisingly original, but the story feels
unstructured and amateurish. Too often.
Hunter resorts to shoot- 'em-up action sequences
when he should be spending time
developing characters. Lael Loewenstein
WAKE UP, LOVE
•••1/2
Starring Dario Grandinetti, Soledad
Silveyra and Juan Leyrado. Directed and
written by Eliseo Subiela. Produced by Jorge
Rocco and Damian Kirztia. No distributor
set. Drama. Spanish-language; English
subtitles. Not yet rated Run time: 98 min.
A gem of a film that could shine with
careful specialized distribution, "Wake Up,
Love" is delightful Argentine filmmaking.
Set in modem-day Buenos Aires, the story
follows a group of middle-aged friends who
decide to track down their old friends, stage
a 25-year reunion and rekindle memories of
their youth. Not quite "Romy and
Michelle's High School Reunion," "Wake
Up, Love" is at once more touching, more
ribald, more romantic and more profound.
In the central role of Ricardo—also
known as Elvis—^Juan Leyrado does an impressive
turn. Gray of hair but still green of
spirit, Ricardo keeps in shape by dancing
daily to "Jailhouse Rock." But Ana (Soledad
Silveyra), his wife of 24 years, is depressed
and menopausal. Ricardo decides to throw a
party, inviting Ana's old flame Ernesto
(Dario Grandmetti) in the hope that she
might regain some of her luster. Having
jilted Ana two decades earlier to pursue a
political career in post-revolutionary Cuba,
Ernesto has never quite forgiven himself. In
renewing theirfriendships, Ernesto, Ana and
Ricardo discover aspects of each other they
had long forgotten or never known.
Cleverly, writer/director Eliseo Subiela
intercuts present and pa.st, showing how
little has really changed. One teasing flashback
involves a condom purcha.se; several
others show the youths at high school
dances decorated in surreal-looking neon
pinks and yellows. To his credit, Subiela
doesn't take the story in a predictable direction.
Just when it seems Ernesto and Ana
might reunite, he falls for a young Cuban
cellist who seduces him with her music.

— ——
Ortoher. 1997 rR-r51> 41
FESTS
Indeed, music is an important element in
"Wake Up, Love": Both the haunting
strains of Bach sonatas and the hip-swiveling
beats of Elvis will resonate long after
the film ends. Lael Loewenstein
PIZZICATA *•*
Starring Cosimo Cinieri, Fabio Frascaro
and Chiara Torelli. Directed and written by
Edoardo Winspeare. Produced by Edoardo
Winspeare, Dieter Horres and Jean-
Jacques Varret. No stateside distributor set
Drama. Italian-language; English subtitles.
Not yet rated Running time: 93 min.
This lyrical and delicate pastoral romance
tells a story of forbidden love in
Southern Italy, circa 1943. When the plane
of an Italian-American fighter pilot (Fabio
Frascaro) crashes on an elderly widower's
property, his daughter Cosima (Chiara Torelli)
falls for the youth. Her desire poses a
considerable dilemma, as she is promised to
another. In the strict Catholic community,
the would-be lovers can express their affection
only by dancing the ritualistic Pizzica,
a suggestive interplay in which the man and
woman's bodies never touch.
"Pizzicata" has an earnest simplicity that
comes through in its performances, production
design and cinematography. With the
cast's thick Salentino accents and austere
garments and the aged-looking sepia film
stock, the movie seems almost to have come
from another era. It lacks a satisfactory
resolution—some plotlines are abandoned
outright—but it's an absorbing and carefully
rendered tale. Lael Loewenstein
A MOMENT OF INNOCENCE irir
Starring AH Bakhshi, Mirhadi Tayebi
and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Directed and
written by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Produced
by Abofazl Alagheband. No stateside
distributor set. Drama. Farsilanguage;
English subtitles. Not yet
rated. Running time: 78 min.
In this autobiographical story, Iranian
filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf revisits
his youth—with a twist. Some 20 years
earlier, then-teenager Makhmalbaf stabbed
a young policeman to demonstrate his opposition
to the Shah' s regime. After a prison
stint, he became a filmmaker. An open casting
call for one of his movies prompts a
strange coincidence: Among the auditioners
is the policeman Makhmalbaf attacked.
Inspired to restage the event
onscreen, Makhmalbaf hires the ex-cop as
a consultant and casts two eager young men
to play the combatants.
Initially, the film's tone is unclear, but
when the policeman objects to the casting
choice (he wants a better-looking actor to
play himself) it veers into absurdist comedy.
A clever script, surprisingly, doesn't
lose its wit in the translation, though it
seems overlong. Makhmalbaf uses different
camera angles, slow motion and sound, presumably
to show the prismatic patterns of
memory. Some of these stylistic devices
work; more often they feel whimsical and
lack motivation. Lael Loewenstein
complete line of . . .
Concession, Snack Bar and Janitorial Supplies
plus Projection and theatre equipment also parts
For The Best In Service. . .Give Us a Call
CINEIMA SUPPI.V COxMPANY. INC.
P.O. BOX 148, MILLERSBURG, PA. 17061
TELEPHONE: (717) 692-4744 1-800-437-5505
Response No. 96
INSURING CLIENTS NATIONWIDE
AOC
MAROEVICH, O'SHEA & COGHLAN
San Francisco, CA
(415) 957-0600
TOLL FREE (800) 951-0600
License No. 0589960
SUPPLIERS • PRODUCERS
www.maroevich.coin
Response No. 70
yi/ryx^v'
WITW
KOU
on't let the dark forces of
ignorance defeat you.
Right in this galaxy you can "
tap into the source—the free
Consumer Information
Catalog.
It lists free and low-cost A
federal publications
^ ^
^
on such stellar topics
as saving money, buying a house,
educating your children, getting federal
Consumer
'nformat/on
Cata/og
benefits, eating right and staying healthy, and so much more.
So dispel the darkness and get the source. Call toll-free
1-888-8 PUEBLO for your free Catalog.
'Or set your coordinates for the Consumer Information
Center web site: www.pueblo.gsa.gov

A1 i\l.\'\').\ RrivnnnrR
—
—
—
FLASHBACK: MAY 12, 1956
What BOXOFFICE said about...
GODZHIA KING OF THE MONSTERS
[Thefilmmaking duo behind "Stargate" and ^'Independence Day" are now turning
their attention to one of the mostfamous monsters of all (see our "Godzilla" article in
this issue), with the result set to open on U.S. screens May 20, 1998. Here's what
BOXOFFICE had to say about the Embassy-Toho release that started it all.]
Combining most of the frightening features of "King
Kong" and the more recent "Creature" and "Monster"
pictures, this Japanese-made horror melodrama is a
natural for sensational exploitation and should attract
the hordes of film fans who delight in pictures that will
make them shudder. It is ideal for action houses. Raymond
Burr, the only Hollywood actor in the cast,
narrates and appears in a few scenes that are obviously
added to the original. The Japanese players in the story
either speak English or their voices are dubbed into
English. A Toho production by Tomoyuki Tanaka,
"Gojira" (as it was titled during its 1954 Japanese run)
was directed by Terry Morse and Ishiro Honda, and the
original story is based on an old Japanese legend about
a mammoth creature 50 stories high that has been
awakened from a prehistoric past beneath the sea (here,
by H-Bomb explosions). Utterly fantastic, of course, the
special photographic effects of this 400-foot creature
emerging from the sea to stalk on land and crush the
tall buildings of Tokyo should elicit gasps or shrieks from youngsters or from the
more susceptible women patrons—even though they really love it. Momoko Kochi
is a pretty heroine, and the other Japanese actors are adequate. Takashi Shimura,
Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata and Sachio Sakai co-star.
EXPLOITIPS:
With Raymond Burr, featured villain in "Rear Window" and dozens of other
Hollywood films, as the only familiar player, this picture must be sold on its
sensational angles. Use cutouts of Godzilla or papier-mache reproductions of this
to "King Kong," "The Creature
monster to attract the horror fans. Compare it
From Beneath the Sea" and other famed film monsters.
CATCHLINES:
Raging Through the World on a Rampage of Destruction ... Civilization Crumbles
As A Monster's Death Rays Blast a City From the Face of the Earth ... See Every
Earth-Shaking, Screen-Shattering Thrill.
THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS •^
Starring Jennifer Beals, Brendan Eraser,
Faye Dunaway and Garry Marshall.
Directed by Ross Marks. Written by Jonathan
Tolins and Seth Bass. Produced by
Paul Colichman, John Davimos and Mark
Harris. A CFP release. Drama. Not yet
rated. Running time: 93 min. Opens 10/24.
Based on a play and initially aired on
cable TV, "The Twilight of the Gold.s"
strives for more controversy and concerns
than it achieves. The trick-question premise,
which explores the concept of a
familv's confrontation with the possibility
that the next addition to their genetic circle
is likely to be bom gay, remains throughout
a conceit around which the actors act up.
Every now and then the surface is pierced,
but in the main the impact resonates only on
the scale of interesting dilemma, never delivering
the weight a confrontation with the
issues of genetic testing should carry.
The cast tries hard to bring complexity to
stock characters, but ultimately without the
writing to sustain their choices those who
choose bold strokes fare best for themselves,
if not for the film as a whole. As the
potential grandparents, Faye Dunaway and
Garry Marshall (who is also the executive
producer) are nothing if not lively and attention
grabbing. Jennifer Beals ("Devil in
a Blue Dress"), as their pregnant daughter,
and Brendan Fraser ("George of the Jungle"),
as their gay son, don't really have
room to be fully formed. Bridget Byrne
THE PEACEMAKER •••l/Z
Starring George Clooney and Nicole
Kidman. Directed by Mimi Leder. Written
by Michael Schiffer. Produced by Walter
Parkes and Branko Lustig. A Dream-
Works release. Action. Not yet rated. Running
Hme: 122 min.
DreamWorks SKG, the studio led by Steven
Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and
David Geffen, makes it.self proud with a
successful launch with "The Peacemaker."
Although the action genre has recently
seemed to be played out, the producers
here—longtime Amblin-eers Walter Parkes
and Branko Lustig—made a decision that
REVIEWS
pays off in spades onscreen: They tapped a
woman for the director's chair. Although
TV director Mimi Leder ("ER") likewise is
making her theatrical debut, it's an assured
one. From the opening sequence—a train
ride through Russian countryside (with all
aboard not knowing they are
doomed), shot with a seriousness
of purpose and attention
to humanity that recalls
David Lean's — effort on "Dr.
Zhivago" "The Peacemaker"
places itself outside
the orbit of actioners more
interested in smirky jokes
and calisthenic explosions.
Still, this is an action fdm,
so the plotline—a no-nonsense
U.S. intelligence operative
("Batman & Robin's"
George Clooney) and the
new head of the White
House's nuclear anti-smuggling
group ("The Portrait of
a Woman's" Nicole Kidman)
go on a mission to retrieve
stolen warheads—is
effectively intense, if nothing earthshaking.
A careful choice of malefactors—a Bosnian
diplomat (Romanian actor Marcel lures)
who wants to make Americans suffer the
wages of war for which he feels they bear
some responsibility—is part and parcel of
the filmmakers' serious approach, but in the
end it's unnecessary, given the genre's limitations,
which hardly make for "Before the
Rain" territory. Kim Williamson
THE EDGE •••
Starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec
Baldwin. Directed by Lee Tamahori. Written
by David Mamet. Produced by Art Linson.
A Fox release. Drama. Rated R for
language and some adventure gore/violence.
Running time; 118 min.
What would happen if David Mamet, he
of the plays and movies ("Glengarry Glen
Ross") most widely known for their violence
of language and cojones characterizations,
tried to write a standard Hollywood
movie? The result, apparently, would be a
standard Hollywood movie with a difference.
"The Ed^e," more of a drama than the
action/thriller it's being billed as, exhibits a
restrained literateness that's quite effective.
Mamet blends two narrative conventions—man
vs. man, and man vs. nature—in
this story of two men whose plane crashes in
the Alaskan wilderness. One, an older billionaire
(Anthony Hopkins), has a beautiful
model (EUe Macpherson) for a wife and a
memory that never forgets information he
comes across in his virtually nonstop reading;
the other is a handsome fashion photographer
(Alec Baldwin) who might or might not desire
the rich man's wealth and woman.
Hopkins as the bookworm (the project's
early title) and Baldwin as the man who
would be king are excellent. Director Lee
Tamahori (finding a "Once Were Warriors"
level of success after his "Mulholland
Falls" misstep) pays assured attention to the
minutiae of character. Kim Williamson

—
—
—
—
—
REVIEWS
L£AVErT TO BEAVER i^^l/2
Starring Christopher McDonald, Janine
Turner and Cameron Finley. Directed
by Andy Cadiff. Written by Brian Levant
and Lon Diamond. Produced by Rpberi
Simonds. A Universal release. Comedy.
Rated G. Running time: 87 min.
Baby boomers who grew up with TV's
most beloved family, the Cleavers, will be
a little disappointed by this modem-day
film, which models itself after the popular
1950s TV series "Leave It to Beaver."
Today's children, however, will probably
enjoy it for comedy's sake.
The premise for the film is that many of
the vignettes created in the '50s TV series
will still be funny today—with an updated
cast of characters and cool contemporary
lingo. Although the storyline by screenwriter
Briant Levant (who directed episodes
of TV's 1983-88 'The New Leave It
to Beaver") and Lon Diamond seeks to
preserve the integrity of the original, copies
of an original never quite measure up to the
real thing. As Ward Cleaver, Christopher
McDonald ("A Smile Like Yours") provides
a role closely resembling that popularized
by the late Hugh Beaumont, and
Erik von Detten as the Beaver's brother is
a perfect Wally. As mom June Cleaver,
however, Janine Turner ("Cliffhanger")
takes certain liberties with her role, and
Cameron Finley ("What's Eating Gilbert
Grape") as the Beaver fails to emote much
personality or screen appeal. Pat Kramer
MONEY TALKS irir
Starring
Charlie Sheen and Chris
Tucker. Directed by Brett Ratner. Written
by Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow and Vince
McKuen. Produced by Walter Coblenz- A
New Line release. Action/comedy. Rated R
for graphic violence and pervasive strong
language. Running time: 92 min.
Because a struggling investigative journalist,
James ("The Arrival's" Charlie
Sheen), needs a major story to save his
career, he sets up a smartaleck motor-mouth
ticket scalper, Franklin ("The Fifth
Element's" Chris Tucker). While Franklin
is being transported to jail, an elaborate
prisoner break results in casualties, and
Franklin gets blamed. Now he needs James'
help to clear his name; he agrees, in exchange
for an exclusive story. It all sounds
like a fair trade—until they're chased and
shot at and James is accused of murder.
In "Money Talks," Sheen and Tucker
lock horns in various scenarios that set the
wheels in motion for an onslaught of comic
racial slurs and humorous stereotypical situations.
Making his directing debut, Brett
Ratner attempts (if not successfully) to assemble
an interracial action/comic duo
worthy of comparison to Snipes & Harrelson.
Murphy & Nolte or Gibson & Glover.
His usual onscreen self. Sheen holds his
own, if barely; the manic Tucker steals the
show. His comedic timing is the real element
holding the film together. When he
opens his mouth, it's like a pinata bursting
after being hit, sending out a barrage of
colorful comic treats. Dwayne E. Leslie
MASTERMINDS ^^1/2
Starring Vincent Kartheiser, Patrick
Stewari and Brenda Fricker. Directed by
Roger Christian. Written by Floyd Byars,
Alex Siskin and Chris Black. Produced by
Floyd Byars and Robert Dudelson. A Triumph
release. Action/comedy. Rated PG-
13 for violence included in a children
hostage situation, andfor language. Running
time: 105 min.
"This is a 'Die Hard' situation," exclaims
14-year-old Ozzie ("Alaska's" Vincent
Kartheiser) when he finds himself trapped
in an affluent private school that's been
commandeered by a sophisticated security
system expert gone bad ("Star Trek: First
Contact's" Patrick Stewart) and his army.
The plot: to extort a ransom for each child
from their wealthy parents. But not if Ozzie
can help it. A charming genius with a proclivity
for troublemaking, Ozzie sets about
mucking up the carefully crafted plan.
Wanting to be the "Die Hard" for the
teenage set, "Masterminds" unfortunately
does not nearly measure up to the film to
which it admits its debt. The charismatic
hero and villain keep the momentum going
but, given "Masterminds'" plural title,
more direct conflict of an ascendingly ingenious
caliber was needed between nemesis
and hero, rather than the fairly routine manner
in which our young rogue dispatches of
the goons. Christine James
FREE WILLY 3: THE RESCUE ^•^
Starring Jason James Richter, August
Schellenberg, Annie Corley and Vincent
Berry. Directed by Sam Pillsbury. Written
by John Mattson. Produced by Jennie Lew
Tugend. A Warner Bros, release. Drama.
Rated PGfor thematic elements involving
whale hunting, and for brief mild language.
Running time: 86 min.
Jason James Richter and August
Schellenberg reprise their roles as adopted
son Jesse and father Randolph for this third
installment in the Willy orca saga. This time
out, a 10 percent decline in the local killerwhale
population has two possible explanations:
Either there is a natural cause, or a
black-market price of $200 per pound of
orca meat has drawn poachers.
Willy, freed in installment #1 and renamed
home for #2, in this episode (as its
title implies) must be rescued. (What's next:
"In Search of ..."?) The heart of the story
actually is a subplot: A little boy named Max
(Vincent Berry) for the first time sees what
his father (Patrick Kilpatrick) does for a
living—kill animals. Max becomes tom between
accepting his dad' s chosen way of life
and doing what he feels is right.
This anti orca-killing movie has excellent
up-close underwater photography, and new
animatronic whale replicas created by Walt
Conti's team at Edge Innovations are even
more convincing than before. In addressing
controversial animal-rights matters, "Free
Willy 3: The Rescue" succeeds in giving
audiences an environmental jolt, but some
moviegoers might remain cool to a secondary
message, that it's okay to risk your job
by breaking mles. Dwayne E. Leslie
EVENT HORIZON ^1/2
Starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam
Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson.
Directed by Paul Anderson. Written
by Philip Eisner. Produced by
Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin. A Paramount
release. SF/horror. Rated R for
strong violence and gore, language and
some nudity. Running time: 96 min.
The Event Horizon is a deep-space research
vessel sent in the year 2040 to explore
the boundaries of the solar system,
only to disappear without a trace. Seven
years later, a distress call is received from
the missing ship, which has suddenly reemerged
near Neptune. A team is sent to
rescue any survivors and salvage the vessel—but
what they don't know is that the
craft now carries an unseen alien entity that
is pure evil. Unfortunately, the scariest
thing about this sci-fi/horror film will be its
abysmal boxoffice receipts after word of
mouth makes this film a non-"Event."
An uncompelling cast makes up the unsympathetic
team of misfits who seem not
at all qualified for the mission. Laurence
Fishbume as the crew leader is somnambulistic
even at moments of crisis. The plot's
twists and turns are derivative of horror
schlock fare that even cable's campy "Tales
From the Crypt" would be embarrassed to
use. Scripter Philip Eisner begins with a
premise overflowing with potential but
does not follow through, and his blood-andgore
scare tactics are more yawn-inducing
than pulse-racing. Christine James
CONSPIRACY THEORY ^^^1/2
Starring Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts and
Patrick Stewart. Directed by Richard Donner.
Written by Brian Helgeland. Produced
by Joel Silver and Richard Donner. A
Warner release. Suspense/thriller. Rated R
for some violence. Running time: 135 min.
As a cab driver who believes in numerous
conspiracy theories, from covert black helicopters
to earthquake weapons in space to
reason why the govemment puts
the real
fluoride in the water, Jerry Fletcher (Mel
Gibson) seems to be just another eccentric
element of New York's urban landscape.
His one real (if reluctant) confidante is
Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts), an employee
of the Justice Department who has some of
her own ghosts to haunt her. Alice listens
out of compassion but doesn't believe a
word of his stories. Yet, when he publishes
his hypotheses, he finds his life endangered
by people he's inadvertently exposed.
Gibson is admirably up to the task of
portraying the complexly layered character
of Jerry, who is alternately tragic, hilarious,
ingenious and heroic. Roberts is both strong
and sympathetic as her character wrestles
with conflicting emotions and instincts. As
malevolent Dr. Jonas, Patrick Stewart exudes
pure cold evil. But several backstory
elements could have been explained more
clearly, and a more fully elucidated exposition
of the truth would have increased the
narrative's implications and thereby its tension.
Still, "Conspiracy Theory" is fastpaced
and exciting. Christine James

travails of three young Japanese imdd
(U.iUt Rnvnprtf-r
—
—
—
REVIEWS
AIR BUD iriri^
Starring Kevin Zegers. Directed by
Charles Martin Smith. Written by Paul
Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn. Produced
by Robert Vince and William Vince. A
Buena Vista release. Comedy. Rated PGfor
brief mild language. Running time: 98 min.
"Air Bud's" Buddy the dog never slamdunks
or twirls a basketball on his paw—although
he can hit a shot from the free-throw
MARVIN THE MARTIAN IN THE
3RD DIMENSION ^^1/2
Directed by Douglas McCarthy.
Written by Keith Baxter, Timothy
Cahill, Charles Carney, Mark
Eades, Ryan Harmon, Kathleen
Helppie-Sh'ipley, Douglas McCarthy,
Julie McNally and Chris
Otsuki. Produced ay Kathleen
Helppie-Shipley and Mark Eades.
A Warner Bros, release. Animation.
Unrated. Running time: 13 min.
Now playing on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue
is a fight to the death between two
giants. Look, up in the sky—not a bird, not
o plane, not even Godzilla vs. Megatron,
but two new multi-story flagship studio
stores, located but a block apart. There
are few better commodities than fond
cfiildhood memories; on Fifth, Disney and
Warner are clashing and cashing-in on
them in deluxe style. The Mouse House
has been at this for generations, but the
Wabbit is coming up fast, and one of his
secret weapons is the premiere animated
presentation of "Marvin the Martian in the
3rd Dimension." in an open-ended engagement
in the eighth-floor screening
SPECIAL FORMATS
room at the Warner Bros. Studio Store.
Purists might still scoff, but this
establishment's elaborate environment,
along with many of the items for sale,
perfectly captures some of that old Looney
Tune spirit. And, really, it's okay; Bugs
never pretended to be anything but trie
ultimate conman-on-the-make anyway.
Several tall sculptural murals (including
one that serves as a marquee for the short
film), clever sight gags, displays,
videowalls, and interactive ACME thingamabobs
provide suitable atmosphere.
The store also boasts a restaurant, an animation
art gallery and a glass elevator
with shifting views of snooty Van Cleef &
Arpels across the Avenue. Patrons can
have a fine time without buying anything.
Unfortunately, that idiosyncratic Merrie
Melody mix of attitude
and mayhem is
doing better on the glassware than on the
silver screen. To wit, then: the fillum. The
store is currently the only North American
venue for Marvm's 70mm 3-D experience,
sponsored by Toshiba. (The CGI short can
also be seen at Warner's Movie World
pork In Germany and opens this Christmas
of the Movie World in Australia.)
Admission to the 13-minute show is $2;
line. And that attention to realism is to the
good. Still, if "Air Bud" were more about
that lovable golden retriever instead about
his new owner Josh (Kevin Zegers), a boy
who must come to grips (somewhat predictably)
with a new life in a new town, the film
could have been a family classic. Yet children
will fall in love with Buddy, and a
slow-starting narrative eventually concludes
on a high note. Dwayne E. Leslie
along with receiving a ticket and a cardboard
pair of polarized glasses, moviegoers
get a pleasantly hefty Marvin tne
Martian souvenir coin (wnich one can
keep or use for a $2 discount off most store
merchandise). The program runs continuously
at 20-minute intervals, and while
waiting to enter the 74-seat theatre
ticketholders stand in a stylish, retro-yetfuturistic
lobby and are entertained by the
classic Chuck Jones cartoon "Duck Dodgers
in the 24 1 /2 Century" on several large
monitors. But that is the structure's one fatal
flaw. The new Marvin the Martian movie,
for all its computer-generated and multidimensional
wonders, can't live up to its
predecessor, and it suffers all the more
mightily when placed in such proximity.
Upon reinspection, "Duck Dodgers"
proves to be comprised of a series of
blackout vignettes built on jokes that were
corny four decades ago. But the result is
a knowing lunacy that's endlessly entertaining,
because the gags are enacted by
an ensemble of broadly drawn yet subtly
shaded characters with superb comic timing.
In "MM 3-D," as with the recent fulllength
"Space Jam," it seems the current
custodians of Warner's classic characters
don't fully understand them.
In the 3-D effort. Daffy stutters and
spritzes as megalomaniocally as ever but
without Bugs (or "Duck Dodgers'" Porky)
along as a knowing foil, the humor is
undercut by more than half. Marvin is still
intent on universal domination, but the
comic fundamentals of that creature from
another world (who was so deeply
touched by Porky 's "birthday" gift of a
beribboned bomb in "Duck Dodgers") are
nowhere to be found here. Daffy's periodic
outburst "Duck Dodgers in the 24th and
one-half century!" was self-aggrandizement
as satire; here, when he sputters,
"Duck Dodgers in the 3rd dimension!" it's
just a shill for something we've already
paid for. The (mostly recycled) gags are
bigger and shinier, but not as dert.
'Marvin the Martian in the 3rd Dimension"
is one long, loud, sometimes luscious,
unrelieved chase sequence. It could have
been a beaut, a real humdinger, but it's
ultimately just another soulless thrill ride a la
'Twister." Or. to put it another way. it's a
derivative sitdown break from a good shopping
experience. In this wisenheimer empire
that wasn't built on a cloying mouse, that is
dessshpicable.
Alex Albanese
BRIEFS
NEVER ALONE •••l/Z
(
Starring Scott Cervine and Mark
McKeel. Directed and written by
Scott Cervine. Produced by R.
Harold Smith and Mark Kirby. A
Bindu Films release. Drama. Unrated.
Running time: 83 min.
Described as "a modern-day quest for
meaning, inner peace and the perfect
cup of coffee," "Never Alone" is the type
of film that leaves a strong impression
behind while entertaining and enlightening
its audience, as mucfi in what it does
say as in what it doesn't. As the first
feature film produced by Bindu Films partners
R. Harold Smith and Scott Cervine,
"Never Alone" is a richly funny black
comedy with a sense of depth, light and
hope that goes beyond the scope of most
commercially produced films.
Presented as a pseudo-documentary, it
is the story of independent filmmaker
Sam Kelley (Scott Cervine) who. in a
sudden, tragic twist of fate, loses his beloved
wife fllie (Leah Leddy) to a hit-andrun
driver. Wrought by despair and
searching for meaning in life, he begins
to experience "otherworldly" contact.
Despite a barebones approach, "Never
Alone" is an exciting film for those who
aspire to a higher consciousness—or just
wont to laugh a lot.
Pat Kramer
STAG •
(
Starring Mario Van Peebles,
Andrev^ McCarthy and Kevin Dillon.
Directed by Gavin Wilding.
Written by Evan Taylor and Pat
Bermell. Produced by John Dunning
and Mike Pasoernak. A
CFP/Avalanche release.
Drama.
Unrated. Running time: 93 min.
Ten men come together inside a big,
empty house for a bachelor party. Party
favors include drugs, liquor, two strippers
and their handler. After an accident kills
one of the girls, the men desperately try
to escape the consequences, creating a
situation that's irredeemably worse, this
group of very good actors fed by Mario
Van Peebles (and also including Ben
Gazorra, Gerald Anthony oncTjohn
Stockwellj creates energy, but the script
by Evan Taylor and Pat Bermell focuses
on character degeneration and fails to
create interest.—Karen Achenbach
SLEEPYHEADS (no stars)
Starring Eugene Nomura and
Sayuri Higuchi Emerson. Directed
and wrirten by Yoshifumi Hosoya.
Produced by Tuko Yoshikawa. A
Phaedra release. Comedy. Japanese-language;
English subtitles.
Unrated. Running time: 87 min.
Remorselessly strained and unfunny,
"Sleepy Heads (an apt description of the 4
experience) tries to be a perceptive cul- '
tural assimilation comedy; the result is
virtually unwotchable. The seriocomic

—
REVIEW BRIEFS
migrants trying to sup/ive in New
York City becomes a poor man's
"Trouble With Harry ' when one
of their friends dies of a drug
overdose and they attempt to dispose
of the body.
Nothing in Yoshifumi
Hosoya's writing and directing
shows even slignt comic or romantic
sense. With its inept acting,
flat characterizations,
misfired humor, idiotic farce
and narrative pointlessness,
"Sleepy Heads" is as tiring as
they come.—Dale Winogura
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW
MASSACRE: THE NEXT
GENERATION ••
Starring Renee Zelhveger
and matthevir McConaughey.
Directed and
written by Kim Henkel.
Produced by Robert J.
Kuhn and Kim Henkel. A
CFP/Avalanche release.
Horror. Unrated. Running
time: 87 min.
It's prom night in a small
Texas town. Four teens cruise in
a car, bickering with a "next
generation" modernity; it's a
wonderful seauence. Only later,
as they blithely walk into horror
after horror, clo audiences realize
these "modern" teens have
never been to the movies.
Although sometimes funny at
the film's expense, much of this
1994 production contains
clever humor built through
snappy dialogue and the creation
of incongruent characters.
Even so, its current main attraction
will be its stars—native Texons
Renee Zellweger and
Matthew McConaughey, in
their second film and in their
second film together (both
debuted in "Dazed and Confused").—
Karen Achenbacb
BUTCH CAMP ir-k
Starring Judy Tenuta
and PaulDenniston. Directed
and written by Alessandro
de Gaetano.
Produced by Timothy E.
Sabo and Steven Gellman.
A Billingsgate re-
commanded by Judy
lease. Comedy. Unrated.
Running time: J 01 min.
Michael J. Fox lookalike Paul
Denniston plays Matthew
Grabowski, a sensitive gay man
beset by a multitude of problems,
including having a delightfully
better vocabulary than
anyone else in the film. He enrolls
in a Butch Camp, humorously
Tenuta, in order to develop the
skills to deal with "hetero oppressors"
and all other difficulties.
"Butch Camp" is wildly un-
target audience
even in tone. Its
could find it very funny, but others
will find it hard to overlook
poor production values, ragged
interweaving of plot elements,
and underdeveloped characters.—
Karen Acbenbach
RATCHET •
Starring Tom Gilroy and
Margaret Welsh. Directed
and wr/ften by John Johnson.
Produced by George
Belshavif and John Johnson.
A Phaedra release.
Suspense. Unrated. Running
time: 112 min.
A nasty, muddled film noir,
inspired by Jim Thompson and
the Coen brothers. 'Ratchet"
tells the story of a hack Tinseltown
screenwriter traveling to
Nantucket to work on a script,
where he gets into a senseless
mess of murder, blackmail and
police coverups.
Tepid suspense, wan mystery
and hopelessly convoluted plot^
ting in John Johnson's script are
rendered even more vacuous by
his murky, gimmicky direction,
and verbose dialogue and ambling
pace don't convey a sense
of danger.
Dale Winogura
HAPPINESS IS IN
THE FIELD ••
Starring Michel Serrault
and Carmen Maura. Directed
and written by
Etienne Chatiliez. An Artinera/
Eye release. Comedy,
Unrated. Run time: 107mirt.
It used to be that French
filmmaker Etienne Chatiliez offered
up movies, like "Life Is a
Long Quiet River" and "Tatie
Danielle," that were cynical and
caustic, a breath of^ fresh air
among the sticky French comedies
of his peers. With his latest
film, he's gone soft, to the detriment
of nis story and the
audience's enjoyment.
Michel Serrault plays a toiletseat
manufacturer beset by strikers
at work and a wife and
daughter who hold him in contempt
at home. When he sees a
TV show about a lookalike who
left his family years before,
never to return, he decides to
pose as that man in order to
escape his oppressive lot.
It's a gooci idea for a film, but
Chatiliez doesn't take it anywhere.
Everyone gets what he or
she wants, blunting the edge.—
" 'llptnpScliwartzberg
< g
Review Digest
Story-type 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;
S I 1 t §
X «< « .!: fe
p
u > U (b a.
vj ^ r*^ IS —
(Th) Thriller; (W) Western.
i "
z z
OS u
— w J en t"
u a ^ c til ta
>22 X ss a ^
ae£ 09 > s -] z
Addicted to Love R (WB) 100 R C 7-97 3 3 3 2 2 3 2.7 34.7
AirBudPG(BV)
<
Q
O
<
u
>

46 BOXOKKItT.
NATIONAL
NEWS
LATE SUMMER B.O. HEATWAVE
The touch-and-go summer of 1997 came
back unexpectedly strongly In late July and
August, rescuing early summer results that
were the worst in five years and pushing
domestic boxoffice past the $4 billion plateau
two weeks earlier than during record-setting
1996.
The strong showings by mid-to-late summer
titles like "Face/Off," "Men in Black,"
"George of the Jungle" and "Air Force One"
seemed to draw into question the studio practice
of front-loading the summer with supposedly
"can't miss" sequels and formula films.
With the notable and predictable exception
of "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," sequel
after sequel underperformed, from the disastrous
"Speed 2: Cruise Control" (gross: less
than $50 million) to the mediocre "Batman
and Robin," the least successful film to date
in Warner's franchise, and a title which had
to struggle to top the $100 million mark.
Then there were the films that weren't sequels
but which felt like they were:
"Hercules" and "Con Air" {aka "The Rock 2").
Though a better film than its immediate animated
Disney predecessors, "Hercules" was
struggling to get near the $100 million mark
at press time, with the possibility existing that
it would be the film that finally broke the
blockbuster boxoffice streak Disney animation
has been on since "Beauty and the Beast."
A two-part theory about why "Hercules"
didn't show much boxoffice strength: with
Disney releasing at least one major animated
title per year and saturation reached in the
children's video market, it's more and more
difficult to make a Disney animation project
seem so "new" it has to be seen in a theatre.
At the same time, mainstream titles that might
have been released with an R-rating five years
ago are making themselves more and more
family friendly: Just as the PG-1 3 rated "Independence
Day" siphoned off "Hunchback's"
audience in 1996, "Men in Black" (also PG-
13) undermined "Hercules" in '97.
What audiences seemed to be craving in
'97 were movies with quirky ideas that re-invigorated
old formulas or created new ones.
When those films arrived, moviegoers found
their way back to America's moviehouses.
Here's hoping studio decision-makers were
paying attention, and that the lessons of stjmmer
'97 are now lessons learned.
NEW LINE CREDIT LINE: $400 MIL.
The long wrangle over the future of Now
Line Cinema appears to have ended. The
target of much speculation over ownership in
the aftermath of Time Warner's buyout of
parent company Turner Broadcasting, the
company, which had been on the block as
recently as the first quarter of 1997, has secured
$400 million in new production financing
and will operate as an autonomous
division under the Time Warner umbrella.
The announcement marked the end of a
volatile year for New Line, which had its worst
performance ever in fiscal '96, thanks to expensive
flops like "The Long Kiss Goodnight"
and"lslandof Dr. Moreau." The $400 million,
raised from a coalition of international banks,
will give New Line the funding to produceand
release films with a wide range of budgets
through the end of fiscal 1 999.
The new monies would be used for annual
slates according to the following formula: four
to five pictures a year in the $40-plus million
range; eight pictures a year in the $20 to $40
million range; and four to five titles per year
made for under $20 million. Unspecified production
and acquisitions requirements relative
to Fine Line, New Line's specialty
"art-house" arm, would also be met.
New Line's boxoffice slump, meanwhile,
appeared to turn the corner this summer. The
sleeper successes of "Austin Powers" and
"Spawn" have helped contribute to a sense
within the Hollywood community that New
Line is once again emerging as a force to be
reckoned with.
UNCIVIL MASS. ACTION
MPAA president Jack Valenti assailed a bill
recently passed by the Massachusetts legislature
which would make it illegal to use the
name, portrait, picture, voice or any part of an
individual's life story without first securing
written permission.
The bill was introduced as part of an effort
to block the filming of a controversial Touchstone
feature entitled "A Civil Action," based
on author Jonathan Harr's 1995 book of the
same name. "A Civil Action," which is to star
John Travolta, tells the true story of a crusading
lawyer in Woburn, Mass. who risked his
career by filing a toxic waste dumping lawsuit
against Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace company,
two of the largest companies in Massachusetts.
The original civil suit alleged that a
group of families had lost children to leukemia
thanks to unsafe toxic waste handling by
the companies named. Ironically, the new bill
was introduced on behalf of eight of those
families seeking compensation for their role
in Harr's retelling of the story.
Valenti lashed out at the bill. "Under (this
proposal!, every name and picture utilized in
a single issue of [any] publication would have
to be cleared by the individual described,"
Valenti said. "The ramifications are endless
and hostile to the rights of reporters and creators
of all media."
In a late development, acting Mass. governor
Paul Cellucci said he intended to veto the
bill if it reached his desk on grounds that it
represented a disincentive for film companies
doing business in Massachusetts.
Touchstone's "A Civil Action" is set to begin
filming Oct. 1 in Toronto and Boston.
CINEMANIA WEB UNPLUGGED?
Cinemania, one of the most popular movierelated
websites on the internet and an offshoot
of a highly successful Microsoft
CD-ROM research tool, may or may not be
"disappeared" from the internet.
The possible move, which caught many
observers by surprise, was yet another indication
of the difficulties even major companies
like Microsoft are having making heavy investment
in the internet pay off. More than
halfCinemania'sstaffwas let go, with remaining
writers and staffers possibly to be reassigned
within Microsoft, many to "Sidewalk,"
another Microsoft internet publication.
DREAMWORKS' MOMENT OF TRUTH
After much speculation that the planned
DreamWorks studio site in Playa Vista, Calif,
might be abandoned thanks to environmental
lawsuits and financial troubles at development
company Maguire Partners, rumors
were circulating that a viable new ownership
agreement was in the offing.
The DreamWorks facility had been in
doubt thanks to its status as an "anchor" for a
larger development which has been in bankruptcy
since mid-summer, though the investment
banks involved had, at press time, not
yet foreclosed. DreamWorks, meanwhile,
was still housing 1 ,420 employees in a variety
of buildings throughout the Los Angeles area,
and had looked at alternative sites, including
one in Glendale, Calif, adjacent to
DreamWorks' animation facility, scheduled
for completion in December, 1997.
A string of recent court decisions fortifying
DreamWorks building plans as environmentally
sound were also contributing factors in
the upbeat mood surrounding the Playa Vista
development. DreamWorks spokespersons
were optimistic but cautious, pointing out that
financing for the larger development and
DreamWorks' decision to ultimately build
there were separate issues. An L.A. city official
called DreamWorks' stance a tactic to gain
leverage in future negotiations.
MIRAMAX WIELDING AX
Statiing volatility at specialty powerhouse
Miramax Films continues to rage unchecked,
thanks to "growing pains" within the megasuccessful
company and talent raids by other
distributors seeking to break down Miramax's
lock on the specialty market.
Recent executive departures included John
Logigian and Scott Greenstein, Miramax' former
exec, vp of business and legal affairs and
its senior vp of publishing, music and new
media, respectively. Business and legal affairs
have subsequently been reorganized under
the direction of exec, vp of business and legal
affairs Neil Sacker.
To assist Sacker, Miramax has promoted vp
of business and legal affairs Vicki Cherkas to
the level of senior vp—the highest ranking
post below Sacker. Andrew Herwitz and Steven
Hutensky have also been promoted to
senior vps of business and legal affairs.
Replacing Sacker in L.A. is Cary Meadows,
vp of business and legal affairs.
In other Miramax news, the company
notched a major achievement when "Cop-
Land," a gritty ensemble film starring Sylvester
Stallone and Robert De Niro, racked up
Miramax's best opening weekend ever, pulling
in an estimated $ 1 3 million over the weekend
of August 1 5. Miramax's previous record
holder, "Pulp Fiction," grabbed a $9.3 million
opening in the much less competitive fall
seSson back in October of 1 994.
The achievement was all the more impressive
given Stallone's unimpressive recent
boxoffice track record, plus the strong holdover
competition from "Air Force One" and
"Conspiracy Theory" which "Cop Land" had
to face down.

SHOWEAST
ATLANTIC CITY
OCTOBER 20 - 23, 1997
DON'T MISS OUT
REGISTER TODAY
ShowEast '97: 244 West 49th Street Suite 20a New York, NY 10019
(2 1 2) 246-6460 FAX (2 1 2) 265-6428

.iO D««#M*i
EXHIBITION
BRIEFINGS
UATC MAY GO UP FOR SALE
United Artists Theatre Circuit has announced
that it has retained Merrill Lynch &
Co. to assist the chain in "investing strategic
alternatives with respect to its ownership and
capital structure," according to a prepared
statement issued by the company. Alternatives
being weighed include the possible sale
of the privately held stock of UATC's parent
company, OSCAR I Corp. Says UATC chief
operating officer Kurt Hall, "The restructuring
of the group's ownership and/or capital structure
has always been part of the company's
medium-term plan. ..this process is being accelerated
as a resultof the improved operating
performance of the company combined with
the very favorable financial markets." He
added that although the ownership and capital
structure may change, "it is not expected
to have any effect on the company's day-today
operations, or its recently announced
development plans." UATC's recent restructuring
cut corporate expenses by 25 percent
for a $10 million annual savings; additionally,
the chain has sold many of its international
properties and will sell 70 underperforming
domestic theatres with a total of 280 screens.
The revenue from these sales will help fund
UATC's investment of $1 75 million to build
450 new screens and renovate existing theatres
in key markets, including New York, Philadelphia
and San Francisco. UATC is the
second-largest chain in North America with
2,300 screens.
ACT III ON THE BLOCK?
Act III, the lOth-largest exhibitor in the
nation with 673 screens, will likely be put up
for sale by former television producer Norman
Lear, who owns 68 percent of the company.
Act III, which is being valued at $550
million, is expected to generate much interest
from U.S. exhibitors, foreign exhibitors or
financial investors. Act Ill's 122 sites are located
in the Pacific Northwest, Texas and
Nevada.
NAC ELECTS OFFICERS
At its annual membership meeting in Anaheim,
Calif., the National Association of Concessionaires
elected new officers gnd
directors to the NAC board. Norman Chesler
of Theatre Candy Distributing was elected for
a two-year term as president of the board of
directors. Chesler has previously served in
many positions for the NAC, including director,
treasurer, regional vice president, vice
president and, most recently, president elect.
David Scoco of Creative Concession Concepts
has moved from NAC president to cha i r-
man of the board. Skip Stefansen of
Metropolitan Concessions Inc. goes from treasurer
to president elect, and R. Evan Cordon
)r. of Cordon Consulting has moved from a
director at large to treasurer. Newly elected
directors include Maria Angles of Cinemark
USA Inc., Francine Creco of Odeum Sports
WIRED WORLD EXTRA: SPEiilM FORMAT NEWS
IWERKS, SHOWSCAN MERGE
Iwerks Entertainment and Showscan
Entertainment have announced that
they have signed a definitive agreement
to merge, thereby becoming the
world's largest provider of ride simulators
and software, with a combined 1 60
sites and a library of 68 ride simulation
titles. As well as expanding its motion
simulator business, the merged company
plans to increase its presence in
the giant-screen market.
IMAX SETS SALES RECORD
Orders from Knoxville, Tenn.'s Regal
Cinemas; Newport Beach, Calif.'s Edwards
Theatre Circuit Inc.; Redondo
Beach, Calif.'s Krikorian Premiere The-
Expo, and Carmen Torzon of Service America
Corp. as directors at large; Wally Helton of
CinAmericaasregional vice president. Pacific
Southwest; Ron Krueger II of Wehrenberg
Theatres as regional vice president, Mountain
Central; and Sheila Parisien of Calgary Flames
Hockey as regional vice president. Western
Canada. Bill Rector, former chairman of the
board, joins the NAC's council of past presidents.
DICKINSON GETS O.K. FOR OK SITE
Dickinson Theatres has received approval
from the Bixby, Okla. city council to build a
64, OOO-square-foot entertainment center with
a 3,200-seat, 20-screen theatre. The cinema,
scheduled to open in May 1998, will offer
advance ticketing sales at a futuristic
boxoffice; all three digital sound systems; stadium
seating with high-back rocker chairs
and upholstered cupholder armrests; spacious
legroom; and wall-to-wall screens.
Dickinson operates 211 theatres in Kansas,
Missouri and Oklahoma.
REGAL BUILDS
In addition to its numerous recent acquisitions,
including Cobb Theatres, Magic Cinemas,
Krikorian Premiere Theatres and
Georgia State Theatres, Regal is adding dozens
of new screens to its kingdom. The most
recently announced include a 1 6-plex in Antioch,
Calif.; a 20-plex in Dublin, Calif.; a
1 6-plex in Oceanside, Calif.; an 18-plex in
Columbus, Ohio; a 22-plex in Dayton, Ohio;
a 22-plex in Atlanta, Ca.; an 1 8-plex in North
Brunswick, N.).; a 14-plex in Vineland, N.J.;
and a 22-plex in Charlotte, N.C.
Regal will also be building a 1 6-plex and
FunScape entertainment center in Wilmington,
Del . The circuit most recently opened a 1 6-plex
in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; a 14-plex in Bel Air,
Md.; and a 1 2-plex in Virginia Beach, Va.
AMC, MBK IN CO
MBK Real tstaie Ltd. announced It has
commenced construction on two 24-screen
AMC theatre complexes in the Denver metro
area. The Westminster Promenade and the
Highlands Ranch sites will feature the most
atres; Halifax, Nova Scotia's Empire
Theatres; and Marcus Corp. of Milwaukee,
Wis., have helped Toronto-based
Imax Corp. achieve record sales in
1997. Regal and Edwards both inked
agreements for 10 Imax 3-D systems,
marking the largest signings in the history
of Imax; Krikorian and Empire ordered
one each; and Marcus will install two.
These 24 sales, all of which were made
within just over a month, nearly equal
Imax's total 1996 sales of 29 systems.
In a related item, Imax has announced
an ambitious film release
schedule, with plans to have five new
titles on screens before the end of 1 998
and 20 additional projects in development.
Imax will release its 3-D version
of "The Nutcracker" in November.
advanced sight, sound and comfort features,
including stadium seating, generous row
spacing, loveseats,SDDS sound, and wall-towall
screens. Says MBK president Richard P.
Kraus, "These projects are not only the finest
of their kind, but both are in locations that
define the center of growth in their respective
areas."
GCC'S NEW LANDMARK
General Cinema Theatres will open a 16-
screen, 80, OOO-square-foot megaplex at
Landmark Center, a 950,000-square-foot office/retail
project in Boston. The theatre will
feature wall-to-wall screens, digital and THX
sound, stadium seating and love seats. A wide
variety of concession products will beoffered,
including Unos pizza and soft pretzels, and a
sit-down cafe will have Starbucks coffee and
gourmet pastries. To speed customer service,
the concession stand will employ a unique
three-tiered design developed by General
Cinema, a self-serve option, and state-of-theart
computer cash registers that use touchscreen
technology so theatre staff can process
transactions more quickly. The Landmark
Theatre is part of General Cinema's $250
million growth plan to add over 300 new
screens to its circuit by 1 999.
CLEARVIEW BEACONS TO PATRONS
Clearview Cinemas has opened its 1 7th
location in the Metro New York area, the
Beacon Hill 5 in downtown Summit. The
five-plex has state-of-the-art digital sound,
high-back and rocker seating with cupholder
armrests, computerized ticketing and concession
stand terminals, and a courtesy phone.
Also scheduled to open soon are Clearview's
Chester 6 and Bayonne Cinema 1 0. Clearview
mixes first-run commercial and art movies,
and its core audience is comprised of both
sophisticated moviegoers and families with
young children.
CONSOLIDATED EXPANDS IN OAHU
Pacific Theatres subsidiary Consolidated
Theatres will build a state-of-the-art eightplex
in the Koko Marina Shopping Center in
Oahu, Hawaii, and will add five screens to

—
the nearby Pearl ridge West Theatre, expanding
it to 21 screens. All new screens will
feature the latest technologies and amenities,
including DTS, SDDS and Dolby Digital
sound systems; stadium seating; love seats;
and wall-to-wall screens.
MARCUS MOVES TO OHIO
Marcus Theatres Corp., the largest theatre
circuit in Wisconsin and the 19th
largest in the country, broke ground July
17 in Pickerington, Ohio on the first of
two 16-screen movie theatre complexes
planned for the Columbus Metropolitan
Area. The state-of-the-art theatre with its
almost 3,000 seats is scheduled to open by
Easter season 1 998 at the
southeast corner of the intersection
of State Rts. 256
and 204. The site, at more
than 18 acres, is large
enough to accommodate
additional screens in the
future. The second Ohio
site, being built on the
north side of Columbus,
will have well over 4,000
seats.
This Ohio expansion is
part of Marcus
Theatres' recently accelerated growth plan,
which calls for 500 screens by the year
2000. Marcus Theatres, a division of the
Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp., currently
operates 297 screens in Wisconsin and
Illinois. Bruce J. Olson, president of Marcus
Theatres and vice president of Marcus Corp.,
says, "We're confident that moviegoers in
metropolitan Columbus will be enthusiastic
about our all-stadium-seating auditoriums
and the many other exclusive amenities that
we offer."
WILLMING REAMS POLICY TRAILER
MAKES ITS 'MARK
Willming Reams Animation has completed
the animated Cinemark USA Policy
Trailer, which features digital stereo surround
sound in DTS, SDDS and Dolby SR-D.
In their recurring roles, animated characters
Front Row )oe. Popcorn Penny, Elton and
Clyde take a 3-D journey through the magic
of the movies. The trailer combines eel animation
with 3-D environments and feature
singing and dancing to an original score,
evoking the concept of a pre-feature animated
short.
SHOWMINDER CONVENTION
CALENDAR
Remember to save the following dates:
ShowEast, Oct. 20-23, Trump Taj Mahal,
Atlantic City, N.j. Call 212-246-6460...
CineAsia, Dec. 3-5, Singapore International
Convention and Exhibition Centre. Call
21 2-246-6460. ..ShoWest, March 9-12,
1998, Bally's Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas,
Nev. Call 31 0-657-7724. ..ShowCanada,
May 10-14, 1998, Victoria, British Columbia.
Call 41 6-969-7057. ..Cinema Expo,
June 15-19, 1998, Amsterdam. Call 212-
246-6460. ..Australian Movie Convention,
August 18-22, 1998, Royal Pines Resort,
Gold Coast. Call 011-617-33-56-5671
...NAG Expo, Sept. 15-18, 1998, Radisson
Twin, Orlando, Fla. Call 312-236-3858.
Q&A
WIRED WORLD EXTRA:
DISNEY'S NEW
VR GAME CENTERS
Disney's
newest foray in the world of entertainment brings the Mouse House into the
digital domain. DisneyQuest, a project three years in the worl

BOXOFFICE
August
September
OCTOBER
(Current)
Buena Vista
(818)567-5000
(212)593-8900

FEATURE CHART — OCTOBER 1997
November December Forthcoming
The Little Memnid (1989 reissue). 1 1/14. Ari.
G. 89 miri, Dirs: John Musker. Ron Clements.
Flubber. 11/26. Com. Flat. Robin Williams.
DIr. Les Mayiield.
Kundun. 12/25 ltd. Dra. Tenzin Thutob Tsarong.
(Byurme Tethong. Dir: l*rtin Scorsese.
The Horse WhIsperer.Dra. Robert Bedford. Kristin
Scott Thomas. Dir. Robert Redford.
Mr. Magoo.Com/Live /\ct. Flat. Leslie Nielsen.
Kelly Lynch. Dir: Stanley Tong.
An Alan Smithee Film (working title). Com. Sylvester Stallone. Oir Alan Smithee (Arthur Hi
Deep Rising, Act/Thr. Treat Williams. Famke Janssen, Wes Studi. Dir Stephen Sommers.
Ishmael. Dra. Dir Jon Turteltaub.
Mighty Joe Young. Adv. Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton. Dir Ron Underwood.
Mulan. Ani. Voices: Ming Na-Wen. Dirs: Barry Cook, Tony Bancrofl
Buena Vista
(818)567-5000
(212)593-8900
The Replacement Killers, 2/6, Act. Chow Yun-Fat. Mira Sorvino. Michael Rooker. Clifton Gonzales-Gonzales.
Jurgen Prochnow. Dir Antoine Fugua. Homegrown. 2/98. Dra Billy Bob Thornton.
Kelly Lynch, Hank Azaria. Dir: Stephen Gyllenhall. Shut Up and Dance. 2/98. Vanessa Williams.
Kris Kristofferson. Dir Randa Haines. Spice Girls Movie. 1 st Quarter '98. Richard E. Grant. Spice
Girte. Gloria, Summer '98, Dra. Sharon Stone. Les Miserables. Dec. '98. Liam Neeson. Uma
Thurman. Din Bille August My Giant. Billy Crystal. Dir: Michael Lehmann. Palmetto. Woody
Columbia
(310)244-4000
Harrelson. Elisabeth Shue. Oir: Volker Schlondorff.
Sour Grapes. Steven Weber. Craid Bierko,
Karen Sillas. Dir: Larry David. Wild Things. Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon. Dir: John McNaughton.
Zero Elfed. Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller. Dir Jake Kasdan.
(212)833-8500
Liar. 11/21. Dra/Thr. Tim Rotti. Chris Penn.
Michael Booker. Oir: Jonas and Joshua Pate.
Red Comer. 1 1/26. Dra/Thr, DTS. Richard
Gere. Baj Ling. Byron Mann. Dir; Jon Avnet.
Bent. 12/5. Dra LuthaireBluteau. Clive
Owens. Dir: Sean Mathias (Goldwyn).
Tomorrow Never Dies (aka Bond 18). 12/19.
Act/Adv. DTS. Pierce Brosnan. Michele Yeoh.
Jonathan Pryce. Din Roger Spottswoode.
The Man in the iron Mask. 1/98. Adv. Leonardo DiCaprio. John Malkovich. Gabriel Byrne. Gerard
Depardieu. Jeremy Irons. Dir Randall Wallace. Welcome to Woop Woop, 1/98. Com. Oir Stephan
Elliott (Goldv^n). Music From Another Room. 2/6. RorrVCom. Brenda Blethyn. Jude Law. Oir:
Chartie Peters (Orion). Storefront Hitobcock. 3/27. Doc. Dir Jonathan Demme (Orion).
Mod Squad. 4/3. Oir Stacy Title. I Love You... Don't Touch Me, 4/1 7. Rom/Com. Dir: Juie Davis
(Goldwyn). Species 2. 5/1 5. SF. Michael Madsen. Natasha Henstridge. Best Men (aka Independence).
Dra Drew Barrymore. Luke Wilson. Dean Cain. Sean Patrick Flanery. Dir Tamra Davis.
IVIGM/UA
(310)449-3000
(212)708-0300
The Wings of the Do»e. 1 1/7 NY/LA, Dra.
Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, Terence
Stamp. Alison Elliott. Dir: Ian Sottley.
Welcome to Sarajevo (formerly Sarajevo),
11/14 NY/LA. Dra. Stephen Dillane. Woody
Harrelson. Dir: Michael Winterbottom.
Sliding Doors. 1 1/21 NY/LA. Gwyneth
Paltrow.
Scream 2. 1 2/1 2 wide, Hor. Neve Campbell.
Dir: Wes Craven. Artemesla. 12/19 NY/LA.
12/25 exp. Michel Serrault. Miki Manojlovic.
Dir: Agnes Merlet. The Mighty. 12/19 NY/LA.
1/16 wide, Dra. Sharon Stone. Gena Rowlands.
Dir: Peter Chelsom. Good Will Hunting.
12/25 NY/U, 1/9 wide. Jackie Brown. 12/25
wide. Pam Gricr. Samuel L Jackson. Dir:
Quentin Tarantino.
Four Days in September. 1/23 NY/LA. Senseless. 1/30 wide.
B. Monkey. 2/6. Dra Asia Argento. Jared Harris. Rupert Everett. Oir: Michael Radford. 1-95, 2/27.
Sonallne. 3j6 NY/IA. Dra. Dir/Star Takeshi Kitano. Spanish Fly. 3/13 NY/LA.
My Lite So Far. 4/98. Nirvana. 4/98 wide. Heaven. 5/98 Velvet Goldmine. 6/98. Doheiman. 7/98.
Full Tin Boogie. Oir: Sarah Kelly.
A Price Below Rubles. Dra. Renee Zellweger. Oir Boaz Yakin.
The Revenger's Comedies. Dra. Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter Dir Malcom Mowbray.
Wishhil ThIiAing. Jennifer Beats.
IVIiramax
(212)941-3800
(213)951-4200
Dailt Empire (aka Dark City). 1/9. Thr Dolby SR & SR-D. SODS. William Hurt. Dir: Alex Proyas.
One Night Stand (formerly One Night), 1 1/14
ltd . Dra. Wesley Snipes. Nastassja Kinskl.
Dir; Mike Rgge
Mortal Kombat II: Annihilation. 1 1/21 , AcL
Robin Shou. lalisa Soto. Dir: John R.
Leonetti.
Blade. 1/30. Wesley Snipes. Stephen Dorff. Dir: Stephen Norrington. The Wedding Singer, 2/13.
Com. Adam Sandler. Drew Barrymore. Wag the Dog. 2/98. Dustin Hoffman. Robert Oe Niro.
Woody Harrelson. Dir: Barry Levinson. Mr. Nice Guy 3/13 wide. Act/Adv. Jackie Chan.
Lost in Space. 4/3. William Hurt. Gary Oldman. Oir Stephen Hopkins American History X. 4/17.
Edward Norton, Edward Furiong. Dir Tony Kaye. Players Club. 5/22. Ice Cube, Jamie Fox. Dir:
Ice Cube. Pieasantviiie. ^98. Com. Tobey Maguire. Reese Witherspoon. Dir Gary Ross. The
Kiss. 11/98. Danny DeVito. Holly Hunter. Queen Latifah. Oir Richard La Gravenese. Woo,
Rom/Com. Jada Rnketl Tommy Davidson. Dir Daisy Von Scherier Mayer.
New Line
(310)854-5811
(212)649-4900
Switchback (fomieriy Going West in America),
11/7. Thr. Dennis Quajd. Danny Glover. Jared
LetoDrJeb Stuart.
The RainTBliar. 11/21. Dra Matt Damon. Oaire
Danes. Dir: Francis Coppola.
Trtanic. 12/19. RonVAdv. DTS. Leonardo
DiCaprio. Kate Wnslet. Bil Paxton. Dir James
Cameron.
Untitled Robert Benton (aka The Magic
Hour ). Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Dir:
Robert Benton.
Hard Rain (formerty The Flood). 1/38. Act. Christian Slater. Morgan Freeman. Dir Mikael Satomon.
Dead Man on Campus. Com. Tom Everett Scott. Dir: Alan Cohn.
Deep impact, Act/Thr. Tea Leoni. Bijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall. Dir Mimi Leder.
The Odd Couple I: TraveHn' Li|^ Com. Jack Lemmon. Walter Matthau. Dir Howard Deutch.
The RealBknde. Matthew Modine. Dir: Tom OiCillo.
The Truman Show. Dra. Rat. Jim Carrey. Ed Harris. Laura Linney. Oir Peter Weir
Snake Eyes. Thr. Nicolas Cage. Dir: Brian De Raima.
Paramount
(213)956-5000
(212)373-7000
Stanhip TiTiopars, 1 1/7, SF, SDDS. Casper
Van Dien. Dina Meyer. Nei Patrick Harris. Denise
Richards, Jake Busey. Dir: Paul Verhoeven.
Old Friends, 12/25, Dra. Jack Nicholson.
Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear. Dir: James Brooks.
Desperate Measures. 1/1 6. Act. Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia. Dir Barbel Schroeder.
The Mask of Zorro. 398. Ad/Adv. Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins. Dir Martin Campbel
Goilzilia. 5/20. Hank Azaria. Matthew Broderick. Jean Reno. Dir Roland Emmerich.
Apt Pupil, Dra Ian McKelen. Brad Renfro. Kevin Pollak, Joe Morton. Dir: Bryan Singer
Bloodline (formerly Kilronen). Thr. Jessica Lange. Gwyneth Paltrow. Dir: Jonathan Darby.
Stinkers. Com. B.D. Wong, Bronson PinchoL Jenniler Coolidge. Oir Barnet Kellman.
TriStar
(310)244-4000
(212)833-8500
Anaslasia. 11/21, Ani, Dolby SR, SR-D, Anamorphic.
Voices: Meg Ryan. John Cusack.
Dirs: Don Bluth. Gary Goldman.
Allen Resurrechon. 11/26. SF. 1 15 min. Dolby
SR. SR-0. SDDS. DTS. Anamorphic. Sigoumey
Weaver. Winona Ryder, Brad Dourit. Dan
Hedaya. Domink]ue FSnon, Ron Periman. Dir
Jean-PieneJeunet
Home AloneS, 12/19. Com, 110 min, Dolby
SR. SR-D. Flat. Alex D. Linz. Dir Raja Gosnell.
Great Expectations. 12/31. Dra R. 106 min.
Robert De Niro, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ethan Havike.
Oir Alforiso Cuaron.
Doctor Doiittie. Com. Eddie Murphy. Oir: Betty Thomas.
Firestorm. Ad/Adv. R. Howie Long. Scott Glenn. Suzy Amis, William Forsythe. Dir: Dean Semler
Hope Floats. Com, Sandra Bullock. Dir: Forest Whitaker
How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Dra. Angela Bassett. Oir Kevin Rodney Sulivan.
The Newton Boys, Ntetthew McConaughey. Dir: Richard LinMater
Untitled Buhvorth. Warren Beatty. Oliver Piatt. Halle Berry. Paul Sorvino. Dir Warren Beatty.
The X-Files Movie. David Ouchovny. Gillian Anderson. Martin Landau. Oir Rob Bowman.
20thCentiiyF(
(310)369-1000
(212)556-2400
The Jackal, 1 1/14. Thr, Anamorphk;. Bruce
Wrilis. Richard Gere. Sidney Poitier. Diane
Venora, Mathida May. Dir Michael Caton-
Jones.
For Richer Or Poorer 12/12. Rom/Com. Tim
Allen. Kirstie Alley. Dir: Biyan Spicer.
The Bolter, 12/26 ltd, 1ffl/98 wide, Dra. Daniel
Day-Lewis, Emily Watson. Dir Jim Sheridan.
Blues Brothers 2000. Com. Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman. Dir John Landis
Half-Baked, Com., Dave Chappelle, Jim Brewer Dir Tamara Davis.
Meet Joe Black. Rom/Dra. Brad Pitt. Anthony Hopkins. Claire Forlani. Dir: Martin Brest.
Primary Colors. Dra. John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton. Dir: Mike Nichols.
Reach the Rock. Ora/Com. Alessandro Nivola, William Sadler, Bruce Norris. Dir Bill Ryan.
Simple Simon. Thr. Bruce Willis. Dir Harold Becker.
Virus. Thr Jamie Lee Curtis. Donald Sutheriand, Wiliam BakhMn, CIJI Curtis. Dir John Bnmo.
Universal
(818)777-1000
(212)759-7500
The Man Who Knew Too Little (formerly
Watch That Man), 11/1, ConvThr. Bill Murray,
Joanne Whalley, Peter Gallagher Dir Jon Amiel.
Mad Cly. 11/7. Dra PG-13. Anamoiphic. John
Travolta. Dustin Hoffman. Mia Kirshner. Dir:
Constantin Ck)sta-Gavras.
Sphere. 12/12. SF. Dustin Hofhnan. Sharon
Stone. Samuel L. Jackson. Dir Barry Levinson.
The Postman. 12/25. SF. Kevin Costner. Olivia
Williams. LarenzTate. Dir: Kevin Coslner.
Midnight in the Garden ot Good and Evil. Xmas
Kevin Spacey, John Cusack. Oir: Clint Eastwood.
Qty ol Angels. Dra Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage. Oir Brad Silberiing.
Courtesan (formerly VeriKe), Dra, R, 112 min. Catherine McCormack. Dir: Marshall Heiskovltz.
Edwards and Hunt Com. Chhs Farley. MMvn Peny. Oir Christopher Guest
Eyes Wide Shut Tom Cruise. Nicole Kidman. Oir: Stanley Kubrick.
Fallen. Dra. Denzel Washington. John Goodman.
Goodbye, Lover. Patricia Arquette. Ellen DeGeneres. Dermot Mulraney. Dir Roland Joffe.
Home Fries. Com. Drew Barrymore, Gary Busey. Dir: Dean Pansot.
U.S. Marshals. Act. Tommy Lee Jones. Wesley Snipes. Din Stuart Baird.
Without Limits (formeriy Pre). Ora. Billy Crudup. Din Robert Towne.
WamerBros.
(818)954-6000
(212)484-8000

t V/hl.-t.-f/'t.'
2
BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart OCTOBER 1997
SEPTEMBER
Artistic License
272-265-9^9
La Rencontre (France), Dra, 80
min. Dir: Alain Cavalier. LA
Riding the Rails, Doc. Dirs: Michael
Uys, Lexy Lovell. 9/5 LA, 9/12 NY
Castle Hill
212-888-0080
Trojan Eddie, Dra, 1 05 min. Richard
Harris, Stephen Rea. Dir: Gillies
Mackinnon. Early Sept LA
CFP
212-995-9662
Bandwagon, Com/Mus, 103 min.
Kevin Corrigan, Lee Holmes. Dir:
John Schultz. 9/12 ltd
Aaron's Magic Village, Ani. 9/26
Stag, Dra, 94 min. Andrew Mc-
Carthy, Mario Van Peebles. Dir:
Gavin Wilding. 9/26 ltd
Cinema Village
212-431-5119
Mondo Plympton, Ani, 85 min.
Dir: Bill Plympton. 9/24
Dreamworlcs SKG
818-733-7000
The Peacemaker, Act/Adv.
George Clooney, Nicole Kidman.
Dir: Mimi Leder. 9/26
Filmopolis
310-914-1776
In a Strange City, Rom/Dra. Winston
Chao, Kuei-mai Yang, RonggaoCu.
Dir: Chi Yin.
Fine Line
212-649-4800
Julian Po (formerly Tears ofJulian
Po>, Dra, PG-13. Christian Slater.
Dir: Alan Wade. 9/5 ltd
First Look
310-855-1199
Different for Girls, Rom/Com, 97
min. Rupert Craves. Dir: Richard
Spence. 9/12NY/LA/SF
Fox Searchlight
310-369-4402
Intimate Relations, Dra, 100 min,
R. Dir: Philip Goodhew. 9/5
Ice Storm, Dra, R, 1 1 2 min. Kevin
Kline, Joan Allen. Dir: Ang Lee.
9/26 NY, 10/1 7 exp
Gramercy
310-385-4400
Going All the Way, Dra. )eremy
Davies, Ben Affleck. Dir: Mart
Pellington. 9/1 9 NY/LA, 9/26 exp
Kino
212-629-6880
The Keeper. Giancarlo Esposlto,
Isaach de Bankole. Dir: )oe Brewster.
9/5 NY
Capitaine Conan (France). Philippe
Torrelon. Dir: Bertrand
Tavernler. 9/1
213-467-3700
Love Always, Dra/Com. Marisa
Ryan, Moon Zappa. Dir: Jude
Pauline Eberhard. 9/26 ltd
Leisure Time
212-267-4501
Twisted, Dra, 100 min. William
Hickey. Dir: Seth Michael Donsky.
Live
818-778-3174
Wes Craven Presents Wishmaster,
Hor. Dir: Robert Kurtzman. 9/19
No Way Home, Dra. Tim Roth,
Debra Winger, James Russo. Dir:
Buddy Gioviazzo.
IVIanga
415-275-5405
Gravesend, Dra. Dir: Sal Stabile.
9/5 NY, 9/1 9 LA
Movieworld
510-244-5590
Omaha: the movie. Com. 9/26
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore,
Dra. Dir: Sarah Jacobson.
October
212-539-4000
Kicked in the Head, Com. Kevin
Corrigan, Linda Fiorentino. Dir:
Matthew Harrison. 9/26
Phaedra
310-478-3308
Cracking Up. 9/1 2 LA
Sleepy Heads. Dir: Yoshifumi
Hosoya. 9/12LA
Kiss and Tell, Com. Rose
McGowan. Dir: Jordan Alan.
Polygram
310-385-4000
The Game, Dra/Thr. Michael
Douglas, Sean Penn. Dir: David
Fincher. 9/1
Rice Arts
212-727-0249
Delinquent, Dra. Desmond
Devenish, Jeff Paul. Dir: Peter
Hall. 9/12 LA
Seventh Art
213-845-1455
The Long Way Home, Doc. Dir:
Mark Jonathan Harris. 9/17 LA,
9/19 NY
Things I Never Told You,
Rom/Com. Lili Taylor, Andrew
McCarthy. Dir: Isabel Coixef.
Sony Classics
212-833-8851
The Myth of Fingerprints, Dra.
BIythe banner, Noah Wylie, julianne
Moore, Roy Scheider. Dir:
Bart Freundllch. 9/19 NY
Strand
310-395-5002
Latin Boys Go to Hell. Irwin Ossa.
Dir: Ela Troyano. 9/5 NYAA
Self-Made Hero (France), Dra.
Dir: Jacques Audlard. 9/26 LA
The Delta, Dra. Shayne Gray,
Thang Chan. Dir: Ira Sachs. Exp
Triumph
310-244-8059
The Assignment, Act. Aidan
Quinn, Donald Sutherland. Dir:
Christian Duguay. 9/26 ltd
Zeitgeist
212-274-1989
My Sex Life. ..Or How I Got Into
An Argument (France), Com. Dir:
Arnaud Desplechin. 9/17 NY
Anthem, Doc. Dirs: Shainee
Gabel, Kristin Hahn. 9/19 NY
Conspirators of Pleasure (Czech
Republic), Com. Dir: Jan
Svankmajer. 9/19 LA
OCTOBER
Banner
213-848-7500
Telling Lies in America, Dra.
Kevin Bacon, Brad Renfro. Dir: Guy
Ferland. Oct ltd, mid-Nov. exp
Castle Hill
Eye of God, Dra. Martha
Plimpton, Nick Stahl. Dir: Tim
Blake. 10/17
CFP
Nick and Jane, Rom/Com. Dana
Wheeler-Nicholson, James
McCaffrey. 10/10
The Twilight of the Golds, Dra.
Jennifer Beals, Brendan Fraser.
Dir: Ross Marks. 10/24
Filmopolis
Son of Gascogne (France), Com.
Jean-Claude Dreyfus. Dir: Pascal
Aubier. 10/24
Fine Line
Gummo, Dra. Chloe Sevigny,
Max Perlich. Dir: Harmony Korine.
10/17NY/LA/ror
First Run
212-243-0600
Forgotten Silver. Mock Doc. Dirs:
Peter Jackson, Costa Botes. NY
Gramercy
Bean, Com. Rowan Atkinson. Dir:
Mel Smith. 10/17
Tempting Fate
(formerly Shakespeare's
Sister), Dra. Kenneth
Branagh, Madeleine Stowe. Dir:
Leslie Linka Clatter.
Greycat
702-737-0670
I Was a Jewish Sex Worlter, Doc,
74 min. Dir: Phillip B. Roth.
10/17 NY
David Searching, Com/Dra, 1 03
min. Anthony Rapp. Dir: teslle
Smith. LA/SF
A Gun for Jennifer, Thr.
Kino
Happy Together, Rom/Dra. Leslie
Cheung, Tony Leung. Dir: Wong
Kar-Wai.
Kit Parker
800-538-5838
Nueba Yol II, Com/Dra, 95 min.
Luisito Marti. Dir: Angel Muniz.
Live
Critical Care, Dra/Thr. James
Spader, Albert Brooks, Kyra
Sedgwick. Dir: Sidney Lumet.
IVIanga
Tokyo Fist, Act. Dir/Star: Shinya
Tsukamoto.
New Yorker
212-247-6110
Deep Crimson, Dra, 114 min.
Daniel Gimenez, Marisa Paredes.
Dir: Arturo Ripstein. 10/8
Beaumarchais (France), Com,
100 min. Fabrice Luchini. Dir:
Edouardo Molinaro. 10/24
Northern Arts
413-268-9301
Midaq Alley (Mexico), Dra.
Salma Hayek. Dir: Jorge Fons.
October
Year of the Horse, Doc. Neil
Young. Dir: Jim Jarmusch.
Phaedra
Timeless, Dra. Dir: Chris Hart.
Polygram
The Gingerbread Man, Thr. Kenneth
Branagh, Embeth Davidtz.
Dir: Robert Altman. 10/3
Sony Classics
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, Doc.
Dir:Errol Morris. 10/3 NY/LA
Strand
Nenette et Boni (France), Dra.
Gregoire Colin. Dir: Claire Denis.
10/3 NY, 10/1 OLA
Trimark
310-314-3040
Chairman of the Board, Com.
Carrot Top, Courtney Thorne-
Smith. 10/24
Turbulent Arts
415-552-1952
Marian (Czech Republic), Dra.
Dir: Peter Vaclev. 10/3 Chi
Lilies, Dra. Brent Carver, Marcel
Sabourin. Dir: John Greyson.
10/10 SF, 10/1 7 NY, 10/24 LA
NOVEMBER
Castle Hill
A Further Gesture. Stephen Rea.
11/14 ltd
CFP
Sick: The Life and Death of Bob
Flanagan, Supermasochist, Doc.
Dir: Kirby Dick. 1 1/8 NYAA
First Look
Hugo Pool, Corn. Robert Downey
Jr., Sean Penn. Dir: Robert Downey
Sr. 1 1/7 NYAA

BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart OCTOBER 1997
slaves to the Underground, Dra.
Dir: Kristine Petersen. 1 1/14 NY
Fox Searchlight
Oscar and Lucinda, Dra. Ralph
Fiennes, Cate Blanchett. Dir: Gillian
Armstrong. 11/14
Gramercy
Matchmaker (formerly The
Strangest Places), Com. Janeane
Carofalo, David O'Hara. Dir:
Markjoffe. 11/21
Body Count, Act. Ving Rhames,
Forest Whitaker, David Caruso.
Dir: Robert Patton Spruill.
Greycat
Parallel Sons, Rom/Dra, 93 min.
Dir: John G. Young.
International Pictures
212-925-0404
The Knowledge of Healing, Doc.
Tanzin Gyatso (Dalai Lama). Dir:
Franz Reichley. 1 1/5 NY
Northern Arts
WIthnallandl ra/C., / 987), Com,
105 min. Richard E. Grant. Dir:
Bruce Robinson.
October
Kiss or Kill (Australia), Dra/Thr.
Matt Day, Frances O'Conner,
Chris Haywood. Dir: Bill Bennett.
Phaedra
Bollywood Cinema Series (India).
Sony Classics
Tango Lesson. Dir: Sally Potter.
11/14 NY/LA
Trimark
Eve's Bayou, Dra. Samuel L. Jackson,
Lynn Whitfield. Dir: Kasi
Lemmons. 1 1/7
Turbulent Arts
Never Met Picasso, Dra. Dir: Stephen
Kijak. 11/28
DECEMBER
Artificial Eye
212-255-1922
The Mother and the Whore
(France, 1973), Dra,210min.Jean-
Pien'e Leaud. Dir: Jean Eustache.
Dreamworks SKG
Amistad (formerly Xfutiny), Dra.
Matthew McConaughey, Morgan
Freeman. Dir: Steven Spielberg.
1 2/1 2 ltd, 1 2/25 exp
Mousehunt, Com/Ani. Voices:
Nathan Lane, Lee Evans. Dir:
Core Verbinski. 1 2/25
Fine Line
Deconstructing Harry, Com.
Star/Dir: Woody Allen. 12/12
NY/LA/Tor, 1 2/24 exp, 1/9 wide
The Winter Guest, Dra. Emma
Thompson, Phylidda Law. Dir:
Alan Rickman. 12/19 NY/LA/Tor
The Sweet Hereafter, Dra. Ian Holm.
Dir: Atom Egoyan. 12/24 NY/LA
Fox Searchlight
Cousin Bette, Dra. Jessica Lange,
Bob Hoskins. Dir: Des McAnuff.
Gramercy
The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges,
John Goodman. Dirs: Joel & Ethan
Coen. 12/25 NY/LA, Jan. exp
Land Girls. Gwyneth Paltrow.
Dir: David Leiand.
Sony Classics
Ma Vie en Rose. Michele
Laroque. Dir: Alain Berliner.
1 2/25 NY/LA
Strand
Office Killer, Hor. Carol Kane.
Dir: Cindy Sherman. 1 2/3
Zeitgeist
Will It Snow for Christmas? Dir:
Sandrine Veysset. 1 2/1 7 NY
JANUARY '98
Fine Line
Girl Talk, Dra/Com. Troy Beyer,
Randi Ingerman. Dir: Troy Beyer.
Fox Searchlight
Hard Men (U.K.), Dra. Vincent
Regan. Dir: J.K. Amalou.
Kino
Fallen Angels, Thr. Leon Lai. Dir:
Wong Kar-Wai.
Live
Real. LL Cool J, Snoop Doggy
Dog. Dir: Darin Scott. 1/6/98
Suicide Kings (formerly Boys
Night Out), Thr. Christopher
Walken. Dir: Peter O'Fallow.
Manga
General Chaos: Uncensored Animation,
Ani. Various dirs.
Sony Classics
Afterglow, Rom/Dra. Nick Nolte,
Julie Christie. Dir: Alan Rudolph.
Trimark
The Blackout. Matthew Modine,
Dennis Hopper. Dir: Abel Ferrara.
Star Kid (formerly Warrior of
Waver ly Street), SF. Joseph
Mazzello. Dir: Manny Coto.
FEBRUARY '98
CFP
Love and Death on Long Island,
Dra. John Hurt, Jason Priestley. Dir:
Richard Kwietniowski. 2/27/98
Junk Mail, Com. Robert
Skjaerstad. Dir: Pal Sletaune.
First Look
Mrs. Dalloway. Vanessa Redgrave.
Dir: Marleen Gorris. 2/20 NY/LA
Fox Searchlight
Polish Wedding. Claire Danes,
Gabriel Byrne, Lena Olin, Mili
Avital. Dir: Theresa Connelly.
Live
Tarzan & Jane. Casper Van Dien,
Jane March. Dir: Carl Schenkel.
2/27/98
Polygram
The Borrowers, Fan. John Goodman.
Dir: Peter Hewitt.
Sony Classics
Nil by Mouth. Kathy Burke, Edna
Dore. Dir: Gary Oldman.
Strand
The Mummy. Alison Elliot. Dir:
Michael Almereyda. 2/1 3/98
Nights of Cabiria (Italy, 1957),
Dra. Dir: Federico Fellini.
Didier (France,). DA: Alain Chabat.
When I Close My Eyes (Japan)
(formerly Letters of Love, Love
Letter), Dra. Dir: Shunji Iwai. '98
First Look
Keep the Aspidistra Flying,
Dra/Com. Richard E. Grant.
The Other Side of Sunday (Norway),
Dra. Dir: Berit Nesheim.
This is the Sea, Dra. Richard Harris,
Gabriel Byrne, John Lynch.
Fox Searchlight
Ship of Fools laka Shooting Fish),
Dra/Com. Tony Shalhoub. Dir/
Star: Stanley Tucci. Apr '98
Gramercy
Photographing Fairies.
The Kiss. Nov '98
MARCH '98
Fox Searchlight
Slaves of Beverly Hills. Alan
Arkin, Marisa Tomei.
Sony Classics
A Friend of the Deceased
(Ukraine), Dra/Thr. Alexandre Lazarev.
Dir: Vyacheslav Krishtofovich.
Men With Guns, Dra. Frederico
Luppi. Dir: John Sayles.
FORTHCOMING
Artistic License
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, Condo Painting,
Dra. Dir:Christopher Munch. Fall '97
Other Voices, Other Rooms, Dra.
Dir: David Rocksavage.
Cinema Village
Cartoon Noir, Ani, 85 min. Fall '97
Dove
310-786-1600
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
Com/SF. Douglas Adams.
Dreamworks SKG
illtown,
Paulie: A Parrot's Tale. Dir: John
Roberts. 3/20/98
Saving Private Ryan, Dra. Tom
Hanks, Ed Burns, Tom Sizemore.
Dir: Steven Spielberg. 6/12/98
Small Soldiers. 7/10/98
Com/Dra, 1
Neanderthal. Summer '98
Blue Vision. Annette Bening. Dir:
Neil Jordan. Fall '98
The Prince of Egypt, Ani. Voices:
Val Kilmer, Steve Martin. Nov '98
Ants, Ani. Voices: Woody Allen,
Danny Glover, Sylvester Stallone.
El Dorado: City of Gold, Ani.
Voices: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh,
Rosie Perez. Dir; Will Finn.
I Wish I Were Audrey Hepburn.
Tea Leoni.
The Newports. Dir: Steven
Spielberg.
Fine Line
Red Violin. Samuel L. Jackson.
Dir: Francois Girard. June '98
Pecker. Dir: John Waters. Aug '98
The Legend of the Pianist on the
Ocean, Dra. Tim Roth. Dir:
Giuseppe Tornatore. Sep '98
Gurney
212-838-2929
Follow the Bitch, Com.
Legacy
The Leading Man. Jon
Dir: John Duigan. Fall '97
Bon Jovi.
Live
The Substitute 2. Treat Williams.
Dir: Steven Pearl. 4/3/98
The Second Arrival, SF. Patrick
Muldoon. Dir: Kevin Tenny. 5/8/98
The Breakup. Bridget Fonda.
Joyride. Benecio Del Toro.
October
Doc. Dir: John
McNaughton. '98
Hearts and Minds, Thr, R, 105
min. Dir: Ralph Ziman. '98
Three Seasons, Dra. Harvey Keitel.
Dir: Tony Bui. '98
Untitled Todd Solondz. '98
Polygram
Bame/s Great Adventures. Apr '98
Shooting Gallery
212-431-6759
Dra. Michael Rapaport,
Lili Taylor. Early '98
Shadow
207-872-5111
La Petite Apocalypse (France),
10 min. Pierre Arditi.
Dir: Constantin Costa-Gavras.
Strand
Full Speed (aka Toute Vitesse)
(France), Dra. Elodie Bouchez.
Dir: Gael Murel. Late fall '97
La Senfinelle (France), Thr. Dir:
Arnaud Desplechin. Late fall '97
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life, Doc.
The Mouse. John Savage, Angelica
Torn. Dir: Dan Adams.
Trimark
Bombshell. Henry Thomas, Frank
Whaley. Dir; Paul Wayne.
Triumph
Baby Geniuses. Kathleen Turner,
KimCattrall. Dir: Bob Clark.
Zeitgeist
Murders and Murders.

HOME RELEASE CHART
Ht^SJS^'^ OCTOBER 1997
HOME VIDEO
RELEASE DATE

7
Boxoffice Magazine
presents
NovieFbne's Moviegoer Activity Report
For the Month of July 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. Thefollowing information represents the most requested theatres and exhibitors on MovieFone.
Top 10 Exhibitors & Theatres
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Nost Requested Exhibitors
UMbttpr
United Artists
AMC
Cineplex Odeon
Sony
General Cinema
Century
Cinemark
Regal
Mann
National Amusements
Total Bequests
1 ,025.488
792,679
773.123
765.482
492.730
358.909
258,178
203.631
198.102
181.868
Last Month's
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
Most Requested Theatres
^^,„„„,^,,
Rank Market llieatfe total Re«Ksts Rank
1 NY Sony Lincoln Square 73.252 1
2 NY SonyOrpheum 47.553 3
3 BO Sony Cheri 46,382 5
4 NY Sony 19th St. East 38,910 16
5 PH UA Cheltenham 37,867 18
6 PH UA Riverview Plaza 37.606 9
7 BO Sony Assembly Square 34,841 14
8 LA AMC Century 14 34.665 2
9 Ml Cobb Palace 18 34.046 7
10 PH RegalHuntington Valley 14 30,578 17
Total
Requests
New York
1,470,799
Los Angeles
805,175
Dallas
764,694
San Francisco
471,047
Miami
449.056
Philadelphia
414,188
Boston
298,531
Phoenix
285,922
Chicago
282,085
Toronto
250,666
Houston
245,987
Kansas City
165,832
Rank
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
"1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Theatre (# screens)
Most Requested Theatres Per Screen
Total
Requests
Sony Lincoln Square (13) 73,252
Sony Orpheum (7)
47.553
Sony 19th St. East (6) 38,910
AMC Century 14(14) 34.665
GCC Beverly Connection (6) 23.642
CO Beverly Center (13) 22.91
Sony Cityplace (14) 26,791
Cinmk Tinseltown USA (20) 26.663
AMC The Grand (24) 26,543
Century Plaza (10) 23.224
Century Empire (4) 20.234
Century Century Park (12) 20.055
Cobb Palace (18) 34,046
Cobb Miami Lakes (10) 28.339
UA Movies at the Falls (12) 28,024
UA Cheltenham (8) 37,867
UA Riverview (11) 37,606
Regal Huntington Valley (14) 30,578
Sony Cheri (4) 46,382
Sony Assembly Sq. (12) 34,841
Sony Copley Place (11) 22,472
Century Glendale 9 D-l (9) 24,014
Harkins Christown (11) 12,999
Harkins Shea (14) 12,949
Sony Webster Place (8) 25,207
CO Lincoln Vilage 1-6 (6) 11,636
CO 600 North Michigan (9) 9,861
Famous Coliseum (10) 24.429
Famous Yorkdale (6) 15.159
CO Erin Mills Town Ctr (5) 1 3.638
CO River Oaks Plaza (12) 20.620
Cinmk Hollywood (16) 20,058
Cinmk Tinseltown (24) 14,019
Dksn Westglen (12) 18,820
Dksn Southglen (12) 16,745
Dksn Glenwood (4) 11,379
Last Month']
Rank
Top 3 Actively* Requested Theatres:
'Caller specifically requested theatre
Kav fft W^ilC AMC Theatres, Ire. CO
e^iuu — *ctHl Adttl Theatres Cobb
ExnlDltors Carmike Carmike Cinemas, inc Dksn
Century Century Theatres Famous
CinAm LP CinAmefKa Tneatres GCC
Cinmk Cifwmark Theatres General
CinStar CinemaStar Hark
C'fiepleK Odeon Corp.
Cobb Theatres
Dickinson Theatres
Famous Players
General Cinema Theatres
mm
(jeneral Theatres
Harkins Theatres
1
2
1
2
4
3
2
1
4
7
3
1
3
2
3
1
2
1
3
2
1
9
3
2
4
6
1
5
2
1
2
3
1
2
5
Total
Requests
San Diego
154,699
Denver
137,630
Atlanta
137,390
Seattle
127,088
Nashville
110,139
Minneapolis
105,581
San Antonio
103,306
Cleveland
87,293
Las Vegas
83,250
Washington, DC
75,213
Sacramento
69,815
Tampa
53,497
CO Worldwide
New York, NY
HolyMKXJ
Rank
1
2
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
Theatre (# screens)
UAHorton Plaza (14)
CinStarChula Vista (10)
Pacific Town Square (14)
Mann Olde Town (14)
UA Greenwood Plaza (12)
UA Continental (6)
AMC Colonial (18)
Regal Riverdale (14)
Regal Austell Rd (10)
Act III Mountlake (9)
Total
Requests
11.069
8,526
7,862
9,563
8,215
8.174
6.884
6,297
6,051
12,043
Act III Crossroads (8) 10.681
CO Meridian (16)
8.911
Carmike Galteria Cool Sp. (10) 9.817
Carmike Hickory (8) 8,946
Carmike Fountain Sq. (14) 8,868
GCC Mall of America (14) 7,873
UA Pavilion at Crossroads (7) 4,801
GCC Har-Mar-Eleven (11) 4.681
Act III Galaxy (14) 15.735
Act III Embassy (14) 11,945
Act III Northwest (14) 10,570
Regal Severance Movies (8) 8,300
GCC Ridge Pk. Sq. (8) 7.381
Regal Middleburg Hts (12) 5.796
Century Cinedome (12) 1 0,725
UA Showcase (8) 9,326
Century Las Vegas 6 D-l (6) 8,010
AMC Courthouse (8) 4,481
CO Rio (14) 3,937
AMC Union Station (9) 3,402
Century Complex (12) 1 0.767
Century Cinedome Sac. (9) 8,?73
UA Laguna Village (12) 6,544
Muvico Palm Harbor (10) 4,918
AMC Varsity (6) 4,185
AMC Regency (20) 3,860
Sony Lincoln Sq.
NewYort*TA Lanc&nark Theatre Corp,
Laemmie LaemmJe Theatres
Marm MN Mann Minneapolis
Met Metropolrtan Theatres Corp.
MJR MJR Tteatre Service
Muvico Muvico Theatres
Last Month's
Rank
4
5
7
3
2
1
2
4
1
3
2
1
10
4
1
11
2
1
3
4
3
2
4
3
1
2
3
2
5
3
11
3. Famous Coliseum 10
Toronto, Canada
NA
Pacffic
RegaJ
Sony
Star
SupSav
UA
Nationa! Amusements
Paafic Theatres
Regal Cinemas
Sony Theatres
Loeks-Slar Theatres
Super Saver Cinemas
Unitecj Artists Theab'e Circuit
1

5/i RoYnmrp
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
RATES: $1 .00 per word, minimum $25, $15 extra
(or 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-lett corner of your envelope.
ADVERTISER INDEX
Action Lighting 57
Automaticket/Hurley Screen Corp. . 25
Cinema Supply Co. Inc 41
Dolby Laboratories Inc C-2
EIMS Inc C-3
Electronic Creations Inc 57
Equipment, Etc 35
Glassform 25
Hadden Theatre Supply Co 27
International Cinema Equipment Co. 7
JBL Professional 27
Kinetronics Corp. USA 31
Kneisley Electric Co 31
Maroevich, O'Shea & Coghlan .... 41
Mars Theatre Mgmt. Systems .... 23
NCS Corp 9, 29
OSRAM SYLVANIA 3
RDS Data Group Inc 28
Ready Theatre Systems 25
SMART Theatre Systems 5, C-4
System Operating Solutions Inc. . . 57
Yumex ILC Ltd 30
HELP WANTED
HEY!! Be a part of a winning team! Come join us at
Hollywood Theatres, one of the fastest-growing theatre
chains in the United States. Hollywood is seeking motivated,
service-oriented theatre managers with contagious
enthusiasm. Requirements include two years
management/supervisory experience, two years college
or equivalent experience, a positive attitude, a
m

San
.
.
FAX
.
October. 1997 57
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 boottis available. Please call if you
are purchasing or selling. CINEMA CONSULTANTS &
SERVICES INTERNATIONAL INC., P.O. Box 9672, Pittsburgh,
PA 15226. Phone (412) 343-3900, Fax (412) 343-
2992.
WESTAR QUALITY CINEMA EQUIPMENT, PARTS
AND ACCESSORIES. Westar multicoated projection
lenses available from stock. 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85,
90mm fully guaranteed $450; Westar 35mm splicers,
heavy duty, $295; Westar projectors & soundheads, new
two-year warranty. Westar precision projector parts for
Westar, Century, Westrex, Cinecita, RCA, Simplex or
Monce. Free catalogs and price lists. Trades accepted.
See us on the Internet at http://www.iceco.com or email;
ICECO@aol.com. Phone (305) 573-7339, fax (305) 573-
8101.
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 , Marino, CA 91 1 18-8371
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 buy or trade for used/new equipment on any
projector/soundhead/platter/lamphouse/console/speake
rs/lens and concession equipment. We can remove or
pick up anywhere in the U.S. or overseas. Tankersley
Enterprises, P.O. Box 36009, Denver, CO 80227. Phone
(303) 716-0884; fax (303) 716-0889.
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) 573-8101. Website;
http://www.iceco.com.
SOFTWARE
TICKETING SOFTWAREfor 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 thermal printers, automated cash drawers
and pole displays. Software from $399. Printers from
$499. Call (61 5) 790-7797 for free demo or download now
on our website at sensiblecinema.com.
THEATRES FOR SALE/LEASE
TWIN THEATRE, now open—first run^60 seats, lease
and equipment — platters—automation—Dolby surround—Gulf
Coast, Mississippi. $90,000. (601 ) 474-7021
DRIVE-IN CONSTRUCTION
DRIVE-IN SCREEN TOWERS Since 1945 Selby Products,
Inc., P.O. Box 267, Richfield, Ohio 44286 (216)
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
"ALL AMERICAN SEATING" by the EXPERTS! Used
seats of quality. Various makes, American Bodiform and
Stellars from $12.50 to $32.50. Irwins from $12.50 to
$30.00. Heywood & Massey rockers from $25.00. Full
rebuilding available. New Hussey chairs from $70.00. All
types theatre projection and sound equipment. New and
used. We ship and install all makes. Try us! We sell no
Junk! TANKERSLEY ENTERPRISES. P.O. Box 36009,
Denver, CO 80227. Phone (303) 716-0884; fax (303)
716-0889.
ALLSTATE SEATING is a company that is specializing
in refurbishing, complete painting, molded foam, tailormade
seat covers, installations, removals. Please call for
pricing and spare parts for all types of theatre seating.
Boston. MA. Phone (617) 268-2221 , (61 7) 268-701 1
"BOOSTER B. SAURUS" Child 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.
Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail: pseatlng@aol.com.
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 made up. Call Complete Industries for pricing.
(800) 252-6837.
SEAT AND BACK COVERS: Most fabrics in stock.
Molded cushions. Cy Young Industries Inc., 800-729-
2610.
SEAT FOAMS: All makes/all models, fast turn-around.
Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-
6060, e-mail; pseating@aol.com.
SEATING FOR SALE: 8,000 used Irwin Citations from
$25; American Stellar M35s from $20; American Highback
Deluxe rockers from $27.50; Wakefield self-risers from
$20. Photos available. International Cinema Equipment
Co. Inc. Phone (305) 573-7339, fax (305) 573-8101.
SEATS CLEANED on site, $1.56-$2.36 per seat (coast
to coast). Call (800) 879-231 1 , 24 hours, for brochure and
information. The Carpet Cleaner, P.O. Box 154, Osceola,
MO 64776.
SEATS FOR SALE, excellent condition, Stellars and
Massey. Call (301) 949-4761. Fax (301) 949-4763.
THEATRE SEAT AND BACK COVERS: Large in-stock
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.
THEATRE SEAT RECONDITIONING: 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
from our inventory. Ask about our in-house financing
program. Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax
(410) 686-6060, 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: pseating@aol.com.
USED AUDITORIUM CHAIRS: Choose from a large selection
of different makes and models and colors, American
Stellars and Irevin Citations competitively priced,
shipped and installed. ACOUSTIC SOUND PANELS AND
CUSTOM WALL DRAPERIES available in flameproofed
colors and fabrics, artistic or plain. CINEMA CONSUL-
TANTS & SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, Inc. P.O. Box
9672, Pittsburgh, PA. 15226. Phone (412) 343-3900, Fax
(412)343-2992.
SERVICES
ALTEC, JBL, E.V. SPEAKER RECONING: Factory authorized
service, fast turnaround. We stock diaphragms
for popular theatre drivers. Cardinal Sound & Motion
Picture Systems Inc. Dealer inquiries welcome. (301)
595-8811.
FRONT END INSTALLATION with frames, motors and
masking tracks. Call Cy Young Industries Inc. 800-729-
2610.
INDEPENDENT THEATRE BOOKING. Over 30 years
experience, L. A. -based, now accepting a few new accounts.
Personal service, reasonable rates, well-connected.
Write; Charies Boeckman, 22030A Ventura Blvd.,
Suite 140, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Phone (818) 347-
0963.
MY 50TH YEAR with M.P.M.O., Local 249, Dallas, TX!!
Call me, "Pinky" Pinkston, to rebuild your Century, Simplex
projector and soundhead. Also, intermittents.
Pinkston Sales and Service, Rt 1, Box 72H, Sadler, TX
76264. Or call (903) 523-4912.
SOUND/DRAPING FABRICS IN STOCK. All new selection
of fabrics. Installation on brackets available, or sewn in
pleated drapes. Call Cy Young Industries Inc., 800-729-261 0.
SOUNDFOLDS & CURTAINS cleaned and flreproofed on
site $.20-$.40 per hung sq. ft. (coast to coast). Call (800)
879-231 1 , 24 hours, for brochure and information. The
Carpet Cleaner, P.O. Box 154, Osceola, MO 64776.
ULTRAFLAT. REFLECTORS: Why buy new when you
can have it restored? "Hopeless" cases restored to bright-
ACTI^
DIRECT IMPORTERS-MANUFACTURERS
TOLL FRtE
CANADA & U S a"
S(K)-248-(X)76
Response No. 98
Box Office "97
Ticketing & More...
Windows '95 Based
Microsoft Access Database
Concession Sales & Inventory
State of the Art - Reliable
18 Years Experience
Custom Development
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Electronic Creations, inc.
Ph (619)480-1002 Fax (619) 480-6830
Response No. 203
INVENTORY REDUCTION
Ticketing &
Concession
Systems
$4,155
Includes: warranty,
installation, training, one box office point
of sale, two concession points of sale, and
manager's office computer.
With close to 1 ,000 customers worldwide
SOS is the right choice!
System Operating Solutions, Inc.
Call 800-434-3098
Response No. 480
ness. Call your dealer or ULTRAFLAT, 20306 Sherman
Way, Winnetl

—
—
—
riie lOis (Picture
Some
ideas die because they're bad ideas, and some ideas die
because they're too far ahead of their time. The conventional
wisdom about what Francis Coppola and his American Zoetrope
production arm tried to do back in the early 1980s is that
Coppola had it all wrong. His dream of a state-of-the-art production
entity operating outside traditional studio channels was hubristic to
most observers—a byproduct ofCoppola's unparalleled critical and
commercial status in the aftermath of the first two "Godfather"
movies, "The Conversation" and "Apocalypse Now."
Certainly Coppola was feeling his oats, and he had a right to. He
had made his name as the finest of a young generation of American
directors who were redefining the boundaries of content for American
movies. He had received
more Oscars (a
total of five) by the age of
37 than almost any other
creative personality in
movie history. And he
had done so without relinquishing
his hold over
the mass audience—the
achievement the Hollywood
powers-that-be
usually respect the most.
But Coppola's dream
had many facets. He
wanted to make a home
for young talent, where it
wouldn't be exploited the
way he felt he had been
on his way up. He wanted
to prove that there was a
market for indigenous
American movies characterized
by serious
themes which the public
had come to associate
with subtitling and a European
distribution credit
spliced to the front of a
print. Hollywood was
still editing most theatrical
features using horseand-buggy
systems like
the upright Moviola—a laborious process involving workprint,
splices, and that most precious of movieland commodities: a great
deal of time. Coppola wanted to take the next logical step and create
an environment where the data storage capabilities of computers
would make it possible for editing to be done completely in the
digital realm—a commonplace today, a revolutionary idea back in
1982. Most of all, Cqjpola wanted to own his copyrights—in other
words, to work in the movie medium the way artists in other media
do, by retaining possession of the fruits of his intellectual labors.
Some of Coppola's ideas were idealistic, and his brief dream has
been written off in the movie history books as a monumental
mistake. He ran aground when he overspent and borrowed millions
to complete "One From the Heart"—an actually quite charming
romantic comedy, made in something resembling the style of the
"magical realist" writers, crossed with the studio artifices of aclassic
musical from MGM. "One From the Heart" (which .starred Terri
Garr, pictured) has been somewhat unjusdy dismissed as acomplete
debacle, mainly by people who haven't seen it, and largely because
it
broke what was never an exceptionally well-capitalized bank in
the first place. Its $37 million production cost—a scandal in 1982
seems the soul of frugality as the $100 million studio budget
becomes soniething like the norm today.
Coppola himselfbore an
Though
enormous fiscal burden in the
aftermath of the collapse of his ambitious Hollywood dream,
and although it is one of the great tragedies of the past two
decades that much of the time, one of our finest filmmakers has had
to busy himself with projects that were often accepted on the basis
of financial need, the dream itself seeras overdue for a reassessment.
The success of Miramax in the past decade proves, for example,
what Coppola always proclaimed and was in part mocked for: that
there is in fact a sizeable audience for American-made art films,
capable of providing distributors with enormous grosses for interesting,
out-of-the-mainstream fare. And the rhetoric ofDreamWorks
SKG—the desire to create a studio from the ground up, to find a
home where a community
of like-minded artists
can flourish, to use
state-of-the-art technologies
to streamline the creation
and distribution of
films—all has a familiar
ring to it for anyone who
watched what Francis
Coppola was up to some
15 years ago.
The great
difference,
though, is that Coppola
was and remains a
cinematic artist first and
foremost, and an empire
builder only secondarily.
If his great, arduous, perhaps
even noble attempt
to refashion American
moviemaking priorities
to his own specifications
was ultimately a failure,
it was a failure of the noblest
kind.
sensed this
Coppola himself
when he finally
got around to making
his last real "dream"
project: the 1988 film
"Tucker." in which an
American automotive visionary
tried to get a new car manufacturing company ofl" the ground
only to be beaten down by the power of the existing industrial
system, coupled with his own rather outsized character flaws. There
was a touch of self-pity to the analogy. Coppola can't really believe
that the studios that had given him carte blanche for so long ganged
up on him, the way the car companies did on the real Preston Tucker,
or that shadowy forces were at work behind the scenes to foster what
ultimately was the relatively explicable commercial failure of
Zoetrope's studio. Still, it is interesting to note that, in making
'Tucker," Coppola showed himself to be bloody but unbowed; of
all the films he's made in its aftermath, it is visually and narratively
most similar to the approach used in "One From the Heart."
The great good news is that Coppola has at last emerged from the
near-bankrupcy into which the collapse of the Zoetrope studio
complex pitched him, and that he is talking ambitiously about the
future again. Though often dismissed and overkwked, his output of
the last decade and a half has been almost always visually audacious,
and often far more narratively complex than it has been given credit
for. At 58, Coppola is still a relatively young man with many movies
ahead of him. It should be fa.scinating to see where his restless,
inventive spirit takes him—and maybe the whole movie medium
next. Ray Greene

^UCK
^^ (It's good business management)
Successful Theatre Management Is Not Just
^
Don't gamble with your business!
Manage it
with Splyce's state-ofthe-art
theatre management
system. Splyce is uniquely
designed to be fast,
powerful
and user friendly in a "32-bit"
Windows® environment. With
the Splyce suite of software you
can control your whole business,
from bookings & payments to selling
tickets and concessions. Modularly
designed to meet your unique business needs.
And when it comes to technical support, well
you'll definitely have an ace in the hole!
Splyce Modules:
Box Office Manager
Employee Manager
Concession Manager
Home Office Manager
9SplUC€
B^ ^^ Version 2.C .0
See us at SHOW EAST at booth #121 & 123
'Inc. Call: (888) 4-SPLYCE or (253) 884-5802 www.eims-inc.com

'
1 99Ti^um'echnologu
%tll
Mop..^*""***;
The new M(_
include the 6-1
split-surround
'.
enhancement s).
operation. The M(
switching power sl
Right, Left Surroun^jl^*^ Right Surround channels.
^Iso the Price!
Carrier. Some of the outstanding features
ulnd" ® matrix that produces 6-channel
krack. The famous SRS® sound
feed in analog and digital modes of
octave EQ for the Left, Center,
The MOD VI may be-F(^lT> the full
6-channel mode, 4[^hannJy:onventijKal mode, Front/Surround or
Front/Split Surround mOTe just by moving internal jumfllrs. YouVan start Wfth a small system and expand t(
full 6-channel operation without buying expensive optiol^ cards. There is n^hing else like the MOD VI.
'* -V
^^0
Your lowest cost journey MD digital sound!
/ f K 1/1/
w r«
« DTS-6 Digital Player - $6350 [M-20 Digital Player - $667
MOD VI Stereo Processor- SI 997* MOD VI Stereo Processor - 11997
Suggested Theatre Net price - $8347 Suggested Theatre Net price - $867
' Please call your SMART dealer for fhaibest price!
I
I ///, iii.i SOUNDCHECK
The MN6()() active B(M)th Monitor matches the si^e and look of the MOD VI Stereo
Processor. The quick connec t cable between the processor and monitor means you
have no time consuming harness wiring, just liring the amplifier outputs to the terminal
strip and you are finished. Monitors the (> c hannels of the (irot cssor and the
power amplifiers. For bi-amp or conventional systems.
Syfm«~.icd ri'l.iij priif lor ihi' M()l> VI when (him h.isitl in lots of h. Lesser qunnlitles lO'Vu liinher.
' irt k* Suiriiunff l« .1 rc};i«l ,,0. 26:
.S'MS I'oachtrtH' CorniTs tdst
Norcruss, Ci'or);ia J0071
i8(H1) 4S-SMART or (770)449-6698
FAX: (770) 44')-(>728
email: sm.irtSainerica.nel