Boxoffice-November.1997

SPIELBERG'S "AMISTAD" • FOX'S "ANASTASIA " • IMAX: 

THE BIG TIME • SAM ARKOFF • PACIFIC THEATRES • 

TARANTINO'S "JACKIE BROWN" • FRANK MANnilsn 

V 

USTRY NOVEMBER 1997, $4.95 

r^ 

'HB^ 

I 

AMES BOND'S WORLD OF 

I I I 

ON LOCATION WITH "TOMORROW NEVER DIES"— 

THE BIGGEST, BOLDEST BOND ADVENTURE EVER!

FOR THE BIG SCREEN, 

THE CHRISTIE REFERENCE CONSOLE 

IS THE PROVEN LIGHT SOURCE. 

without damaging film, 

The new frame of 

reference for large 

screen illumination 

is the Christie 

Reference Console. 

If 

you want greater 

light distribution and 

brighter illumination 

for your 60 foot screens, 

let Christie guide the way. 

dichroic coating, that protects the film from harmful IR 

energy. Push button motorized bulb alignment provides 

precise alignment of the lamp. And, our revolutionary 

pressurized plenum cooling system extends lamp life 

by cooling both the reflector and the bulb. Add these 

features to Christie's patented automatic lamp focus 

that accommodates both flat and scope apertures, 

and you'll see why the Christie Reference console is the 

reference point from which all others will be judged. 

The Christie Reference console shines a brilliant 

new light on big screen projection. You get maximum 

brightness and uniform distribution with less heat, thanks 

to our 15-inch meto' reflector's unique multilayered 

We Make Film Come Alive 

10550 Camden Drive, Cypress, CA 90630 • (714) 236-8610 

® 

RatponseNo. 3

Over 1000* Dolby Digital titles have been released 

and announced; more than any other digital format. 

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. 

'^ 

Dolby Laboratories Inc 

100 Potrero Avenue, San Fnmdsoo, CA 94103^813 

Telephone 415-558-0200 ftx 415-863-1373 

Wootton Bassett Wiltshire SN4 8QJ England 

Telephone (44) 1793-842100 Fax (44) r-93-842101 www.dolby.com 

Doiby and the doublc-D 5)111^ are trademarks of Dolby I.aboratories 

© 1 997 Dolby Laboratories Inc. S97/ 1 1 56 >/ 1 ! 589 

^" Statistics as of ]i]' '^ '"'^"' 

»t^^«i.i.Ml.»t'l.mSl.M

— 

Opening Credits 

THE LONG, SLOW 

the fact that 

Despite 

she was a pohtical 

rather than a 

cinematic celebrity, the 

death of Princess Diana 

was a time of much soulsearching 

for those of us 

involved in even the business 

side of the entertainment 

press. Every 

journalist on the regular 

editorial staff of 

BOXOFFICE has had his 

or her brush with a world 

famous personality. Although 

it is official policy 

here that the personal 

lives of major film actors, 

directors, writers and producers 

are of interest in 

these pages not at all, 

we've all seen the looks 

on the faces offriends and 

loved ones when they've 

been informed of just 

who we spent the day 

having a conversation 

with, cind perhaps we've even borrowed a bit 

of stardom's reflected glory, if for nothing else 

than to add a bit of anecdotal lustre to a cocktail 

conversation. 

On one of my earUest assignments for 

BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE, I got my first up 

close and personal look at paparazzi photographers 

in action. Previously, I had always regarded 

tabloid "shooters" as members of a 

colorful if somewhat venomous profession 

not the kind of people I'd personally choose to 

spend time with, but a fascinating phenomenon 

cTeated out ofa weird intersection between 

the public's iasatiable interest in celebrity and 

the expansive safeguards granted to information 

gatherers under the U.S. Coastitution. 

Like most journalists, I feti.shize the First 

Amendment, and while I recognized the sleaziness 

inherent in the paparazzi profession, I 

was at the lime (and I remain) unwilling to 

impose restrictions on what to me is the most 

fundamental right Americans enjoy merely 

becau.sc I find aspects of the way that freedom 

is utilized personally distasteful. Since I had 

never spent time with freelance celebrity photographers, 

I had an uninformed perspective 

on their behavior. On the day five years ago 

when I found myself in their midst, I initially 

viewed them as being, if not exactly benign, 

than at least es.scntially harmless. 

I discovered otherwise. The occasion was 

an awards event at which Tom Cmi.se was 

being given an important trophy. The dais wa& 

packed with people who were there to wish 

him well—friends, co-workers, celebrity acquaintances—and 

Cruise was his usual photogenic 

self. From where I was sitting, he was 

indistinct—a blur of white teeth, great hair and 

charisma looking for ail the world like a longlost 

Kennedy. 

The 

paparazzi were stationed directly in 

front of my table, in a severely restricted 

area that allowed them to grab a quick 

shot as each celebrity walked to the stage. Their 

pleading, first-name-basis entreaties for "just 

one more shot" were both monotonous and 

comical, and they seemed essentially helpless 

behind the stanchions that marked off their 

limited access. It would have been hard to 

imagine that somewhere among all those potbellies, 

fiak jackets and Nikons slumbered 

anything resembling a dark side. 

Halfway through lunch, a famous actress 

got up to go to the bathroom. She was inherently 

newsworthy to the tabloid prc.ss—beautiful, 

young, rumored to be more than a little 

troubled. A phtilographer broke ranks and 

started following her. and suddenly, all bets 

were off. 

I will never foiget the kx)ks on lht)se paparazzi 

faces as this p(x)r woman made her way 

tothebathnx)mandback. It'sbccn fashionable 

since Princess Diana's dciith to dehumanize 

whole segments of the entertainment press, 

and generalization!! arc usually inaccurate if 

not downright wrong. But "bestial" is the only 

word I can think of to accurately describe those 

faces as they clambered over each odier, elbows 

flared, shoving and pulling and gouging 

each other out of the way as they tried for that 

one good shot. 

I remember the wave ofrepulsion that swept 

over me. I remember how much 1 wanted to 

believe that what was going on had nothing to 

do with my profession. I remember asking 

myself: of what news value is a woman's 

decision to freshen her makeup or take a pee? 

The worst came later. Cruise was in production 

on a major feature film, and couldn't 

arrange his .schedule so that he could get away 

long enough to stay for the entire event. His 

award was given to him; he made a short, 

charming speech. Then his presenter made 

what should have been a forgivable mistake: 

He announced that Tom would be leaving 

momentarily, forgetting that there was essentially 

just one way out. From the direction of 

the regrouped photographers, I swear I felt 

them giving offbeat. 

They were on Cruise the minute he left the 

stage, of course—shouting, jockeying for position, 

pinning him in their flashes. Cruise 

stiffened pereeptibly, but kept going until one 

particuhirly indastrious shcwter spotted the Udphy 

in his h:md and shouted, "Jast one with the 

award, Tom!" 

Courtesy got the better of Cruise, and he 

stopped and turned, smiling. In seconds, the

Vnvpmhpr. 1QQ7 .S 

FADE TO BLACK 

photographers had encircled him 

completely, virtually trapping 

him against the wall he was 

standing in front of. He turned 

his face obligingly from one lens 

to the next; still they kept shooting. 

He made another circuit, offering 

every photographer a 

perfect angle. Still they kept 

shooting. A look of fear came 

into his eyes, and the hand holding 

the trophy started to shake. 

Still they kept shooting. And 

they began pressing in. 

Watching from the sideUnes, I 

was seized with an almost unbearable 

sense of vicarious 

claustrophobia. The situation 

was in the process of getting out 

of hand, but no one other than the 

immediate participants seemed 

to know it. I watched Cruise try 

to continue his original path toward 

the exit. The photographers 

closed in tighter, literally beating 

him back. Several of the faces in 

my field of vision were beginning 

to take on characteristics of 

gloating. Some of the photographers 

were beginning to recognize 

that they had one of the 

biggest stars in the world at their 

mercy, and you could tell they 

were enjoying the feeling. 

I was outraged, and I wasn't 

alone. Before I knew what I was doing, I was 

on my feet along with two other reporters at 

my table. Journalists aren't supposed to involve 

themselves in events; they are there 

merely to report on them, and anything else is 

deemed unethical. Ethics became secondary 

for me and two other writers that night, who 

felt soiled by what was being perpetrated right 

in front of our eyes, supposedly in the name of 

our profession. 

We pushed our way into the mob, which 

seemed to half expect security of some sort to 

take action. A corridor of space opened up, and 

Tom Craise moved through it at double speed. 

When the photographers figured out we were 

journalists like them and not "events staff' or 

bodyguards, they gave us dirty looks. 

It felt good. 

Years 

later, when I interviewed Tom 

Cruise for this magazine, I thought 

about the complexity of that moment. 

On the one hand. Cruise, like all media suf)erstars, 

was in many ways a creation of pubUcity. 

"It's been fashionable since 

Princess Diana's death to 

dehumanize whole segments of 

the entertainment press, and 

generalizations are usually 

inaccurate. But 'bestial' is the 

only word I can think of to 

accurately describe those faces 

as they clambered over each 

other, elbows flared, shoving 

and pulling and gouging each 

other out of the way as they tried 

for that one good shot." 

Without promotion, without a certain willingness 

to use the magnetic attraction of his celebrity 

to focus attention on his creative 

pursuits, he would vanish overnight into the 

limbo of movie trivia games and "where are 

they now?' 

But movies and the people who populate 

them are not state secrets. There is no Deep 

Throat waiting to provide government-shattering 

disclosures about "Jerry Maguire" or 

"Eyes Wide Shut." Entertainment journalists 

like to view themselves as hard-bitten cynics 

in part because so much of what they report on 

is handed to them by pubUcists or as staged 

events. Many envy the people they cover, and 

so they aggrandize their own occupations by 

pursuing their subjects with an almost vicious 

disregard for their humanity, figuring that the 

tougher their professional behavior, the more 

they can demonstrate (to themselves at least) 

that they're as vitally important as Woodward 

and Bernstein were back in 1973. 

There are extenuating circumstances in the 

death of Princess Diana—a dmnken driver 

who may or may not 

have 

shouted "catch me ifyou can;" 

a freewheeling boyfriend 

known as a man who loved to 

take risks; a car that may have 

been going as much as four to 

six times the speed limit as it 

skidded into a cement tunnel 

support somewhere along the 

Seine. But what lingers in the 

mind is the image of men with 

cameras descending on a 

spectacle of blood and wreckage 

and people dying before 

their eyes, and having the inhuman 

callousness to fiwne 

and compose 20 rolls worth of 

what, in the deepest sense, can 

only be called 

shots. 

pornographic 

was unsurprised that it was 

Tom Cruise who was the 

±.first celebrity to go pubUc 

with his outrage via a phone 

interview on CNN conducted 

as doctors were stiU fighting 

for Diana's life. He had been 

chased in that very tunnel, and 

me? I had seen the look on his 

face five years ago, and come 

to reaUze that in a very real 

sense, he and those who share 

the pubUc hazards of his occupation 

were being chased 

every minute of their Uves. 

So the next time you find yourself in a 

supermarket checkout Une eyeballing surveillance 

camera images of the indiscretions of 

Frank Gifford and Kathie Lee; the next time 

you stop flipping channels to view "news" 

footage of murder and accident victims, of war 

casualties, plane crashes and homes ravaged 

by fire and flood, gunshots, bombs, bayonets, 

or a defective Ught on some unlucky family's 

Christmas tree, it might be a good thing, a 

humanizing thing, to ask yourself: Who are all 

those people caught in the momentary glare of 

all those dispassionate and cold-blooded cameras 

really running from? The paparazzi? Or 

you and me? 

Until next time. 

Ray Greene 

Editor-in-Chief

Subscriptions: 

DEPARTMENTS 

NOVEMBER, 1997 VOL 133 NO. 11 

DOUBLE FEATURE: HOLIDAY PREVIEW/SHOWEAST '97 

Our annual, easy-reference look at all the holiday season's hottest titles! Plus, 

special SHOWEAST contents to help all attendees plan out their show itinerary! 

80 SHOWEAST '97 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

82 THE SHOWEAST '97 HONOREES 

86 TRADE SHOW FLOOR PLAN 

88 TRADE SHOW BOOTH LIST 

1 08 1 997 SHOWEAST NEW PRODUCTS GUIDE 

FEATURES 

4 COMMENTARY: THE LONG SLOW FADE TO BLACK By Ray Greene 

Some soul-searching in the aftermath of a princess' unnecessary death 

12 COVER STORY: 007'S WORLD OF TOMORROW By Bridget Byrne 

On location in England with Pierce Brosnan and the international team 

behind James Bond's latest, "Tomorrow Never Dies." 

18 SNEAK PREVIEW: "STARSHIP TROOPERS" By Kim Williamson 

Director Paul Verhoeven, star Casper Van Dien and effects wizard 

Phil Tippett battle the interstellar insects of "Starship Troopers." 

22 SNEAK PREVIEW: SPIELBERG'S AMISTAD By Joseph McBride 

After years of trying, producer Debbie Allen gets her slave ship drama 

"Amistad" out of the dock—with Steven Spielberg at the helm. 

24 SNEAK PREVIEW: "ANASTASIA" By Christine James 

Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Bill Mechanic on 

the studio's major move into animation with "Anastasia." 

26 SNEAK PREVIEW: TARANTING AND BENDER'S "JACKIE BROWN" By Wade Major 

Quentin Tarantino's producer and partner Lawrence Bender on his 

slate of projects and Tarantino's upcoming "Jackie Brown." 

30 EXHIBITION EXTRA: HOLIDAY MOVIE GUIDE 

Exhibition's most complete holiday film guide includes the latest 

release dates and "Exploitips" promotional pointers on 70 movie titles! 

54 TECHNOLOGY: IMAX HITS THE "BIG" TIME By Alex Albanese 

At circuit after circuit, everything's coming up IMAX as special-format 

films make the leap from museum to megaplex. 

58 EXHIBITION PROFILE: PACIFIC THEATRES By Bridget Byrne 

How the California-based circuit's new builds are making waves. 

60 WIRED WORLD: SEGA GAMEWORKS By Pat Kramer 

The Sega/DreamWorks co-venture re-imagines the video arcade. 

62 COMMENTARY: STATE OF THE MOVIE ART By Frank Mancuso 

MGM chair Frank Mancuso asks tough questions for today's movie biz. 

70 MOVERS AND SHAKERS: AN INDIE PRODUCER'S HANDBOOK By Sam Arkoff 

Legendary A.l.P, founder Sam Arkoff's advice for tomorrow's producers. 

72 SOUND: IF THEY KNEW WHAT YOU WERE MISSING, PT. Ill By John F. Allen 

BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE'S resident sound expert John F. Allen 

continues his popular series on solutions for today's acoustics. 

94 EXHIBITION EXTRA: ANCHORS AWAYSy Herb McLaughlin a Howard McNenny 

A look at the moviehouse as retail districts' anchor tenants. 

96 FROM WHERE I SIT: THE PURLOINING REVISIONISTS By Paul R. Maracin 

Are remakes and sequels ruining contemporary moviegoing? 

98 SPECIAL REPORT: NATO'S NEW TRAINING TAPES By Michael Payne 

How NATO's new training tapes are invaluable to circuits on the grow. 

100 SPECIAL REPORT: EUROPEAN MARKET OVERVIEW By Melissa Morrison 

A country-by-country discussion of European exhibition trends. 

106 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITION SHOWCASE By Eric GIpson 

Entrepreneur John Cram revives an art theatre in Asheville, N.C. 

1 52 THE BIG PICTURE: WEIRD SCIENCE By Ray Greene 

A rumination on the underpinnings of movie sci-fi, past and present. 

BOXOFFICE (ISSN 0006-8527). Published monthly by RLD Communications, Inc., 203 N. Wabash 

Ave Suite 800. Chicago, IL 60601 . $30 per year. Canada and Mexico: $40; airmail: 

$80 Overseas subscriptions (all airmail): $80. Periodteal postage paid at Chicago. IL. and additional 

mailing otiicos. Postmaster: Send address changes to Boxofflce, 725 South Wells St., 4lh Floor, 

Chicago. IL 60607 

O Copyright 1997 RLD Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in wtiole or part 

witlKMJt permission is prohibited.

JBL Cinema Sound. 

The Sound of Yesteryear, 

Next Year and Every 

Year in 

Between. 

pif;i:fv 

Starling back in 1956, 

when James B. Lansing 

won an Academy Award 

lor Technical Excellence, 

JBl, has earned a legendary 

reputalion for quality, 

reliability and innovation. 

Today, more than threequarters 

ol all cinema 

loudspeakers sold worldwide 

come from JBL. 

No other manufacturer 

oilers as wide a range of 

solutions for the demands 

of modern cinema. That's 

why, from the smallest 

rooms to the largest, most 

exotic installations in the 

world, JBL remains... 

the speaker ol the house. 

The Samuel Goldwyn Theatre

HOLLYWOOD 

UPDATES 

Oscar: Mann About Town? Destination 

center developer TrizecHahn is in negotiations 

with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts 

& Sciences to permanently move the Academy 

Award ceremony to a site on Hollywood Boulevard. 

The proposed 3,300-seat venue would 

be located in the 500,000-square-foot entertainment 

center TrizecHahn is currently building 

next to Mann's Chinese Theatre (see 

BoxoFFicE, October 1997). The center, which 

will also house 14 new screens to be added 

to the Chinese, is part of a major revitalization 

of Hollywood and will be completed by 

the year 2000. The Academy Awards were 

first held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel 

in 1 929; for the last 30 years, the 3,200-seat 

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the 6,300- 

seat Shrine Auditorium have alternated as the 

ceremony's venue. 

Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman, 

who created unique ambient moods 

with his soundtracks for movies like "Batman," 

"Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands," has 

signed a multi-picture agreement with the 

Walt Disney Motion Picture Group. Under 

the deal, Elfman will make his debut as a 

filmmaker by directing, writing and producing 

movies on a first-look basis for the studio. 

Elfman, former frontman and founder of the 

band "Oingo Boingo," is currently composing 

the score for Disney's "Flubber." 

'Fox'-y Lady: Drew Barrymore, star of Fox's 

"Cinderella," has inked a two-year, first-look 

production deal with the studio. Barrymore 

and production partner Nancy Juvonen will 

produce "Born to Shop" for Fox 2000 through 

their company Flower Films. Barrymore also 

plans to star as a girl who's a shopaholic. 

However, when she's suddenly killed by a 

bus, her disembodied spirit finds she must 

apply her proclivity for purchasing to 'shop' 

for new parents before she's reincarnated. 

As part of Caravan Pictures' restructuring, 

Jonathan Glickman has been named president 

of the company, announced Roger 

Birnbaum, chairman and CEO of Caravan. 

Glickman, who has been with Caravan for 

four years, will oversee all aspects of development 

and production for the company. 

Projects Glickman has been involved with 

include "While You Were Sleeping" and 

"Grosse Pointe Blank." Caravan's most recent 

releases are "Rocket Man," "Washington 

Square" and "G.I. )ane"; coming up are 

"6 Days, 7 Nights," "Holy Man"; and "A 

Small Miracle," an adaptation of John Irving's 

novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany." 

Actor George Clooney ("The Peacemaker") 

and producing partner Robert Lawrence, who 

recently signed a three-year, first-look deal 

with Warner Bros., have announced a slale of 

1 2 pictures. Clooney and Lawrence, who have 

renamed their Left Bank Prods. Maysville Pictures, 

are reportedly focusing on "thinking 

man's character-driven action thrillers." Some 

of Maysville's upcoming projects include 

"Metal Cod," about a travelling salesman who 

moonlights as a singer for a heavy-metal band 

that solely covers Judas Priest tunes; "The 

Academy Croup," about an elite team of investigators 

comprised of former military, law 

enforcement and government agents; 

"Move!," the true story of a choreographer 

who turned a group of delinquents into a 

dance troupe; "Zig Zag," which follows the 

exploits of a community of Gen X snowboarders; 

and "How to Build Your Own Country," 

in which a family tries to start its own 

nation after being ostracized by its neighbors. 

Miramax Films has entered into a first-look 

co-production/distribution agreement with 

Los Angeles-based foreign sales and production 

company Nulmage.The two companies 

will co-produce up to four films annually, 

with Miramax distributing domestically and 

in all other English-speaking territories except 

South Africa. Nu Image was formerly 

allied with October Films, though most of the 

films under that arrangement were not released 

theatrically in North America. 

MGM Pictures senior vice president of production 

Elisabeth Seldes has left her post to 

embark on a new career path as a feature 

producer for MGM and United Artists. Seldes 

joined MGM in 1993 as VP of production, 

moving up to senior vice president two years 

later. She oversaw such projects as "Moll Flanders" 

and "Mulholland Falls," and has been 

involved with "Day After Tomorrow," an action-thriller 

that's currently in development. 

Carole J. 

McGorrian and Frank Salvino 

have joined production and international 

sales consortium Initial Entertainment 

Group as directors of production, announced 

lEG president Cindy Cowan. 

McGorrian previously held the position of 

director of production, finance at LIVE Entertainment; 

Salvino, also from LIVE, was director 

of post-production. lEG currently has three 

feature films in post-production: "Oliver 

Stone's Savior," an Oliver Stone/Janet Yang 

production starring Dennis Quaid and 

Nastassja Kinski; "Family Plan," starring Leslie 

Nielsen and Judge Reinhold; and "Montana," 

starring Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley Tucci, 

Robbie Coltrane and Robin Tunney. 

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space 

Museum has opened its "Star Wars: The 

Magic of Myth" exhibition, which will run 

through October of 1998. The exhibition 

examines the impact of the film "Star Wars" 

on world culture. "Star Wars: The Magic of 

Myth" features more than 200 original 

props, models, costumes, characters and 

artwork used to create the three films in the 

trilogy: "Star Wars" (1977), "The Empire 

Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the 

Jedi"(1983). Included in the display will be 

Yoda, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, jabba the 

Hutt and Han Solo frozen in carbornite, as 

well as production models of X-Wing 

spacecrafts, the Millennium Falcon, AT-AT 

Walkers, TIE Fighters, and an Imperial Star 

Destroyer. "Magic of Myth" sponsor Banlam 

Books will publish an illustrated companion 

book by Mary Henderson, who 

curated the exhibition. 

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 

FOUNDER 

Ben ShIyen 

PUBLISHER 

Bob Diefmeier (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 Pubiistiing Headquarters: 

6640 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, Hollywood, CA 

90028-7 1 59 (21 3) 465-1 1 86, FAX: (21 3) 465-5049 

Corporate; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 25485, 

Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 338-7007 

J& The 

Audit 

Bureau 

Circulation Iriquiries: 

BOXOFFICE Data Center 

725 S. Wells St., 4th Floor 

Chicago, IL 60607 

(312)922-9326 

FAX: (312) 922-7209

. 

f 

! 

: 

^, 

Junior & Dot Together At Last 

Two Concession Classics - Junior Mint^ and 

Mason Dot^ • are appearing together at theatres 

around the country. Dots' super assortment of five 

of movie goer's for years. Make sure your conces- 

sion features the double selling pxjwer of these 

two favorites - Junior and Dot together at last! 

fruit flavors and Junior Mints' creamy cwi^«£ssfl^toe Contact your local Tootsie Roll 

combination of cool mint and dark ^mmmWl^ff^^_^ I Distributor Representative for 

milk chocolate have been the choice •^^^^ amM^mMmi J complete order information. 

© Copyright, 1994 

asBS?" 

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. 

7401 S. Cicero Avenue • Chicago, IL 60629

HOLLYWOOD 

REPORT 

MIRA SORVINO 

In The "Money" 

FATHER MERRIN 

A New "Beginning" 

'"• 

r*. 

i'vjr 

DAVID SPADE 

Heads "Kingdom" 

"A CIVIL ACTION" In this 

drama that's based on a true 

story, a lawyer (John Travolta, 

"She's So Lovely") risks his career 

to represent eight families 

who have lost children to leukemia 

caused by exposure to toxic 

waste. Kathleen Quinlan ("Event 

Horizon") co-stars as the leader 

of the group who hires Travolta 

to sue the company that's responsible. 

Also starring are William 

H. Macy ("Fargo"), Tony 

Shalhoub ("Big Night"), Dan 

and James 

Hedaya ("Clueless") 

Gandolfini ("She's So Lovely"). 

Steve Zaillian, who wrote 

"Schindler's List" and directed 

"Searching For Bobby Fischer," 

scripts and helms. (Buena Vista) 

"FREE MONEY" Mira Sorvino 

("Mimic") plays an FBI agent investigating 

a murder at a prison 

run by a tough-as-nails warden 

("The Island of Dr. Moreau's" 

Marlon Brando) in this black 

comedy. Charlie Sheen 

("Money Talks") and Thomas 

Haden Church ("George of the 

Jungle") also star as two men 

who get the warden's 1 7-yearold 

identical twin daughters 

pregnant at the same time, resulting 

in all of them moving 

into the same house. (Distribution 

is to be set) 

"P.S. I LOVE YOU" Rupert Everett 

("My Best Friend's Wedding") 

will star in this comedy 

about a gay British Intelligence 

agent. Everett will also co-script 

with his writing partner, Mel 

Bordeaux. (TriStar) 

"PARKER" This action thriller, 

based on "The Hunter" by Richard 

Stark, will re-unite Mel Gibson 

with "Conspiracy Theory" 

scribe Brian Helgoland ("Conspiracy 

Theory"), who wrote the 

adaptation and will make his 

directorial debut. Gibson will 

play the title character, a thief 

who is trying to track down his 

wife and former partner, both of 

whom betrayed him and ran off 

together. Maria Bello of TV's 

"ER" will play an old acquaintance 

who winds up helping 

Gibson's character. Also starring 

will be David Paymer ("Amistad") 

and James Coburn ("The Nutty 

Professor"). (Paramount) 

"EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING" 

William Wisher, who co-wrote 

"Terminator 2" with James 

Cameron and recently adapted 

Michael Crichton's "Airframe," 

will scare up a script for a prequel 

to "The Exorcist," which 

will explore Father Merrln's first 

battle with Satan. Max von 

Sydow played Merrin In the 

original. (Warner) 

"THE GOVERNESS" This romantic 

drama will star Minnie 

Driver ("Grosse Pointe Blank") 

as a young Jewish woman in the 

mid-1 800s who takes a job on a 

remote Scottish island as a governess, 

and has a passionate affair 

with her employer. Sarah 

Curtis ("Mrs. Brown") will produce. 

(SPC) 

"FROGS FOR SNAKES" Robbie 

Coltrane ("Nuns on the Run"), 

Barbara Hershey ("Portrait of a 

Lady"), Lisa Marie ("Mars Attacks!"), 

Debi Mazar ("She's So 

Lovely"), Ian Hart ("Michael 

Collins") and John Leguizamo 

("Spawn") will star in this comic 

thriller about a gang of street 

thugs who are thespians at 

heart. (Distribution is to be set) 

"KINGDOM OF THE SUN" 

David Spade ("Black Sheep") 

will voice the lead role(s) in 

Disney's next animated project, 

which will probably be released 

in the summer of 2000, following 

1998's "Mulan" and 1999's 

"Tarzan." The plot is reportedly 

similar to that of "The Prince 

and the Pauper," in which two 

identical-looking boys from 

vastly different socio-economic 

classes inadvertently meet and 

decide to switch places. "Kingdom" 

will add an element of 

tension not found in "The Prince 

and the Pauper": a sorceress 

(voiced by Eartha Kitt) who 

threatens to turn one of the boys 

into a llama. Sting has signed on 

to compose songs. Roger Allers, 

who co-directed "The Lion 

King," will co-helm with Mark 

Dindal. (Buena Vista) 

"A PERFECT MURDER" 

Loosely based on Alfred 

Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder," 

this thriller about a man 

whose plan to kill his wife goes 

horribly awry will star Michael 

Douglas ("The Game") and 

Gwyneth Paltrow ("Sliding 

Doors") and will be directed by 

Andrew Davis ("Chain Reaction"). 

(Warner) 

"A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY" 

Another "Saturday Night Live" 

sketch brought to the bigscreen, 

"A Night At the Roxbury" will 

feature the amusingly obnoxious 

Roxbury Boys (Will Ferrell 

and Chris Kattan), who spend 

their lives club-hopping and trying 

desperately to convince girls 

to dance with them. Elisa Donovan 

("Clueless") will play a 

supermodel who thinks the 

Roxbury Boys are rich and tries 

to bilk them out of their money. 

Amy Heckerling ("Clueless") 

helms and produces. (Paramount) 

"DANCING AT LUGHNASA" 

Directed by Pat O'Connor ("Inventing 

the Abbotts"), this 

drama tells the story of five unmarried 

sisters and how their 

lives change when their brother, 

a Catholic priest who had been 

living in Africa, returns home. 

Meryl Steep ("Marvin's Room"), 

Catherine McCormack ("Braveheart"), 

Kathy Burke ("Nil By 

Mouth") and Sophie Thompson 

("Emma") star. (SPC) 

"RUNE" Dee Snider, former 

frontman of the heavy metal 

band Twister Sister, scripted this 

thriller and will star as a serial 

killer 

who uses the Internet to 

lure young girls. Kevin Gage 

("G.I. Jane") will play a policeman 

who's also the father of one 

of the kidnapped girls. (Distribution 

is to be set) 

"ENEMY OF THE STATE" Will 

Smith will star for director Tony 

Scott ("The Fan") as a charismatic 

Washington lawyer 

who's forced to go on the run 

when the National Security 

Agency frames him for a crime 

he didn't commit. Gene Hackman 

("Absolute Power") is in 

talks to play a former NSA operative 

who helps Smith's character. 

(Buena Vista) 

"54" Mike Myers ("Austin Powers: 

International Man Of Mystery") 

will take on a dramatic 

role as gadabout scenester Steve 

Rubell, who co-founded the infamous 

superstar-populated 

Manhattan nightclub Studio 54 

in the '70s. Salma Hayek ("Fools 

Rush In"), Neve Campbell 

("Scream"), Ryan Phillippe ("I 

Know What You Did Last Summer"), 

Sela Ward ("The Fugitive") 

and Heather Matarazzo 

("Welcome to the Dollhouse") 

also star. Mark Christopher 

scripts and directs. (Miramax) 

frCfTfRA; Chevy Chase, Don 

Rickles and Jack Warden have 

joined Norm Macdonald in 

MGM's comedy "Dirty Work," 

about a man who starts a business 

exacting revenge for clients. 

..An jelica Huston has been 

cast as the wicked stepmother in 

Fox's "Cinderella," which stars 

Drew Barrymore in the title role. 

Dougray Scott ("Deep Impact") 

plays Prince Charming, and 

Melanie Lynsky ("Heavenly 

Creatures") is one of the two 

stepsisters.. .In Buena Vista's romantic 

comedy "I Won't Be 

Home For Christmas," Jonathan 

Taylor Thomas will play a high 

school senior who tries to prevent 

his girlfriend from falling for 

someone else. Arlene Sanford 

(•A Very Brady Sequel") directs.

Rp

over 

World of

TOMORROW 

BOXOFFICE Goes Overseas and Undercover on the 

Set of "TOMORROW NEVER DIES"Ay Bridget Byrne 

HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND—James Bond flicks open a 

lady's Oriental fan. Knives fly from the struts of its painted 

semi-circle. Bond's eyebrow is raised barely a hairbreadth; only 

a slight moue flickers at the comer of his mouth as he responds with 

jaded amusement to this mini-secret weapon, another trick of the trade 

in the endless spy game that has engaged his life. 

But this is not something Q has dreamed up—this is opposition 

gimmickry. And Bond is not on home turf; he's in a Vietnamese bicycle 

shop. Around him are rickshaws and tricycles; on the floor, in death or 

unconsciousness, lie a few coolie-clad bodies. The shop's facade has 

been ripped open to expose a whole cache of high-tech weaponry and 

a complex computer system, in front of which sits a beautiful woman, 

as insouciant as Bond himself 

It's a Tuesday morning in June at Eon Studios, Frogmore, 

Hertfordshire, just north of London, England. Bond, as embodied by 

Pierce Brosnan, and Michelle Yeoh, who plays Wai Lin, an agent of the 

Peoples External Security Force in Beijing, have 

been on the set since 8 a.m. to complete what 

caUsheet No. 58 for the movie 'Tomorrow Never 

Dies" refers to as "Int. Bicycle Shop." Prop requirements 

for the three scheduled scenes include 

"Bond's acquired gun, guns for thugs, handcuffs, 

concealed switch. Chinese 'Q' gadgets, ammo, 

chopsticks, computers, bicycles and Bond's new 

WaltherPPK." 

Already this morning, Wai Lin has fought thugs 

(hence the bodies on the ground). Now "confidences" 

are being exchanged between the beautiful 

Oriental spy and the British 007 agent (hence 

the look of understanding that passes between 

them as the fan explodes). Soon they wUl move 

on to a scene in front ofthe computer to track down 

a stealth boat. Together they are trying to put a stop 

to the evil machinations of a megalomanic media 

baron eager to start World War HI. 

As with most filmmaking, particularly anything 

that calls for special effects, this is all slow 

and tedious work, but it is accomplished by cast 

and crew with confident good humor and a strong 

sense of genuine camaraderie. The hidden wire is 

once again run up Brosnan "s arm for another take 

on the exploding fan shot. Brosnan, wearing black 

slacks and a blue shirt, open enough to show the 

hair on his chest, is a gleaming presence, shiningly 

clean-cut through the haze of warm smoke enveloping 

the set. His impossibly good looks seem 

even more clearly delineated by the few more 

years under his belt and a little more heft to both 

his emotional and physical makeup than when he 

first stepjjed into the Bond role witji "GoldenEye" 

in 1 995. As he registers again Bond's unperturbed 

response to the killer fan, his eyes glint like blue 

steel. 

"Confidence" is the word Brosnan chooses to describe both the 

quality that Bond must possess and the feeling he himself now has, 

playing this near classic role fcr the second time. His debut in "GoldenEye," 

which made him the fifth actor to play Ian Fleming's superhero 

(following Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy 

Dalton), was credited a success by both critics and the public, reviving 

interest in the character and extending the Ufe of the Bond series begun 

by producers Albert R. (Cubby) BroccoU and Harry Saltzman in 1%2. 

As Brosnan is able to step out of the scene for a moment while camera 

adjustments are made, he acknowledges that it is indeed "a slow day" 

and uses a British schoolboy reference to describe the long shooting 

schedule, which has just passed the "half-term" mark. Location filming 

includes the French Pyrenees, Southeast Asia Mexico and the Florida 

coast, but "home base" rs this special smdio in Frogmore, where three 

soundstages and adjacent facilities have been constmcted (under a metal 

roof once used for supermarket storage) and a backlot has been transformed 

into a Saigon street on which a pivotal chase sequence takes 

place. 

"I've signed 

everything: breasts 

buttocks... IVIy 

signature has got 

bigger and bolder 

and more open. 

I don't know 

what that means. 

Confidence, maybe! 

Second-unit shooting is also taking place nearby. The English papers, 

from the tabloids to The Times, feaoire articles 

this morning about a fire brigade being called to 

a shopping center parking lot in nearby Brent 

Cross the previous afternoon when a stunt involving 

buming cars got a Utde too hot to handle 

and black smoke necessitated evacuation. But, 

throughout the day on the "Bicycle Shop" set, 

explosions—which include an ornamental 

dragon belching flame and the back of a tricycle 

blowing off—work without mishap. 

Re-wired, Brosnan stands relaxed while the 

camera crew make last-minute adjustments before 

covering themselves with protective blankets 

prior to the fan exploding in their direction. 

He's so relaxed he actually yawns, but when 

"action" is called the Irish-bom star snaps skillfully 

into motion, movement and dialogue handled 

together with the professional grace he has 

demonstrated since his TV days as "Remington 

Steele." 

MeeanwhUe, co-star Yeoh has time to chat, 

something she does with consummate 

ease. "It's as though this role was written 

for me," says the beautiful action star, explaining 

that Wai Lin is "a woman of the '90s." 

Bom in Ipoh, Malaysia, and schooled and 

trained in ballet in England, this former Miss 

Malaysia has performed her own saints in starring 

roles in many Asian action films, the best 

known to intemational audiences probably 

being "Police Story HI: Supercop" with Jackie 

Chan. "I always wanted to be Bond," she admits 

with a laugh, happy that she has landed a role 

that is the next best thing. She dubs Brosnan as 

Bond, James Bond, to be "perfect, just perfect." 

Although clearly quite decorative enough to 

meet the sexy, gorgeous standard necessary for traditional Bond girls, 

this slender, sophisticated actress is something way beyond that, naturally 

able to meet the demands of a role that calls for a woman she

HAVING A BLAST: Pierce Brosnan takes aim at his second manifestation of Ian 

Fleming's agent 007 in MGM/UA's "Tomorrow Never Dies. " 

describes as "intelligent, smart, very feminine, 

just as physically skilled as Bond—in fact very 

similar to him, though she is 'East' and he is 

'West'" 

So does this liaison between Bond and Wai 

Lin (a woman who doesn't need to be rescued 

because she's an expert at Bond's own game) 

remain just professional in 'Tomorrow Never 

Dies," or does it turn personal? 

Yeoh teases 

the point cleveriy. "It's like we are dancing, 

cheek to cheek. We're too busy getting fired at, 

shot at. We're on the run, chasing and being 

chased. But oh yeah, the thought is there!" is 

all she'll admit to. 

is clearly impressed with Yeoh's 

Brosnan 

professional skills and delighted by her 

personal charm. Similar feelings 

echoed by the crew and director, Roger 

Spottiswoode, denote satisfaction with the 

casting choice, caie ofthe fresh twists each new 

Bond movie needs to keep the genre vital and 

current. "This cast is excellent," stresses 

Brosnan. "and the script has real elegance and 

gritandisjustasmu.scularas'GoldenEye.'But 

I think you will see a real new departure in 

style, which Roger Spottiswoode brings to all 

this." 

The Briti.sh-bom Spottiswoode has made a 

wide variety of films, working mainly in 

America both in features and television. His 

movie resume includes "Under Fire," "Air 

America," "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" 

and 'Turner + Hooch." For TV. he has helmed 

"And The Band Played On" and. most re 

cently, the visually innovative "Murder Live." 

In jeans and jacket gray-haired with glasses 

on a beaky nose, he looks like a teacher and 

moves around the set unobtrusively. 

When he gets a few moments to sit down to 

talk, Spottiswoode mentions the "confidence" 

he sees in Brosnan 's performance, which was 

previously equalled only those many years ago 

by the original Bond, Connery. "Pierce has 

grace, a sense of irony—he 

doesn't take himselftoo seriously. 

He has assumed 

the character wonderfully 

without in any way trying 

to be Connery, and now 

this second time it is clear 

he has real confidence in 

what he is doing," says the 

director, who seems to be 

slowly warming to the task 

of discussing work he'd 

probably rather be just 

doing. 

"The fun and the difficulty 

of doing a Bond film 

is that people have enormous 

expectations," 

Spottiswoode says. "Everyone 

wants to give you 

free advice about everything, from what new 

gadgets there should be to what the villain or 

the women should be like. Everyone has an 

opinion. The challenge is how to renew and 

change it and move it forward so that it's 

modem and a thriller of the '9()s, but still a 

Bond film. And also you have the problem in 

that everyone else is try ing to make their action 

films Bondish. so you are competing not only 

with Bond's own past but with what other 

people are doing now." 

The director agrees that he is bringing a new 

visual style to this, the 18th Bond film since 

Her Majesty's Secret Service agent first hit the 

big screen in "Dr. No." Spottiswoode describes 

that 

approach as "slightly more realistic but 

still high style and character driven like the 

60s films were, but with a lot of visual energy." 

One sequence of particularly high energy 

will be the chase scene, which was begun 

on Far East locations and will be completed on 

the adjacent backlot, which this day is nearing 

the end of the elaborate set dressing necessary 

to turn it into an oriental market through which 

a helicopter will chase a motorcycle. Market 

stalls, stuffed with food and wares, lie under 

overhanging roofs; elevated walkways are 

draped with clothing and possessions. The 

track for the helicopter and camera mns down 

the center. Mayhem looks assured. 

"We have to try to do two or three scenes 

that have never been done before," 

Spottiswoode says. He reveals that, needing to 

think of a new twist to the "vegetable carts 

overturned" moments of this market chase, he 

recalled an incident that occurred during a 

stunt when he was filming "Air America." A 

steel tire iron held aloft was accidentally sliced 

through by a hovering helicopter. "No one was 

hurt, but remembering what a helicopter blade 

could do I thought it would work to use the 

helicopter blades to destroy this market as 

Pierce and Michelle are chased into a cul-desac 

and over the rooftops on their motorbike." 

The script, credited to screenwriter Bruce 

Feirstein, reflects input from a number of the 

major behind-the-scenes players, including 

Michael G. Wilson, who co-produces with 

Barbara Broccoli. Wilson and Broccoli also 

co-produced "GoldenEye," though at that time 

Cubby Broccoli was still alive and available 

be Bond... It's as 

though this role 

was written for 

me— a real woman 

of the '90s.'' 

— Actress Michelle Yeoh, 

Wai Lin in ''TND'' 

for creative consultation. 

Since 

Broccoli's death, 

admits, 

Wilson 

"tliere's a big void. 

He was our mentor 

as well as being my 

stepfather and 

Barbara's father But 

we want to continue 

doing what he 

wanted to do, which 

was to provide good, 

solid, escapist entertainment 

so that for 

two lidui's peoplecan 

forget their woes." 

"GoldenEye" had 

the smarts to acknowledge 

some of 

Bond's anachronistic behavior, in scenes such 

as the tart-tongued moment when his boss, M. 

played by Dame Judi Dcnch, calls him "a 

sexist misogynist dinosaur, a rclic of the Cold 

War." The film also possessed the self-mocking 

humor to refer a number of times to the 

"boys with toys" antics of the hero ;ind his male 

enemies. This new film, an Eon production, to

Remarkable. Reliable 

Reasonable. 

(Sound Advice For Smart Business.) 

The remarkable sound of 

DTS has topped the list 

of 

fdmmakers and audiences for over 

four years. And why not? The crisp, clear 

sound of DTS has provided moviegoers with 

the very best in sound while delivering 

unsurpassed reliability for theater owners on over 

11,000 screens worldwide. Sound incredible? That's our 

job. Call us at 800-959-4109. 

DIGITAL 

\ 

SOUND 

Listen. And BeAmazed. 

r 

31336 Via Colinas #101 Westlake Village CA 91362 (818)706-3525 (800)959-4109 

Topean Office; 51-55, roe Guslave Hubert! 1030 Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32 2 248 1206 

Visit our Website http:/'www.dtstech.com 

Response No. 467

t£ nîv/kL'tn/'p 

ODELL'S 

be released stateside this 

Christmas by UA, 

will no doubt also recognize that Bond is 

functioning in a modem worid of ever-changing 

values. Yet both Wilson and Spottiswoode 

admit they aren't too concerned about meeting 

too strict a standard of political correctness. 

"Maybe sometimes a politically correct 

world provides opportunities to poke fun at 

things," Wilson says. Adds Spottiswoode, 

"Actually, people keep telling me, 'Don't be 

too politically correct,' though obviously today 

you couldn't get away with calling a character 

anything like F^jssy Galore!" 

villain of "GoldenEye," stops by for a lunchtime 

visit. A nice, rather shy, ordinary bloke, 

he is a far cty from the sleek, self-assured, 

double-dealing Cossack he played opposite 

Brosnan in the hit film—which grossed more 

than $350 million woridwide, twice that for 

any previous Bond. He is greeted warmly by 

Brosnan and those in the crew who worked 

with him, but out of character to casual observers 

he lacks the head-tuming appeal that 

Brosnan has off camera as well as on. 

Brosnan feels he's handling the overload of 

attention that has come with playing Bond well 

4, 

if 

K 

RE^L 

BUTTER 

America's Favorite 

Popcorn Topping 

4 

Premium 

100% 

CfiNOLfl OIL 

* * Now Available -k -k 

Non-Hydrogenated Popping Oil 

No Trans-Fat 

SaPUR-KIST 

TWO 

Buttery Flavored Popcorn Topping 

For Good Taste 

and Profits 

Call Our 24 Hour 

Toll Free Number: 

1-800-6350436 

No. 73 

I 

PRYCE IS RIGHT: Award-winning actor Jonathan Pryce is a media mogul bent on world domination. 

Take our word for it. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. 

Media 

power is the chosen villain of 

'Tomorrow Never Dies," personified 

by Elliot Carver, a power-crazed 

mogul who steps over the line to create the 

news, rather than report it, 

by attempting to escalate 

weapons deals into global 

conflict. Carver is played by 

Jonathan Pryce. The British 

actor, 

who made his name 

internationally in the stage 

musical "Miss Saigon," recently 

played Juan Peron in 

the film musical "Evita" and 

won the best actor prize at 

the 1995 Cannes fest for his 

portrayal of the writer 

Lytton Strachey in "Carrington." 

Carter's glamorous 

wife Paris is played by 

Teri Hatcher, last seen on the 

bigscreen in New Line's 

"Heaven's FVisoners," but 

best known as Lxiis Lane in 

the ABC-TV scries "Lois & Claric: The New 

Adventures of Superman." Returning from 

their "GoldenEye" debuts are Dench as M and 

Samantha Bond a.s Miss Moneypenny; Desmond 

Llewelyn will be making his 16th appearance 

portraying the MI6 gadget wizard Q. 

None of these actors are present this day, but 

Scan Bean, the British actor who was the 

enough. "Everyone comes at you and it can 

pick away at you bit by bit if you are not 

carefiil, but what you have to do is remember 

it's 

*'The challenge is 

how to renew it and 

move itforward so 

that it^s modern 

and a thriller of the 

^90sy but still a 

Bondfilm, ^^—Roger 

Spottiswoode, director 

not you, it's him," Brosnan says, looking 

only a little rueftil 

before chuckling as 

he talks about such 

demands of fame as 

signing autographs. 

"I've signed everything: 

brea-sts, buttocks... 

My signature 

has got bigger and 

bolder and more 

open. 1 don't know 

what that means. 

Confidence, 

maybe!" Then he 

steps back on set, 

nimbly primed to 

parry and return 

anything coming at 

him. whether bun 

mot or weaix)n. as 

the living epitome of Bond, James Bond.lH 

"Tomormw Never Dies." Starring 

Pierce 

Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher. Directed 

by Roger Spottiswoode. Written by 

Bruce Feirstein. Produced by Micluiel G. Wilson 

and Barbara Broccoli. A United Artists 

release. Ojxns 12/19.

The PAC^LOGIdHIFema Automation System 

^=*^TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATIONtm 

m^"a»3^ 

The PANALOGIC Cinema Automation System introduces a totally new concept in cinema automation. A highly 

flexible, fully integrated electronics package that takes the hassle out of automation design and installation, and 

allows total customization of every aspect of the automation process. At the heart of the new Panalogic automation 

system is the RC1 40 Control Panel, the design of which takes all of the best features of existing systems, discards all 

of the worst and combines them into a brand new concept called TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATION. The RCI 40 

Control Panel provides a new level of user friendliness for error free operation even by inexperienced users. Gone 

are the rows and rows of pushbuttons, the confusing labels and procedures, and in their place, a new, easy to use 

control interface that takes cinema automation into the next century. 

TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATION 

jgtt^the answer for eliminating operator confusion and high installation costs! 

The PANAI O^HMbM|^ Automation System integrates all of the cinema equipment controls into one control 

panel. Projec^fl^^^^fcrtains, sound, even the booth monitor - everything is at your fingertips in one ;5-unit 

panel that can b^Hj^^^lpd or wall mounted in any convenient position. Gone is the confusing array of pushbuttons 

and indicatdrS'lfiat has to be sc .inn(>d||my^ by eye every time you want to change a simple function. 

Running automation programs has never hcenwlwy and yet so powerful. 

In fact the PANALOGIC interface is so poweilul it is in full control of every situation from a single screen to a 

megaplex. Connections between all system components art' in jflHiiw^rial format so cabling is fast and low cost. 

Hf)th RS2 .^2 and R'^ J«"- ---"^ 'i^t- f"-"^ ^'^ ^re pro""'*"'^ 

.^^^^fc. 

"See the new Panalogic 

CA1400 at booth 710 at 

the ShtUAuEast Convention 

11,1 Auloin.ilioii Svslem (.in .iKo he -iiipptu'd wit 

M' IVXNASIhKK^ CSPIJOO ( incm.i Sound IV(ko_. 

800) 45-SMART or (770) 449-6698

'-' 

Sneak Preview 

WAR 

PATH 

Director PAUL VERHOEVEN 

Returns to the Sci-Fi Genre 

With TriStar's Big-Budget 

"STARSHIP TROOPERS" 

by Kim Williamson 

It 

looked to him then, says filmmaker Paul 

Verhoeven, like "a special effect. For a 

child of two, what can you say: This looks 

like a lot of flames. It was interesting. Of 

course, you could see the Luftwaffe. They 

were flying over. They were bombing." 

It's just past noon on an L.A.-blue day in 

August, and the Dutch-bom Verhoeven, now 

aged 59, is having lunch with BOXOFFICE in 

the Rita Hayworth commissary on the famed 

Sony (nee MGM) lot 

in Culver City, Calif 

Prominendy displayed in a silver poster 

case near the restaurant's entrance, the 

first in a row of posters for such current 

and upcoming Columbia and TriStar 

fare as "Gattaca" and "Godzilla," is the 

one-sheet for Veihoeven's new "Starship 

Troopers." (Tagline: "A New Kind 

of Enemy. A New Kind of War.") 

But the man who has made his Hollywood 

repute with films controversial for 

their violence and sexuality — "Flesh -t- 

Blood," "RoboCop," 'Total Recall 

"Basic Instinct" and "Showgirl.s"—is re 

calling a reaJ-life moment, a half-century 

ago and a continent and ocean away, as 

a toddler during the Second World War. 

On May 14, 1940, his family having ju.st 

relocated to Rotterdam's outskirts from 

his Amsterdam birthplace, Verhoeven 

stood witness to the bmtal bombing of the port 

city that killed 980 people and destroyed 

20,000 buildings. At the time, the German 

attack—which came after all Dutch resistance 

had ceased—stood as history's most devastating 

single air offensive. "We were not in the 

center of Rotterdam," Verhoeven says simply. 

"But you could see it, of course." 

Yet that day was to be only a preface to his 

World War II experiences. In 1943, his parents 

and their only child moved to a new abode 

outside The Hague. "Our house was very close 

to the launching pads of the V-1 [the German 

rockets that rained down on southern England 

during the war's second half]. The V-1 s would 

go right over our heads. 

"So the English and the Americans, but 

mostly the English, were continuously bombing 

the area to destroy these launching pads," 

"I think these visions are in ['Starship 

Troopers']," Verhoeven concludes. "With 

spaceships in this case, of course. And this is 

against bugs, not Germans." 

JL r

t 

I 

1 their 

I 

I see 

I naked—in 

\ 

had 

^ 

aerobics. 

; stone. 

could 

rode 

do 

was 

was 

— 

Moving into action at the theatre's front, 

though, Verhoeven seems comfortable enough 

to tell a joke. Explaining that what tonight's 

audience will be seeing begins about 60 minutes 

into the movie, he says the characterizations 

of the multitude of 

players onscreen will already have 

been developed. "That is there—but 

I cannot prove it to you," he say s. The 

journalists laugh. "Remember it's 

war movie," Verhoeven closes, just 

before the lights fade to black, "so it's 

not only Ughthearted." 

Indeed not: Although the footage 

includes scenes of comic fraternization 

and simple fisticuffs between 

young bucks, incipient romance 

among the Mobile Infantry's bi-gender 

ranks, and back story (Buenos 

Aires, home of the story's hero, 

Johnny Rico, has already been obliterated 

by enemy attack), the showcase 

sequence is Earth's starship 

invasion of the aliens' home planet of 

Klendathu. It's a D-Day gone horribly 

wrong. Plasma bugs, a sort of 

giant ground-based firefly that can 

shoot far aloft a kind of biological dynamite, 

bring one after another of Earth's mightiest 

space vessels flaming down through the atmosphere. 

Lander vehicles that make it safely to 

the planet discharge mammoth waves of infantry, 

only to have hundreds of thousands of 

those valiant soldiers cut to pieces— quite literally—by 

fast-moving warrior bugs. Retreat 

is called; the camera rests on a devastated 

landscape, dotted with the corpses and parts of 

corpses of insects and humans. 

A mix of darkness and light, flesh and soil, 

it's a ghastiy but not surprising mise en scene, 

coming from a filmmaker who as a child saw 

Germans "picking up pieces of pilots," who as 

an adult believes "the natural state of my mind 

I feel is still more war than peace." 

The 

psychology that Verhoeven brought 

to the project is, of course, only prologue 

in bottom-line terms. The studio's focus 

now for the movie is in generating audience 

interest in going to see this first big film of the 

Christmas moviegoing season. 

On the day of BOXOFTICE's visit with 

Verhoeven, the Motion Picture Association of 

America announces the rating for the TriStar 

release: R for graphic sci-fi violence and gore, 

and for some language and nudity. The director 

is unfazed. "It was always an R," he says, with 

a finality that recalls Verhoeven's foreknowledge 

that "Showgirls" would be an NC-17. 

"There's nothing you can do about it. I mean, 

[deciding] 'let's change this movie completely 

to make it to a PG-13' would defy the whole 

setup of these bugs, wouldn't it? I don't know 

how you could make these scenes work for a 

PG-13. Because that's what [the bugs] do: 

They cut you in two. They stab you to death." 

Verhoeven's previous exercises in the sci-fi 

genre, 1987's "RoboCop" ($53.4 miUion domestic) 

and 1990's 'Total Recall" ($ 1 1 9.3 million), 

were also Rs, but their older stars—Peter 

WeUer and Nancy Allen, and Arnold Schwarz- 

a 

BATTLE STAR 

New-comer Casper Van Dien Is a "Trooper" 

Hollywood 

seems to have suddenly woken up to 

the leading-man potential of Casper Van Dien. 

Not surprisingly, his soldier-of-fortune good looks 

I had earned him roles in television in the daytime drama 

"One Life to Live" and the nighttime soap "Beverly Hills, 

90210," but now f/ie 28-year-old is moving to the 

b/gscreen here, there and everywhere. He's going to be 

the next Tarzan in Live's "Tarzan and Jane," co-starring 

Jane March ("Color of Night"). He's playing the screenidol 

title role in "James Dean: Race With Destiny" (release 

pending). And, opposite Rod Steiger and Natasha 

Wagner, he's in a &iriller, "Revenant," about hip vompires 

living in LA. But first he'll be seen warring with 

giant bugs in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi adventure "Starship 

Troopers." Van Dien, who describes himself as "an 

optimist" who has been "pretty lucky my whole life," 

called BOXOFFICE from the El Paso, Texas location 

where he has been shooting the movie "On the Border, " 

which he describes as a "who's-screwing-who story, in 

more ways than one. " He talked about what a trooper 

he is, literally and figuratively. 

BOXOFFICE: Was it easy to act opposite giant bugs? 

CASPER VAN DIEN: It was no problem to imagine them coming at you when you have 

Paul Verhoeven yelling and screaming "Bugs are comingi Bugs are coming!" at the top of 

his lungs, his arms flailing in an attack model But of course it is a combination of computer i 

graphics—^which means little orange markers telling you where they are—and huge models 

ancTlittle models and animatronics and dead bugs on the ground. You have to use your 

imagination, but the input they gave us with illustrations and models made it very vivid. And, 

as they had gotten the money to make the movie by creating a sequence [see Paul Tippett 

sidebar, p. 20] showing how the huge bugs attack, they were able to show us that too. I 

think I saw it 33 times in boot camp and before filming started. 

BOXOFFICE: Why did Verhoeven take you and the other actors vsHio play 

the troopers to that boot camp in Wyoming before filming started? 

VAN DIEN: It put us through the rigorous physical training we needed and helped us all 

understand military procedure and etiquette. 

BOXOFFICE: Didn't the fact you attended military school and your father 

and grandfathers were in the Navy mean you were ahead of the game? 

VAN DIEN: Yes, I found a lot in the character of Johnny Rico to identify with, which made 

me certain I 

do this role. I'm a pretty organized man, but I'm also a risk taker who 

enjoys going out on a limb. I really believe in the military. I think it gives backbone to a lot 

of men and women and instills respect and purpose. Military school provided the discipline 

you need to deal with society and to learn to work with people to get a job done. This film 

was run like a well-oiled military project—not over budget, smoothly, and everyone knew 

job and got it done. 

BOXOFFICE: Whafs the nastiest encounter you had with one of the bugs? 

VAN DIEN: I on top of this tanker-size bug, 28 feet up in the air, I got a bit bruised 

and banged up, but it was a lot of fun and actually I was in better shape than most of the 

stuntmen. I had to throw a grenade at the bug and then jump on it to try to kill it. I jumped 

off a mountain to land on the bug and that earned me a stunt buckle. 

BOXOFFICE: Is this film very violent? 

VAN DIEN: There is a lot of violence but, hey, it's a movie— it's a huge cartoon. You only 

two people killed by other people. Everyone else is killed by bugs! But it's also a love 

story, and it's about how Johnny finds himself through his success in the Mobile Infantry. 

BOXOFFICE: Did you have to look in even better shape for "Tarzan and Jane"? 

VAN DIEN: I wear an itty-bitty loincloth. I like that—barefoot and nearly 

the jungle for four months, so I would get up very early each day to work out. I 

think this "Tarzan" is going to be the closest to [Edgar Rice] Burroughs' conception. Tarzan 

so often been depicted as big, strong and dumb. If he was dumb, he would have died. 

But this is a more "Indiana Jones"-type or Tarzan, which will be fun for the whole family. 

BOXOFFICE: What do you like to tk> when you do hove free time? 

VAN DIEN: I rock climb, horseback ride, pby football and baseball, and do karate and 

I write, I read, I study. I bve learning new things, particularly languages. I even managed 

to learn a little bit of Zulu when I filming 'Tarzan" in Africa. Everything you do is a stepping 

If you don't learn something along the way, you are a fool. Bridget Byrne

\ 

and 

i 

I 

i 

sky—are 

; 

equivalent 

] 

throwers, 

tM t ^%/ r^mrtrtfm* 

characterize 

If 

BUG BRAIN 

Phil Tippett Again Draws on His Monster Talents 

all started with "King Kong. " Phil Tippett first saw 

the classic creature feature on '50s TV as a child, 

and from that moment his future was set in motion— 

done, " Tippett explains. 

or stop-motion. "Ihadto figure out how all that stuff was 

The Oscar and Emmy awardwinning 

visual effects artist has spent his life not only 

figuring out how the giant ape came alive but also 

bringing to life many of his own creatures. Jabba the 

tlutt from "Return ofthejedi," the robots in "RoboCop" 

and the T-Rex in "Jurassic Park" are just a few among 

Tippett's personal monster menagerie. Today, he owns 

his own visual effects shop, Berkeley, Calif.-based 

Tippett Studio, and his latest effort is "Starship Troopers. 

" In f/ie futuristic war movie, the enemy is an army 

of, 

well, bugs. But large bugs. With an attitude. 

BOXOFFKE: Is "Starship Troopers" the biggest 

film you've worked on? 

PHIL TIPPETT: Yeah, by far. It's like the "Lawrence 

of Arabia" of sci-fi pictures. 

BOXOFFICE: Is it true the studio mode you 

shoot a test of the bugs before it would commit to the project? 

TIPPETT: It's strange. The studios are just into tests now, to justify going ahead with stuff. 

It's not as ttiough one's reputation or skill can justify taking the risk. So we went out to Vasquez 

Rocks and shot [Olympic] gold medalist Mitch Gaylord dressed up in an armored trooper's 

outfit. Paul directed it. [Laughs] We ripped Mitch apart. 

BOXOFFICE: Is the film going to be as violent as that suggests? 

TIPPETT: It's a Paul Verhoeven war/ monster picture. I don't think it's going to be anything 

too soft and cuddly. 

BOXOFFICE: "Bug movies" seem to be in these days, what vsnth "Mimic" 

"Men In Black." 

TIPPETT: Part of that is a strategic decision because of the nature of the technology. The 

computer graphics [are better at creating] exoskeletons than continuous fleshy surfaces. 

BOXOFFKE: Such as human beings. But aren't you also using computer 

graphics to render humans when they're being ripped apart by the bugs? 

TIPPETT: Oh, sure. I them as "computer graphic stunt doubles." 

BOXOFFICE: Thafs a great term. But the bugs are obviously the main show. 

They're divided into different breeds, aren't they? 

TIPPETT: Yes. The film pretty much follows the generic rules of World War II pictures, so 

ttie "warrior bugs" are the infantry. The "plasma bugs"—these giant three-story bugs that 

shoot plasma out of their butts like a big stink bug and blast spaceships down out of the 

kind of like the guns of Navarone, tfie heavy artillery. The "hoppers" are the 

of the air force. The "tanker bugs" are like tanks that have viscous liquid, like flame 

that they spray on people and melt them. The king bug—the "brain bug"—is itie 

evil emperor He rides on the back of his minions that are called "chariot bugs." 

BOXOFFICE: Ifs what they used to call "a cast of thousands," except these 

thousands are all computei^generated. Was that the biggest challenge on 

"Troopers"—the sheer enormity of it? 

TIPPETT: That was the main thing. The problem with special effects-type pictures is that 

you're dealing with a lot of virtual material. You're on the set with maybe 200 to 300 people, 

and you're asking them to imagine something that isn't there, that you will put in later on. 

It's very important that everybody be all on the same page of the choreography and the 

camera work. There was a tremendous amount of production meetings so that Paul and I 

knew what the bugs were going to do, and then for communicating that effectively with Jost 

Vacano, the director of photography, and then for carrying that continuity all the way through 

tfie work with the editor, Mark Goldbbtt. And assembling all the material so that it would 

make sense later on v/hen we started to put our bugs in the shots. 

BOXOFFICE: Has this given you the urge to direct yourself? 

TIPPETT: When you're safe at home in bed with the covers pulled up really close, you 

think about directing, yeah. But then you go out and see how tnese guys worx, and it's a 

pretty tough job It's brutal 

BOXOFFICE: What's in ttte future for Tippett Studio? 

TIPPETT: We're in the process now of working on the Disney project "My Favorite 

Martian." It's got a lot of cute and funny stuff in it. And then we have a Universal 

project, called "Virus," that has a big scary monster-type alien thing. So we're going 

to be doing more of thai.—Michaw Paynm 

_ 

eneggerand Sharon Stone, respectively— perhaps 

attracted adults in numbers that made up 

for the restrictions on under- 1 7 attendance. But 

"Starship Troopers" could reverse that demo 

draw, as its leads are young, relative 

newcomers. Casper Van Dien (who 

plays Johnny Rico; see sidebar, p. 1 9) 

is best known from TV's "Beveriy 

Hills, 90210"; Dina Meyer ("Dragonheart") 

is another "90210" alum; 

and both Denise Richards ("nowhere") 

and Patrick Muldoon are 

veterans of another young-teen TV 

favorite, "Melrose Place." 

"If ['Starship Troojjers'] is 'Melrose 

Place in Space,' I don't know. I 

don't think so," Verhoeven says. 

"I But] this is not 'Memphis Belle'" 

— 

the 1990 WWII movie that cast a 

decade older than the true ages of the 

.\nny Air Force pilots the film portrayed. 

That decision "didn't work," 

he says. '"Let's destroy the story and 

go for something different'— I don't 

t)elieve in that. I don't believe in second-guessing 

your audience. 

'This is about young people that come 

from high school. That's the story! They are 

these young kids, they're sitting in class, you 

introduce the audience to the society, and 

boot camp. And then war 

then we go to 

breaks out and they go off to die." 

That "Starship Troopers" is a throwback to 

two types of movies familiar to older audiences 

could help interest them. "It really is a 

Second World War movie in its tone, like the 

movies in the '40s. You get to know certain 

people, you build [their characters], and then 

at the end of the war you look back and say, 

'Well, only a couple survived,'" Verhoeven 

says. But "Starship Troopers" in its combination 

of war and humor — part boot, part 

camp—also recalls another well-known 

genre. "When I was a child, my favorite movie 

was 'The War of the Worlds.' But [I liked] all 

the science-fiction movies, even the B-movies. 

This is an upgraded B-movie in a way, isn't it? 

An animal that's big and ferocious---that's of 

course an element of the movies of the ' 50s." 

Budgeted at $90+ million, "Starship Troopers" 

disembarks on November 7, and Verhoeven 

expects that the film will succeed with 

diverse ages. "It's not a movie for 'kid-kids,' 

of 1 2 or 1 0, but perhaps even them. [Ages] 14, 

1 5, absolutely. They will see [theTV spots] and 

drive their parents crazy [to take them]. 

"And I think this movie is good enough if 

has all 

you're 22, and it's good even at 30. It 

'Star Wars' element], but it has its own 

of that I 

tone and its own dimension of looking at the 

world, at the universe. And I think it's a thrill." 

Verhtxiven says, "to go inside that world. 

"People will have the feeling that 'here is 

one of my ultimate fantasies.'" 

"Starship Troopers. " Starring Casper Van 

Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer andJake 

BiLsey. Directed by Paul Veriweveit Written by 

EdNeumeier Prodiued by Alan Marsluilland 

Jon Duvi.uHi. A TriSiar release. SF/action. 

Rated R. Opens U/7 wide. H

September, 1997 

Dear Exhibitor, 

The SDDS sound system played an important role in the success of MEN IN BLACK. 

Not only was the dynamic range extraordinary compared to a non-digital sound 

system, but the low end sub-woofer frequencies added a great deal of manliness to 

the soundtrack. 

What separates Sony's SDDS digital system from any other digital format is the 

eight channels of sound. The spread in sound, especially music, gives a sense of 

scope and richness that no other format matches. 

More and more, it is the sound system that creates a sense of scale, scope and 

importance to the movie-going experience. I was very pleased that MEN IN BLACK 

was released in SDDS. 

Best regards, 

Barry Sonnenfeld 

Director 

MEN IN BLACK 

10202 West Washington Boulevard • David Lean Building, Suite 300 • Culver City, California 90232

' 

Sneak Preview 

Behind 

every dream project 

there is a dreamer. In the 

case of Steven Spielberg's 

new film, "Amistad," opening 

iiom DreamWorks this December, 

that dreamer is Debbie Allen. 

The multi-talented choreographer, 

actress, director and producer 

spent 10 frustrating years 

trying to persuade studios to make 

the film before she took it to 

Spielberg. 

No one else in Hollywood was 

interested in the story of 53 African 

captives who mutinied against 

their Spanish captors on the 

schooner Amistad in 1 839, before 

being tried for murder and eventually 

set free in the United States. 

"I took it to a lot of people and I 

just got rejected," recalls Allen, 

who is African-American. "I took 

it personally—it was hard not to. 

They were saying the story wasn't 

important. They said, 'Nobody's 

interested in some slaves.' 

Allen first became aware of the 

story in 1978. While browsing in 

the bookstore of her alma mater, 

Howard University, she found an 

anthology, "The Amistad I," edited 

by Charles Harris. She optioned 

William Owen's 

fictionalized account, "Black Mutiny," 

in 1984, then took the project 

to Spielberg after he won his 

1994 Academy Award for directing 

"Schindler's List." Allen already 

was friendly with Spielberg, 

whose adopted African-American 

son, Theo, was a classmate of 

Allen's son, Norman Nixon Jr. 

Allen brought the project to 

Spielberg "because I knew he 

would understand it," she says. "1 

knew his people [Spielberg is 

Jewish] had suffered. And 1 

needed someone who was powerful, 

and I needed a great, great 

filmmaker. Steven was so committed 

and passionate. From the beginning, 

we were on the same page. 

"I always thought 'Amistad' 

should be a court drama that opens 

people's eyes," Allen says. "The 

Africans uplift everyone. They 

uplift the Supreme Court, who 

were just about all pro-slavers, to 

make that decision. And they uplift 

the abolitionists, a disenfranchised 

group who then have an 

image to come together with. 

"I always wanted it to be called 

'Amistad' (Spanish for 

'Friend.ship'). The title is really a 

double-entendrc, bccau.se there's 

this ship called the Amistad upon 

which the revolt took place, a very 

hateful situation, and later on all 

these people came together who 

FREE AT LAST 

With Spielberg 's 

"Amistad, " Debbie 

Allen 's Ship Finally Comes In 

by Joseph McBride 

IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST: Allen (r.) on the set of "Amistad. 

were friends of the Africans to 

stand up for freedom." 

Spielberg's choice of the $41 

million "Amistad" as his first directing 

project for his new studio, 

DreamWorks, continues his long 

but largely 

unheralded personal 

identification with the black struggle. 

As a victim of anti-Semitic 

persecution in high school, 

Spielberg was passionately interested 

in the civil rights movement 

of the 1960s. Along with 1985's 

'The Color Purple," based on 

Alice Walker's novel about an 

abused black woman in the early 

1900s South, he directed black 

actors in the leads of a "Night Gallery" 

TV episode and his segment 

of 'Twilight Zone—^The Movie." 

Despite his apparent empathy 

with "Color Purple's" Celie 

(Whoopi Goldberg), Spielberg 

was pilloried by many critics who 

accused him of a cynical ploy to 

u.se the film to win an Oscar. The 

film received 1 1 nominations, but 

Spielbeig was conspicuously absent 

in the directing category. Critics 

also took Spielberg to task this 

year for giving Jeff Goldblum a 

black daughter in "The Lost 

World; Jurassic Park," accusing 

him of doing so only to pander to 

the black audience. 

But that casting choice, on 

which the film subtly avoided 

comment, was hardly a stretch for 

Spielberg. Besides Theo, another 

of his seven children is black—â 

daughter, Mikaela, whom he and 

wife Kate Capshaw adopted in 

1996. During the filming of 

"Amistad," Spielberg declared, "I 

am making this film for my black 

children and my white children. 

They all need to know this story." 

AUen shares producing credit 

with Spielberg and Colin Wilson 

("The Lost World: Jurassic 

Park"), and the intense, day-today 

involvement of a black creative 

partner might defuse 

criticism against Spielberg this time 

around. "Steven Spielberg and 1 

have had a baby child!" Allen exults, 

metaphorically. But Walker's 

active role in the making of "The 

Color Purple" provided no such 

insulation, and Allen had to assuage 

Spielberg's anxieties before 

he committed to "Amistad." 

"Steven, that was then, this is 

now," she told him. "I think things 

will be looked at differently." 

Allen points out that "Schindler's 

List" persuaded people of 

Spielberg's emotional depth, and 

that "Amistad," unlike "The 

Color Purple," comes at a time 

when there has been a relatively 

wide variety of films dealing with 

the black experience. 

For those who might still question 

why a white director was chosen 

for such a project, Allen 

explains that not only was 

Spielberg the sole person willing 

and able to get "Amistad" made, 

it is not simply a "black" film. 

Morgan Freeman has top billing 

as an abolitionist leader, and the 

story has what Spielberg calls 

"only one heartbeat"—taking a 

single character viewpoint, that of 

the heroic captive Cinque 

(Djimon Hounsou, an actor and 

model from the African country of 

Benin). But the Africans also had 

prominent white allies, from ex- 

President John Quincy Adams 

(Anthony Hopkins) to their lawyer 

Roger Baldwin (Matthew 

McConaughey). 

Some advance criticism has already 

been lodged against 

"Amistad" as another sign of 

Spielberg's alleged tendency to 

find uplift in unlikely subject matter, 

from the Holocaust to slavery 

("Schindler's List." screenwriter 

Steven Zaillian wrote "Amistad" 

with David Franzoni). Calling the 

captives in Amistad "slaves," 

however, is a misnomer. In setting 

them free, the Supreme Court did 

not find slavery illegal in the U.S. 

but ruled instead that the Africans 

were not legal property of their 

captors and that they had a right to 

self-defense. Allen also points out 

that the denouement hardly was 

unambiguously happy: 18 of the 

captives died before being liberated. 

Cinque retumed home to Sierra 

Leone to find his family 

vanished, and the unresolved 

slavery issue continued to fester 

until the Civil War erupted. 

Given the recent inability of 

some serious films with black 

themes to find an audience, Allen 

declares she's "like a bloodhound 

on a mission to make sure the 

world knows that 'Amistad' is 

coming. [Black filmmakers] can't 

say, 'Hollywood is doing this to 

us' if 'Rosewood' doesn't make 

the same money as 'Booty Call.'" 

Juggling two films simultaneously 

as he did with 

"Schindler's List" and "Jurassic 

Park," Spielberg edited 

"Amistad" with Michael Kahn in 

London this summer while fihning 

the upcoming World War IT 

drama "Saving Private Ryan." 

The director is "sensitive about 

how 'Amistad' comes out," Allen 

says, "because it's not 'Titanic,' 

it's not 'The Lost World.' The intelligent 

thing to do is to let this 

baby bird get its wings and fly, and 

I think Steven's of that mind too. 

He's very protective of this movie 

in terms of getting it so righi."Hl

URSHIP 

TOOPERS 

JOIN THE MOBILE INFANTRY AND SEE THE UNIVERSE 

September, 1997 

Dear Exhibitor, 

I am in the midst of post production on my new film, STARSHIP TROOPERS, due 

to hit your screens on November 7. 

From a creative standpoint, STARSHIP TROOPERS is the most ambitious and 

challenging film of my directing career. We are breaking all the rules to create the 

ultimate visual and sound experience that I hope your audiences will never 

forget! 

We have been working on an 8 channel sound design and score, scrutinizing each 

and every single element. The two additional speaker channels behind the screen 

(left extra and right extra) have been maximized as a separate stereo pair to keep all 

the complex sound effects, music and dialogue tracks separate and clear. 

The end result will be a unique sound experience of far-ranging proportions, which 

only SDDS can truly reproduce in your theatres. 

I 

personally appeal to you to play STARSHIP TROOPERS in SDDS and especially 

in 8 channels. Your audiences deserve to hear this film as I intended. 

Thank you very much for your support. 

Best regards. 

Paul Verhoeven 

BIG BUG PICTURES, INC. ASTAIRE SOUTH, SUITE I5ID 10202 WASHINGTON BLVD COLVER CITY, CA 90232

U RfiYnmrE 

Sneak Preview 

AN ANIMA TED DISCUSSION 

BOXOFFICE speaks with Bill IVIeclianic About "Anastasia," 

Fox's First Major Foray into Animation by Christine James 

ROYAL RUSE: Dimitri (voice of John Cusack) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer) plan to pass off an orpfian girl (Meg Ryan) as the lost princess Anastasia. 

Mechanic, chairman and CEO ofFox 

BillFilmed Entertainment, knows there's a 

lot riding on "Anastasia." "There's 

something going on more than just the movie," 

he explains. "Most movies are movies, but this 

one's like a whole initiative for us. We've been 

on it for three years now, building an animation 

facility, building animation talent, taking a 

company that has no experience or background 

in [animation] and trying to do great 

things." As the first release from the studio's 

new animation arm, "Anastasia" marks Fox's 

rejuvenated dedication to the medium that to 

date is still considered stricdy Disney domain. 

Due out this Thank.sgi ving with abundant fanfare 

and promotion, "Ana.stasia" is being 

poi.sed to shift the borders of that territory. 

Di.sney is obviously taking the threat seriously: 

subsidiary ABC has refused to air commercijjs 

for "Anastasia" during "The Wonderful Worid 

of Disney" show (thtxigh Fox Broadcasting 

continues to air "Hercules" ads). 

With Meg Ryan voicing the title heroine and 

a supporting voice cast thai includes John 

Cusack. Chri.stopherLloyd, Hank A/aria Angela 

Laasbuiy and KcLsey Grammer, "Anastasia" is 

being primed as a pulUxit-all-the-stops event 

picture. In addition to its tie-ias with Burger King 

and Coca-Cola, Fox has signed with numerous 

other promotional partners to ensure "Anastasia" 

has a big impact on the marketplace. 

^7 think great movies 

and great stories 

come out of some 

difficult circumstances. 

I donH think it's 

all about sweetness 

and Ughf 

Of previous attempts by other studios to 

stake a claim in animation. Mechanic says, 

"I think they've been carpetbaggers. They 

come in trying to take from somebody else 

instead of being serious about what they're 

trying to do. They made no commitment. 

And if you go back, in 1984. Disney was in 

bad shape. They were really not succeeding 

in the animated business. The last few pictures 

had all not worked, and it was really 

['Anastasia' director and former Disney employee] 

Don Bluth that led the way to the 

renaissance of the animated film. It was 

[Bluth's] 'American Tail' and 'Land Before 

Time' that were the all-time boxoffice 

champs at that moment." 

Fox itself has released animated films in the 

past, but not with any cohesive development 

strategy—or boxoffice success. "I consider 

what has happened up till now as dipping a toe 

in the water," Mechanic observes. "So many 

people felt that it was only the province of 

Disney that they never really approached it 

with any kind of seriousness." 

Even Mechanic is hard-prc.ssed to name 

some of Fox's previous efforts in the genre. 

"'Pagemaster,' 'Femgully'...um. something in 

the forest, what was it? — 'Once Upon a Forest.' 

In the far pa.st, [Fox] had done 'Wizards.' 

But there's no real tradition to it, and again, I 

think there's .something about being serioas 

about a business." 

"Being serious" entails, for starters, building 

an animation studio in Phoenix that employs 

about 350 people, as well as a satellite arm in 

Los Angeles. Additionally, Fox is developing

November. 1997 25 

projects from the ground up, as opposed to 

simply acquiring completed works. 

"We're not just saying 'Show us the finished 

film and we'll decide whether we 

want to distribute it.' We're deeply involved 

in it," says Mechanic. "We've made a longterm 

commitment to Don Bluth and [co-director] 

Gary Goldman; we're in the middle 

of our second picture ["Planet Ice," an outer 

space fantasy/adventure]; and we're ready to 

start our third picture. So it's an ongoing 

process, and we've retooled a lot of the 

company, including licensing and merchandising, 

to be able to handle it, and to have 

everybody invested in what it is that we're 

trying to do." 

Historically, despite their best efforts, no 

studio other than Disney has yet been 

able to achieve blockbuster success in 

the animation milieu. In response to industrywide 

skepticism as to whether another sOidio 

can become a major player in the market. 

Mechanic is pragmatic—and optimistic. "I approach 

this as a business where everybody's 

going to doubt you. Which is why we didn't 

talk about the movie, we didn't show the 

movie, we didn't deal with the movie publicly 

for quite some time—until we could actually 

show people we have the goods. 

"There's certainly no reason to believe that 

one company has the market cornered," he 

continues. "It is just not fathomable. It would 

be the same thing in reverse [when Disney was 

an animation-only studio] and they weren't in 

live-action, to say Disney couldn't do a liveaction 

business. A company that had only one 

tradition could follow only that one tradition. 

Well, that's just not the case." 

With Don Bluth having been one of 

Disney's former lead animators, it's not surprising 

that the characters in "Anastasia" have 

a Disneyesque look and feel (an observation 

Mechanic concedes is 'fair to say"). EHfferentiating 

"Anastasia" from Disney fare was not 

a target goal, he notes. 

"We focused on the 

story we wanted to tell and what we wanted to 

have the movie feel like. It wasn't so much to 

do something the same or do something different, 

but to make a movie." 

Mechanic cites several elements of "Anastasia" 

that he feels will make it a success: "The 

characters are very real, even though they're 

drawn. The emotions and the intellect— you 

can totally buy into it as an audience. It has 

great music, it's funny, and it tells a wellrounded 

story." 

On the surface, the story of Anastasia could 

be viewed as a romantic fantasy fairytale: A 

beautiful young woman suffering from amnesia 

discovers she may actually be a princess. 

However, the predicating events—i.e., the 

Bolshevik uprising resulting in the slaughter of 

Anastasia's family—is not exactly the sort of 

subject matter one would associate with an 

animated musical. Set in Russia in the early 

19(X)s and loosely based on the events that 

occurred after the slaying of Czar Nicholas 

Romanov II and his family—a massacre the 

youngest daughter was rumored to have escaped 

— "Anastasia's" plotline is arguably a 

GOING BATTY: Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) literally loses face in front of Bartok the bat (Hank Azaria). 

disquieting one for the medium (though certainly 

no more so than, say, "The Hunchback 

ofNotre Dame"). But the mystery ofAnastasia 

holds a Cinderella-story allure that's a standard 

in the genre. 

"I think great movies and great stories 

come out of some difficuh circumstances," 

explains Mechanic of Fox's decision to tum 

this emotionally and politically tempestuous 

story into an animated film. "I don't think it's 

all about sweetness and light. And I think that's 

^'Ifwe had children 

running out of the 

theatre, I'd say we 

screwed up.'' 

part of what people have done. They've talked 

down to children." Nevertheless, with regard 

to how closely "Anastasia" will be adhering to 

the historical account, it appears to have been 

significantly Pocahontasized. For example, in 

this telling, Russia's last royal family is not 

executed by the Bolsheviks; instead, they die 

at the hands of the evil wizard Rasputin and his 

albino bat sidekick. 

But the death of Anastasia's family will be 

an important element, says Mechanic. "What 

happens to the royal family is what establishes 

the emotional reality of our movie. It's only a 

backstory, but it is there to establish who this 

girl is and what her loss is. It will affect people. 

I don't think we" ve brushed over it." However, 

given the large kiddie contingent anticipated 

in "Anastasia's" audiences, the harrowing elements 

have been kept to a minimum: "If we 

had children running out of the theatre, I'd say 

we screwed up." Mechanic says, laughing. 

"If I was a historian and I wanted to judge 

this as a historian, I don't know that I would 

say 'Oooh, they really nailed the story,"' Mechanic 

acknowledges. "I think we took creative 

license with it. So I don't know if we'll 

pass those tests. We're making a movie. It's 

sort of like, somebody asked about 'Volcano,' 

"Can it happen here?' Well, you know, can it 

happen here, is that what we're trying to do? 

We weren't making a documentary." 

And what does Mechanic believe happened 

to the real Anastasia? 

'1 don't know." he says, "7 read the books and 

watched with fascination last year when they 

applied DNA tests to the bones [of the murdered 

Romanovs], and luckily for us discovered that 

Anastasia was not found with the rest of the 

family, which does leave her mystery unsolved. 

Which I think is good for us." ^H 

"Anastasia. " Voices by Meg Ryan. John 

Cusack and Christopher Lloyd. Directed and 

produced by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. 

Written by Eric Tuchman and Susan Gauthier & 

Bruce Graham. A Fox release. Nov. 2 1.

26 Bf»xf»KFirE 

Sneak Preview 

PULP 

CONVICTION 

LAWRENCE BENDER Takes 

Independent Producing to 

New Heights Witii His Latest 

Tarantino Collaboration 

"JACKIE BROWN" 

Four 

months into their tenancy at 

Miramax Pictures ' new Los Angeles digs 

(formerly occupied by the late, great 

Hemdale) A Band Apart Productions is still 

settling in. Lawrence Bender's office is especially 

spare with unpacked boxes forming a 

series of neck-high columns. "I just barely got 

back," he apologizes, detailing the breakneck 

summer pace that has kept him juggling producing 

chores on three major year-end releases. 

"This job is so all-encompassing." 

In addition to "Jackie Brown," his 

hotly-anticipated third teaming with pal 

and partner Quentin Tarantino, Bender 

is also putting the finishing touches on 

Boaz Yakin's "A Price Below Rubies," 

with "Jerry Maguire" star Renee 

Zellweger, as well as Gas Van Sant's 

"CJood Will Hunting," starring Robin 

Williams and Matt Damon. "'Good 

Will Hunting' was greenlit in the middle 

of shooting 'A Price Below Rubies' in 

New York," recalls Bender. "And 

'Good Will Hunting' shoots in Toronto 

and Boston. So I was caught between 

shooting one movie in New York in the 

middle of a freezing winter while having 

to prep and cast another movie in 

Ton)nto and Boston. Then we locked the deal 

for 'Jackie Brown' to start shooting three 

weeks before we wrapped 'Gotxl Will Hunting.' 

So for 1 2 weeks, I'd work all day in L.A. 

on 'Jackie Brown,' then jump the red-eye. It 

was this triangle. When evetything wrapped 

except for 'Jackie Brown,' I thought, 'Thank 

God! Just one location!'" 

Even at a chaotic pace, it's obvious Bender 

loves what he docs. Though more reserved and 

soft-spoken than his manic partner. Bender 

shares Tarantino's passion for the magic of 

moviemaking. It's hard not to see the two of 

them as the proverbial "kids set loose in a 

candy store"—with one very important distinction: 

these "kids" run the candy store. 

Trained primarily as an actor, dancer and, of 

all things, acivil engineer. Bender has risen fa.st 

among the ranks of Hollywood's hottest producers, 

working increasingly with other directors 

on such films as "Fresh," "Killing Zae" 

"/ love making movies, 

but Vm not 100 percent 

satisfied, I don 'tfeel 

that all my creative 

muscles have been 

exercised as a producer. 

and "White Man's Burden." But his association 

with Tarantino transcends any other: "I 

know it sounds cliche," he says, "but Quentin 

and I have a really special relationship. It 

means a lot to both of us because we really 

started out together. It's a situation where one 

plus one equals much more than two." 

Not .surprisingly, many industry observers 

agree, crediting Bender as much as Tarantino 

for the commercial successes of "Reservoir 

by Wade Major 

Dogs," "Pulp Fiction" and "From Dusk Till 

Dawn." "When we met," remembers Bender, 

"Quentin had been struggling for a long time 

just as I certainly had. And the meeting of the 

two of us, somehow, is what made it happen. 

If someone else produces something that he 

does or if 1 work with another director, as great 

an experience as it is, it "s never quite the same." 

That explains Bender's enthusiasm for 

ff 

"Jackie Brown," Tarantino's first effort as a 

director since 1994's "Pulp Fiction." Based on 

the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum 

Punch"—the first of four Leonard novels 

acquired by Miramax for Tarantino 

— "Jackie Brown" features a 

quirky cast that promises to rival "Pulp 

Fiction's." In addition to '70s feminist 

action icon Pam Grier in the title role, 

"Jackie Brown" also stars Robert De 

Niro. Samuel L. Jackson, Michael 

Keaton, Bridget Fonda and the resilient 

Robert Forster. "It's very much 

Quentin's writing, but it's also very 

much Elmore Leonard's writing. It's a 

great synthesis of their two styles." 

Not that Tarantino and Lronard are 

necessarily all that far apart to begin 

with. It was Tarantino who persuaded 

John Travolta to do the film version of 

Leonard's "Get Shorty," which some critics 

derided as derivative of "Pulp Fiction." The 

plot of "Jackie Brown," which centers on a 

middle-aged stewardess' scheme to defraud 

her gun-running partner before he can eliminate 

her as a potential govemment witness, 

seems tailor-made for Tarantino's sensibilities. 

Some debate has arisen, however, concerning 

decisions to change the lead character's

NOTHING ELSE 

IS A PEPSI 

PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA. NOTHING ELSE IS A PEPSI and the Pepsi Ball design are trademarks of PepsiCo.' 

Response No. 191

V.i\\l\\ I IfV 

— 

race and to relocate the story from Florida to 

the less glamorous South Bay area of Los 

Angeles where Tarantino grew up. "The essence 

of the woman is the same," says Bender 

in Tarantino's defense. "Quentin is a big 

fan of Pam's and felt this was a great role 

for her to play. As to why he set it 

in the 

South Bay. it's because Quentin really 

knows the South Bay. He's very much a 

regional filmmaker, even though we don't 

think of Southern California as having 

those regional aspects." 

Like Tarantino, Bender is optimistic 

that the film will mark a new career beginning 

for star Grier, whose ' 70s era anthems 

to female power — "Foxy Brown," 

"Sheba, Baby," and "Coffy." among others—have 

since evolved cult followings. 

"It certainly will be a great comeback for 

her," he says. "She's so hot and so foxy in 

the film. I think audiences will be very 

impressed." 

remains mindful of his other 

Bender 

projects as well, most notably 

"Good Will Hunting," which came 

his way via Miramax co-chairman Harvey 

Weinstein. "Harvey, around Christmas of 

1995, said to me, 'I want to give you my 

favorite project at Miramax. This is the movie 

I believe in the most of any project I have right 

now.' So I read the script, which was written 

by Matt Damon and ["Chasing Amy" star] Ben 

Affleck. And I really responded to it." The 

story of a gifted but troubled youth and his 

relationship with a widower-therapist quickly 

became a magnet for A-list talent, including 

director Gus Van Sant and Robin Williams, 

who will play the therapi-st opposite cowriter/star 

Damon. "You sometimes forget 

what an amazing dramatic actor Robin Williams 

is," says Bender, "because he doesn't 

play those roles that often. This is going to be 

just a beautiful, beautiful movie." 

First up, however, will be "A Price Below 

Rubies," Bender's second collaboration with 

"Fresh" director Boaz Yakin. "It's about a 

young Hasidic woman, played by Renee 

Zellweger, coming to terms with herself," 

Bender says. "It's about individual versus 

community, about a woman finding her own 

strength, finding something inside of herself 

And Renee is just extraordinary." 

Bender's plate for 1998 is already filling up 

fa.st. Two follow-ups to "From Dusk Till 

Dawn" are expected to go before cameras by 

year's end, while active development continues 

on new film adaptations of "Modesty Blai.se" 

and a non-musical "Anna and the King" 

starring legendary Hong Kong action hen) 

Chow Yun-Fat. 

Still, despite his success. Bender confesses 

to a certain degree of career anxiety. "I don't 

know if this is the last thing I want to do in my 

life. I love making movies, but I'm not 100 

percent satisfied. I don't feel that all my creative 

muscles have been exercised as a pn)- 

ducer. I do feci, as some point, that I want to 

direct. And I also feel like I need to do some 

more acting. TTierc's still a lot of things in life 

I want to do." 

Hi 

JACKIE SPEAKS... 

In 

early '70s retro classics "Foxy Brown," 

"Sheba. Baby" and "Cqffy," Pam Grier 

dicln 't just redefine screen femininity, she 

irv(ilutioiu:eil it. Her gun-wielding, hutt-kicki,,t,' 

i7A(7; persona became instantly legendaiy, 

shattering 

age-old racial and gender stereotypes 

and, in the process, inspiring a generation 

ofimpressionalile. young would-befilmmakers, 

including a certain Quentin Tarantino. 

Twenty years and a handfid of .supporting 

roles ("Mars Attacks." 

"Original Gangstas," 

Escape From LA. ") later, the .seemingly inev- 

Pam and Quentin teaming lias finally 

itable 

occurred, adding what promises to be yet another 

icon to her memorable gallery: Jackie 

Brown. 

BOXOFFICE: Would you say that Jackie 

Brown is in some ways a throwback to your 

old roles or is this a step forward in a new 

direction? 

PAM GRIER: It's a definite step forward in 

a new direction. Jackie is still an independent 

woman, she's just a little more mature. As opposed 

to being a character in her twenties, she's 

in her forties and the film looks at how all those dynainics have changed 20 years later, through 

the style and the humor of Quentin's writing and Elmore Leonaid's flavor. I think the character's 

added 20 years of maturity and wisdom help make the story infinitely more exciting. 

BOXOFFICE: The word "comeback" has been thrown around a lot, with some pundits 

already suggesting that this role may do for you what Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" did for 

Travolta. 

GRIER: I wish I could say it's a comeback. But the problem with African-American actresses 

and actresses of color is that there's not enough work. You'll work once every four years and 

think you're making a comeback when that's consistently the amount of work that you'reoffered 

or which you can land. 

BOXOmCE: Which probably makes it even more flattering that Quentin rewrote what 

was originally a white character especially for you. 

GRIER: It's more than flattering. From a spiritual point of view, it's a blessing. From a human 

point of view, from the point of view of my craft and the type of work that 1 strive to do, it's so 

rewarding. For any actor who's dreamed of working with him. you know you'd do anything 

for him. So to have him rewrite this role for me is really an honor. 

B()X()FHC"I": And you certainly have yourself an amazing supporting cast. When you 

have the opportunity to act with Robert De Niro, Sam .Jackson, Michael Keaton, Bridget 

Fonda and Robert Forster... 

(JRIER: ...You better kiss yourself and hope the dream doesn't cnti! I qui\cr just thinking 

about it. These are [X'oplc I've always wanted to work v\ ith. whom I've always atlniiiod. Then 

suddenly I'm working with them. We really became like family. !l was one of the most 

supporli\ e.eneiyelic and creative sets I've been a part ol in a long time. There was agreal feeling 

where yoLi didn't want to go home, where you felt you could easily work 20 hours and not feel 

it. 

BOXOFFICE: A lot of people thought you were pioneering a new feminist direction in 

movies during tlie '70s, but the rest of the industry failed to tuni the corner with you. Do 

you think it will ever catch up".' 

(JRIER: I really believe that I did o|X"n a door at the time and other women weren't a-ady 

to be as physical. And there was still a mindset of not Ixing as independeni Main women 

wanted to still play the traditional role of being taken care of Ami nni imiil iIk\ wiix- linally 

forced by the recession imd the oil embargo into having to go into the \\ mk Imi. c dul \\w\ realize 

they had to take the reins of their family's life and do something abmii ii I li.ii s w hen ilie\ really 

built their confidence and saw that it was okay to be tough. oka\ to be smail, oka\ to he assertive 

and still be feminine and wift and caring. 

BOXOFFICE: So you think tlie opportunities are inipi"oving'.' 

(>RIER: Well. tiK-re's Sigoumey Weaver in the '"Alien" tllms. Theies "I a I emme Nikiia." 

And l(X)k at "Cj.I. Jiuie," I can go on and on. But you have to have the actresses w ho can I. ike it 

anti still open a movie and still be dynamic and still Ik- pretty and be all the lani.isie^ Ihai's a 

lot of work. I think it's a new era and an exciting time I don't know it I'm a paii olii. I don't 

know if I'm opening any doors. All I know is that doors are opening lor me. and lor that I am 

grateful. Watle Mqjor

ORC xenon bulos 

Impressive 

'

whether the talented Murray, of distaffdemo. Snipes has a following, 

(the rating here is R for strong slacker music scene of Seattle, a 

sexuality and language, and for love affair between two all-girl 

drug content), so expect best results 

in larger cities— thus the lim- 

Gross and "Love Always'" Marisa 

rock group bandmates (Molly 

ited opening— and with the Ryan) hits the skids when one of 

"Chostbusters" and "Groundhog 

Day" fame, can draw substantial and the Figgis name (thanks 

to the Academy and public atten- 

audiences after "Kingpin" and 

"Larger Than Life. " But the studio 

made perhaps the season 's wisest 

move when it re-dated this film to 

11/14; previously, the PG-rater 

(for language, innuendo, comic 

violence and sensuality) was set 

to suicide against Disney's "Flubber"; 

now, it will lose only girls 

and younger children to... 

The Little Mermaid 

The story of a beaulitul 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 produces 

with the late Howard Ashman. 

Alan Menken's score won 

an Oscar; the Ashman/Menken 

tune "Under the Sea" took a statuette 

tions to "Leaving Las Vegas") 

also. (Buena Vista, 11/14) could draw some mainstreamers. 

Exploitips: Even though it was 

the first of the new Disney's big 

Welcome to Sarajevo 

animation successes (it did $84 

Brit and Yank joumalists, including 

a female producer ("Shallow 

million), this G-rater is likely to 

have just one big weekend. 

Grave's" Kerry Fox), a novice reporter 

(Emily Lloyd) and a jaded 

Though non-Disney, with all the 

perils that portends. Fox's new 

writer (Woody Harrelson), cover 

"Anastasia" is directly targeted at 

the Bosnian war. For U.K. correspondent 

Michael Henderson 

young girls come 11/21— and 

then Disney trumps itself with 

(stage actor Stephen Dillane), it becomes 

personal when he, helped by 

"Flubber" the following week. 

One might still expect decent 

an American aid worker (Marisa 

play through the holidays. 

Tomei), decides to smuggle to safety 

a little orphan girl. Michael 

One Niglit Stand 

Winterbottom ("Jude") directs; 

Frank Cottrell Boyce scripts; Graham 

Broadbent and Damian Jones 

The latest from Oscar-nom'd 

filmmaker Mike Figgis ("Leaving 

produce. See our Oct. -issue Sneak 

Las Vegas") is a romantic drama 

Preview. (Miramax, 11/14 NY/LA) 

about a married man who has 

what he expects will be just a Exploitips: In our 3 1/2-star review 

one-night stand with a married 

duly issue), our Cannes 

woman. Finding he's unable to critic called this docudrama "a 

forget her, though, he tries to rekindle 

the romance—with unex- 

...an extraordinarily affecting, 

complex, deeply moving story 

pected results. Wesley Snipes, personal, and at times uplifting 

Nastassja Kinski ("Fathers' Day"), tale." Winterbottom's camera is 

Robert Downey Jr. (also in "Hugo candid: The film is rated R for 

Pool"), Kyle MacLachlan ("Showgirls") 

brutal images/war atrocities and 

and Ming-Na Wen ("The language. Expect the more ma- 

)oy Luck Club") star. Figgis scripts ture arthouse audiences to favor 

(|oe Eszterhas originated the this, given its world-news topicality, 

story), and Figgis produces with 

while the younger head to... 

Annie Stewart and Ben Myron. 

(New Line, 1 1/14 700 runs) 

Slaves to the 

ExploitipK Even in this era, the 

black/white romantic casting 

Underground 

might put off regional audiences In tins (Jrjnij set against the 

the gals runs into her former boyfriend 

(Jason Bortz) and their relationship 

reignites. Docu- 

mentarian Kristine Peterson directs, 

and she produces with Bill 

Cody and Raquel Cabal les Maxwell; 

Bill Cody scripts. (First 

Look, 11/14 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 draw younger 

female and lesbian audiences. 

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: Porter's challenging 

"Orlando" grossed a good $7 

million take in 1993, and highlighting 

that credit could draw 

arthouse audiences. Though "Orlando" 

would hardly have filled 

the bill, "The Tango Lesson"— 

rated a promotable PG (for brief 

language and some violent images)— 

might allow outreach to 

local art programs for exhibitors 

eager to take advantage of the 

film's age-friendly rating. 

Nick and Jane 

A successful female executive 

meets a male cab driver; love 

blossoms. But can it last? Dana 

Wheeler-Nicholson ("Denise 

Calls Up" and James McCaffrey 

("The Truth About Cats and 

Dogs") star. Rich Mauro directs; 

he scripts with Neil Alumkal and 

Peter Quigley; Bill McCutchen III 

produces. (CFP/Avalanche, 1 1/14) 

Exploitips: Our Santa Barbara 

critic (June '96 issue) gave this 

two stars; still, everyone loves a 

love story, so hype the genre. CFP 

moved this from 10/10, which 

one hopes is a sign ofconfidence; 

the 11/14 frame is chockfu I of 

specialized fare. 

A Further Gesture 

Playing a hard-luck Irishman, 

Stephen Rea ("Michael Collins") 

exits the Emerald Isle for New York 

City. There, fortune still doesn't 

smile on him, as he becomes involved 

in an assassination attempt. 

(Castle Hill, 1 1/14 ltd) 

Exploitips: Given a certain 

popularity of Irish-themed films 

stateside, the Irish element and 

Rea's name are the sells. Expect 

the genre to favor male turnout. 

Ill 

Gotten Gains 

In 1869, after slavery's abolition, 

24 captives in the hold of the 

slave ship "Argon Miss" experience 

the spirit in The Wood 

(voice of Eartha Kitt), prompting 

them to bloody uprising. This 

drama stars Djimon Hounsou 

(the upcoming "Amistad," which 

is based on the same historical 

incident), Akosua Busia ("Rosewood"), 

De'Aundre Bonds ("Get 

On the Bus") and Clabe Hartley. 

Joel Marsden directs, scripts and 

produces. (Spats Films, 1 1/1 4) 

Exploitips: Perhaps feeling an 

understandable need to bow before 

"Amistad," Steven Spielberg's 

high-profile tale (which 

DreamWorks docks 12/12 limited 

and expands 1 2/25), production 

company Spats Films has 

determined to open on this date 

and could self-distribute. At press 

time, negotiations with several 

distributors were ongoing. 

NOVEMBER 21 

Anastasia 

Meg Ryan voices the title character 

In this animated tale of Czarevna 

Anastasia (daughter of 

Russia's last Czar, Nicholas II), 

who might have escaped a! ive the 

killingofthe 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

Successful Theatre Management Is Not Just 

/oj^ aLUCK 

wm fl^ ^^^ X 

^'^^ good business management) 

^^ ^ ^ jSj^^mt. 

># % % 

y' 

Splyce Modules: 

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! 

Box Office Manager 

Employee Manager 

-KsrFHr 

rrmrnv 

rFHror 

FFHrBF 

FFHFBF 

Concession Manager 

Home Office Manager 

M 

Spkicc 

|||[ 

^^ Version 2.0 

See us at SHOW EAST at booth #121 & 123 

Inc. Call: (888) 4-SPLYCE or (253) 884-5802 www.eims-inc.com

" 

Crammer, Angela Lansbury, John 

Cusack and Christopher Lloyd 

provide other voices. Don Bluth 

and Cary Coldman, the team for 

"An American Tail" and "All 

Dogs Co to Heaven," direct and 

produce; Eric Tuchman, Susan 

Cauthier and Bruce Craham 

script. See our Sneak Preview in 

this issue. (Fox, 1 1/21 wide) 

Exploitips: Like DreamWorks, 

Fox is going heavy into animation— 

even as recent Disney animated 

fare has been struggling to 

reach the once-easy $ 1 00 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 littlegirl 

side in particular— the same 

group that Disney satisfied just 

"The Little 

last weekend with its 

Mermaid" reissue. Yet the advantage 

seems "Anastasia's," given 

that it's a new entry opening for 

the Thanksgiving school break. 

The Rainmaker 

Adapted from John Crisham's 

1995 best-seller, this David and 

Coliath 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 ("Chosts 

of Mississippi") and Mickey 

Rourke co-star. Francis Ford 

Coppola directs and scripts; Michael 

Douglas and Steven 

Reuther produce for Douglas/ 

Reuther Prods, with American 

Zoetrope. SeeourOctober issue's 

Cover Story. (Paramount, 11/21) 

Exploitips: This is the seventh 

Grisham-based film in just five 

years, and the last ("The Chamber") 

was received coolly. Given 

"A Time to Kill's" response, 

though, that might have been an 

aberration, not a sign ofaudience 

overdose. Some expect Damon to 

be the next McConaughey (who 

leaped to fame with "A Time to 

Kill"), and the supporting cast 

here is solid. And, of course, 

there's that Coppola name. 

Mortal Kombat: 

Annihilation 

A group of courageous warriors 

must survive newchallenges 

when they do battle with an evil 

warlord who wants to rule 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 

("Hellhound") scripts with 

Bryce Zable; Larry Kasanoff produces. 

(New Line, 11/21 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 at 

the malls on Thanksgiving break. 

Oscar & Lucinda 

Sharing love, guilt and a passion 

for gambling, a British priest 

("The English Patient's" lâlph 

Fiennes) and an Australian glassworks 

heiress (Cate Blanchett) decide 

to toil together to transport a 

glass church by river to a remote 

Down Under parish. Gillian Armstrong 

("Little Women") directs; 

Laura Jones ("High Tide") adapts 

Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning 

novel; "Cosi's" Timothy 

White produces with Robin Dalton. 

(Fox Searchlight, 11/21) 

Exploitips: The artho use 

crowd was to have two key 

choices this weekend, but 

Gramercy's move of "The Matchmaker" 

to 1 0/3 leaves this R-rater 

(for sexuality and brief violence) 

with the arthouse weekend virtually 

to itself (Unless this goes 

1 1/14, vs. considerable competition.) 

The Armstrong and Aussie 

pedigrees will pull the "My Brilliant 

Career"/"Shine" types (at 

$13 mil. in production coinage, 

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. 

Liar 

In this psychological thriller, a 

Charleston blueblood ("Hoodlum's" 

Tim Roth) who might have 

ki I led a hooker ("Jerry Magu i re's" 

Renee Zellweger) uses his brilliance 

to play mental games with 

two detectives ("Muiholland 

Falls'" Chris Penn and "Trigger 

Effect's" Michael Rooker). Ellen 

Burstyn and Rosanna Arquette 

co-star. Jonas and Josh Pate direct 

and script; Peter Glatzer produces 

for MDP.(MGM, 1 1/21 ltd) 

Exploitips: An acquisition to 

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 

business for the higher-wattage 

"The Jackal." As leads, the 

players here are more arthouse 

names, so expect a specialized 

Cold Meaal...meeting all your 

I- theatre equipment needs 

'97 Gold Medal 

J'WWW-^. 

Improving the way the world 

makes popcorn and other fun foods 

The Pop-0-Gold 32 oz. delivers perfectly popped corn every time and 

is just one of the top quality theatre poppers available from Gold Medal. 

Sleek stainless steel designs and illuminated neon headers attract 

customers' attention and provide decades of dependable service! 

High volume concession stands need a high capacity floor model 

warmer! Provides fast heat-up and even "holding" temperatures 

from top to bottom! 

Gold Medal's lineup of Cornados are the best available In the 

Industry featuring the steel kettle and deluxe corn freshening 

system. Available in a variety of kettle sizes including 48 oz. 

Popcorn sells better with butter - add any one of our automatic 

butter dispensers to your equipment package. 

Call, write or (ax today for our theatre popper brochure! 

CALL 513-769-7676 or TOLL FREE 1-800-543-0862 

FAX 513-769-8500 or FAX TOLL FREE 1-800-542-1496 

See US at 

ShowEast 

Booth 51-52 

CBGOLD MEDAL' PRODUCTS CO. 

35 Wortd Headquarters BIdg., 10700 Medallion Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45241-4807 

51 3-769-7676 • e-mail: goldmel 90eos.net • www.gmpopcorn.com

»is 

J 

.fp' 

^ 

^ w 

» w 

:=.::^

level of turnout. Some extra 

media attention is likely given the 

fact that the directors are twins. 

NOVEMBER 28 

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 

Bent 

Based on the stage play of the 

same name, "Bent" is an unconventional 

wartime love story that 

brings Nazi persecution of homosexuals 

into the spotlight. A 

suave, debonair playboy. Max 

(Clive Owen of "The Rich Man's 

Wife"), is living the decadent Berlin 

nightlife when Hitler's reign of 

terror begins. Max finds himself 

on the run from the SS and denying 

his identity— until he meets a 

similarly imperiled man, Horst 

(Lothaire Bluteau, also in "Other 

ttallin? a 

Bafflctte 

h At Eatu At 

With Proctor's Bafflette" system, installing a THX* sound 

wall behind your theatre screen is as easy as child's play. 

We supply the materials in our ready-to-install kit; 

you supply a day of labor. It's that simple. 

The Bafflette has more advantages than being a breeze to 

install: it is guaranteed to comply with THX certification 

standards,* and the cost is usually fully depreciated. 

Give us a call at 303-973-8989 to find out more about 

the Bafflette. You'u su rr mallv stacks up. 

SEE US AT SHOWEAST BOOTH 409-411 

liiimiftjii ot 1t»B«flH» (km not •«v.« tmic >#.fi*«ai"-i r

We Made the B 

Even Better! 

LED framing 

illuminator. 

Powder coated 

environmentally 

safe paint. \ 

\ ' 

-i^ vS 1 

Wider opening, 

positive action 

film gate. 

Separate 

intermittent 

sprocket shoe 

(independently 

adjustable) 

UL,CUL&CE 

listed.

38 BOXOFFU'E 

"" 

predictable 

— 

" 

uncle. Georgia Ragsdale co-stars. 

Stephen Kijak directs, scripts and 

produces. (Turbulent Arts, 1 1/28) 

Exploitips: Expect strongest 

turnout from twentysomethings 

who can relate and from gay and 

lesbian auds. Some crossover 

might be generated via a gottasee-this 

response to the Kidder 

presence, first for her change-ofpace 

role and second for her 

comeback from much-publicized 

physical and mental difficulties. 

NOV. UNDATED 

Body Count 

In a "Jade" reteaming, Linda 

Fiorentino and David Caruso star 

in this film about an art heist gone 

wrong. Ving Rhames ("Rosewood"), 

Forest Whitaker ("Species"), 

)ohn Leguizamo ("The 

Pest") and Donnie Wahlberg 

("Ransom") co-star. Robert Patton 

Spruill ("The Squeeze") directs. 

(Gramercy, Nov. undated) 

Exploitips: Unlike the similargenre 

"Kiss or Kill" (see below), 

this has salable stateside star wattage, 

so expect some turnout from 

mainstreamers willine to venture 

into an arthouse hall. The genre 

and rating (R for strong violence 

and pervasive strong language) 

could also help pull males. 

Kiss or Kill 

Down Under helmer Bill Bennett 

("Two If By Sea") directs 

"Love and Other Catastrophes'" 

Frances O'Connor and Matt Day 

in this dramatic thriller about a 

griftercouplerunningfrom police 

across Australia's Nullarbor Desert. 

When a series of murders 

occur along their route, each suspects 

the other. Bennett also 

scripts and produces. (October 

Films, Nov. undated) 

Exploitips: Especially given its 

lack ofknown names, emphasize 

the Aussie heritage of this arthouse 

entry to attract fans of 

Down Under fare. And— as with 

Cramercy's "Body Count"— 

highlight the genre to help draw 

males Into your theatre queue. 

The Leading fVlan 

In this (Ir.inia set amid 

London's theatre world, a playwright 

(Lambert Wilson) sleeping 

with his leading lady ("The Journey 

of August King's" Thandie 

Newton) asks his leading man 

("Moonlight & Valentino's" Jon 

Bon Jovi) to sleep with his angry 

Italian wife ("The Hairdresser's 

Husband's" Anna Gallena) 

with results that he had not intended. 

John Duigan (also "The 

Journey of August King") directs; 

Virginia Duigan scripts; Bertil 

Flubber 

Robin Williams fakes on the Fred 

MccMurray role in this remake of the 1961 

family comedy "The Absent-Minded Professor." 

Williams plays a scientist who invents 

Flubber (a rubbery anti-gravity substance); 

Christopher MacDonald ("The Rich Man s 

Wife") plays the prof's nemesis who tries to 

purloin the putty. Marcia Gay Harden ("The 

First Wives Club") plays the prof's 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, 1 1/26) 

Exploitips: Four years (and two days) 

ago, Williams and Hughes protege Chris 

Columbus launched the family comedy 

"Mrs. Doubtfire" to Thanksgiving-througn- 

New Year success and a very domestic 

$220 million. Clearly, Disney hopes for that 

~''i kind of number, vs. that for its previous 

" 

Williams starrer, the 8/96 "Jack" ($59 

million). The chances? Especially given its 

PG rating (for slapstick action 

and mild language}, not bad. Expect "Alien 

^ Resurrection and Red Corner" to draw the 

non

" 

" 

— 

DECEMBER 

DECEMBER 5 

Office Killer 

In this black-comic horror film, 

Carol Kane ("The Princess Bride") 

stars as a mousy murderer prowling 

a magazine company's halls 

after her boss-from-hell, a careerobsessed 

assistant and a paranoid 

colleague. Molly Ringwald, 

Jeanne Tripplehorn and Barbara 

Sukowa co-star. Photographer/ 

artist Cindy Sherman makes her 

directing debut; Tom Kalin 

scripts; Christine Vachon produces 

for Good Machine's horror/art 

label. Good Fear. (Strand, 

12/3 NY, 12/5 LA, 12/1 2 SF) 

ExplOitips: Originally slated to 

go out via Miramax on (this is 

Miramax all over) Secretary's 

Day, "Office Killer" now punches 

in for Strand. Expect at least a 

modicum ofgleanable press cites 

from the film's Toronto fest appearance, 

and play up the seasonal 

counterprogramming with 

a comic catchline like: "Not feeling 

festive at work? Here's one 

way to celebrate: murder. 

The Mother 

and the Whore 

This reissue of the controversial 

3 1/2-hour French film (winner at 

the '73 Cannes of a special grand 

jury prize and the international 

critics prize) explores the relationships 

among three children raised 

in the '60s counterculture who are 

both the heroes and victims of sexual 

liberation. Bernadette Lafont, 

Jean-Pierre Leaud and Francoise 

Lebrun star. Jean Eustache directs. 

(Artificial Eye, 1 2/2 NY) 

ExploitipK Highlight the 25th 

anniversary angle with a catchline 

like "the film that inflamed 

audiences 25 years ago returns. 

for serious arthousers, the film's 

French-language nature is a plus. 

DECEMBER 12 

Amistad 

Sievun Speilberg, in his first serious 

film since "Schindler's List," 

tackles issues of slavery and justice 

in this drama based on a true 

story. In summer 1839, 53 African 

captives led by Cinque 

(Djimon Hounsou, also in the 

Gotten Gains") lake 

similar "III 

over the slave ship Amistad but, 

failing in their attempt to sail 

home, are forced to confront the 

American justice system. Abolitionist 

Theodore Joadson ("Kiss 

the Girls'" Morgan Freeman) and 

young lawyer Roger Baldwin ("A 

Time to Kill's" Matthew McConaughey) 

ready a defense, but 

President Martin Van Buren 

("Twelfth Night's" Nigel Hawthorne) 

wants to appease the proslavery 

South. Anthony Hopkins, 

Pete Postlethwaite, David Paymer 

and Stellan Skarsgaard 

("Breaking the Waves") co-star. 

David Franzoni and Steven Zaillian 

(also "Schindler's List") script; 

Spielberg, Debbie Allen and 

Colin Wilson produce. See this 

issue's Sneak Preview. (Dream- 

Works, 1 2/1 2 ltd, 1 2/25 exp) 

ExplOitips: This looks to be a 

solid performer, just as a dozen 

years ago Spielberg's "The Color 

Purple" pulled. Although the 

storyline here might not be as 

mainstream-wide as is other upcoming 

Christmas fare, "Amistad" 

is likely to generate great 

press attention, thus cranking up 

audience interest. A dynamic cast 

could also help word of mouth 

travel inward from the coasts as 

the film nears its Christmas Day 

expansion. Expect the Spielberg 

name to free up boxoffice gold. 

Senseless 

In this Penelope Spheeris ("The 

Little Rascals") comedy, a cashstarved 

college student ("The 6th 

Man's" Marlon Wayans) works 

four jobs but still 

can't pay his 

bills. He agrees to participate in a 

university medical experiment 

that is supposed to heighten his 

senses, which it does until he 

starts to experience bouts when 

he completely lacks one of his 

senses, leading to comically embarrassing 

events. David Spade 

and Rip Torn co-star. David 

Hoberman and Eric L. Gold produce. 

(Miramax, 1 2/1 2 wide) 

ExplOitips: This is likely to pull 

in urban auds wanting lighter fare 

than "Amistad" (and none too interested 

in New York angst; see 

next item), and it should draw 

well from the suburban twentysomething 

and on-Christmasbreak 

ivy-campus crowds. So 

highlight Spheeris' "Wayne's 

Wodd" credit, even if a bit dated. 

Deconstructing Harry 

In this latest Woody Allen selfreflexive 

comedy, Allen plays a 

writerwhoselifeisan 

erratic series of very 

nervous romances. 

Kirstie Alley, Richard 

Benjamin, Billy Crystal, 

Judy Davis ("Husbands 

and Wives"), 

Mariel Hemingway 

("Manhattan"), Amy 

Irving, Julie Kavner 

"Shadows and Fog"), 

ulia Louis-Dreyfus, 

Demi Moore, Elisabeth 

Shue, Stanley 

Tucci and Robin Williams 

star. Allen directs 

and scripts; Jean 

Doumanian produces. 

(Fine Line, 12/1 2 NY/LA/Tor) 

ExplOitips: Although Miramax 

handled Allen's last three films. 

Fine Line acquired North American 

rights to this at Cannes (with 

part of the $10.5 million pact 

being that the distributor would 

release Barbara Kopple's documentary 

about Allen's jazz 

band's European tour). In the 

'90s, Allen's seven films have averaged 

just $8.75 million domestically, 

but Fine Line is likely to 

toil extra hard for success here. 

DECEMBER 19 

Mr. Magoo 

InthisWalt Disney effort, nearsighted 

millionaire Quincy 

Magoo ("Spy Hard's" Leslie 

Neilsen) has a stolen gem land in 

his possession. Targeted by bad 

guys who want it back, the bumbling 

Magoo— just like in the cartoons 

that Jim Backus memorably 

voiced—consistently escapes 

dangerous treacheries unharmed 

and oblivious. Added to the mix 

area nephew, Waldo, and a bulldog, 

Angus. Kelly Lynch, Ernie 

Hudson and Malcolm McDowell 

co-star. Stanley Tong (the Hong 

Kong helmer noted for such Jackie 

Chan fare as "Rumble in the 

Bronx") directs; Pat Proft and Tom 

Sherohman script; Ben Myron 

("One Night Stand") produces. 

See our July '97 issue Sneak Preview. 

(Buena Vista, 1 2/1 9) 

ExploKlpt: Already shellacked 

by conservative and religious 

groups for certain of its nonchildren 

's film fare and for its gaypartner 

employee policy, Disney 

has taken new heat from the National 

Federation for the Blind for 

what the group sees as a ridiculing 

of the blind inherent in the 

Magoo character. Disney's response— 

that Magoo is nearsighted, 

not blind— didn't seem 

to help matters much. Controversy 

can help a film like "The 

Crying Game," but it's rarely a 

boon for a family film. Then 

again, it might simply not matter; 

animal groups fearing a wave of 

unwise pet adoptions protested 

"101 Dalmatians," and that made 

$136 million domestic. Nonetheless, 

antics-full sell techniques by 

exhibitors might be unwise here. 

Home Alone 3 

This third installment of the 

John Hugheschild-caper comedy 

series that made a star out of 

Macaulay Culkin returns with a 

new eight-year-old. Alex D. Linz 

("One Fine Day") stars as Alex 

Pruitt, who—left home alone 

with the chicken pox by mom 

(Haviland Morris)—finds himself 

facing off with international 

thieves looking for top-secret defense 

plans that have been hidden 

inside the mechanical components 

of a toy car. OIek Krupa, 

Rya Kihistedt, David Thorton and 

Lenny Von Dohlen play the 

clumsy but deadly foreign 

thieves. Kevin Kilner, Seth Smith 

and Scarlett Johansson (also in 

"The Horse Whisperer") co-star; 

Raja Gosnell (who edited both 

"Home Alone" efforts) makes his 

directorial debut; Hughes again 

scripts, and he produces with Ricardo 

Mestres. (Fox, 1 2/1 9) 

ExplOitips: At one time, this 

was tentatively a summer title, 

despite the holiday success of the 

first two iterations. The wholesale 

switchout of cast— not only is 

Culkin gone, but so are Catherine 

O'Hara and John Heard as the 

forgetful parents and Joe Pesci 

and Daniel Stern as the bumbling 

bad guys— might have been necessary 

in creative terms (witness 

recent non-response to "Free 

Willy 3") but in audience terms 

could be a turnoff(just as successful 

movies made into TV series 

must surmount loyalty-based audience 

antipathy). Also, this one 

gets a comparatively late start: 

"Home Alone" bowed 1 1/16/90, 

winning $282 million domestically, 

and the sequel opened 

11/20/92, finishing with $173 

million. Still, in this "we're-goingto-the-movies" 

season, the real 

battle is vs. "Mr. Magoo, " and parents 

might decide this PC fare (for 

slapstick violence, language and 

mild sensuality) is more family-ish.

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 for over 40 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 

www.sylvania.com. 

OSRAM 

SYU^MWJl 

Response No. 29

The Mighty 

In this imaginative comedy/ 

drama, two outcast boys—Maxwell 

Kane, a giant, slow-witted 

boy, and Kevin, a tiny, sickly but 

super-intelligent child— team up 

to face fights with local hoods and 

also adventures both mythical 

and real. Sharon Stone, Kieran 

Culkin, Gillian Anderson (TV's 

"The X-Files"), Harry Dean Stanton 

and Gena Rowlands co-star. 

Peter Chelsom (the success 

d'estime "Funny Bones") directs; 

Charles Leavitt ("Sunchaser") and 

Rodman Philbrick adapt Philbrick's 

novel; Simon Fields and 

Jane Startz produce. (Miramax, 

12/1 9 NY/LA, 1/1 6/98 wide) 

Exploitips: One critic called 

"Funny Bones" "extraordinarily 

strange, " and this one sounds not 

all that ordinary also. From the 

days of its disastrous launch of 

1991'$ "Into the West," Miramax 

has wanted to establish a family 

label; even more than with 

Miramax's recent "Wide Awake," 

the question here seems to be 

whether it wants to pull children 

to stories about children or adults 

to stories about children. 

The Winter Guest 

British actor Alan Rickman 

("Michael Collins") makes his directing 

debut with this drama 

about a strong-willed mother 

("Sense and Sensibility's" Phyllida 

Law) who arrives bringing 

unsolicited advice, opinions and 

emotion into the Scottish seaside 

home of her recently widowed 

daughter (Fmma Thompson, 

Law's "Sense and Sensibility" costar 

and also her real-life daughter) 

on a day so cold the sea has 

frozen. Rickman and Sharman 

Macdonald adapt Macdonald's 

play; Ed Pressman, Ken Lipper 

and Steve Clark-Hall produce. 

(Fine! ine, 12/19 NY/LA/Tor) 

Exploitips: Screened at Montreal, 

this won a 3 1/2-star review 

from our critic and is likely to 

build a cache of arthouse-oriented 

praise before opening. Despite 

Thompson's wide appeal 

and Rickman's fame as the original 

"Die hiard" bad guy, "The 

Winter Guest" is resolutely specialized 

fare: although its opening-date 

competition is "The 

Mighty," given its dramatics it 

will also do battle through the 

holidays with other arthouse fare 

(like "The Sweet Hereafter, " also 

from Fine Line) but also serious 

studio efforts like "Kundun" and 

"The Boxer. " One might forecast 

split votes, although the Thompson 

name should certainly help. 

Will It Snow 

for Christmas? 

This French-language drama 

follows the lives of a mother and 

her seven illegitimate children 

growing up on a farm in southern 

France, where their poor but 

happy lives are intermittently interrupted 

by their unpredictable, 

tyrannical father. Dominique 

Reymond and Daniel Duval star. 

Sandrine Veysset scripts and 

makes her directing debut; Humbert 

Balsan ("The Proprietor") 

produces. (Zeitgeist, 1 2/1 7 NY) 

Exploitips: A seasonal tie-in by 

title or storyline is never a bad 

thing, though it's probably more 

helpful on a studio title like a 

"Home Alone" than for an arthouse 

entry. As always, if it's foreign-language, 

that it's the French 

language being spoken is a plus. 

TITANIC 

Writer/director James Cameron ("True Lies") recreates the 

ill-fatecl 1912 maiden voyage of the luxury liner Titanic in this 

epic adventure/ romance. Using historical and fictional characters, 

this joint-studio production (Paramount has domestic distribution 

rights. Fox has foreign) follows the onboard love story 

between the aristocratic Rose ("Sense and Sensibility's" Kate 

Winslet) and steerage passenger Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio of 

"Romeo & Juliet"). Billy Zone ("The Phantom"), Kathy Bates 

("Dolores Claiborne"), Frances Fisher ("Female Perversions"), 

Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Danny Nucci, David Warner and 

Bill Paxfon ("Twister") co-star. Cameron and Jon Landau produce 

for Ligntstorm. (Paramount, 12/19) 

Exploitips: Our advice, back when this was a 7/2 release, 

was that exhibitors already blessed with "Men In Black " should 

play up the rotr\ance of the DiCaprio/Winslet pairing with a 

catchline like "a voyage into love— and legend. " Now what 

was "MIB" has become "Tomorrow Never Dies," and our 

advice remains the same. Admittedly, it'll lake quite a romance 

to make "Titanic's" maybe $200 million cost worthwhile, but 

that's a studio worry; exhibitors need only fill their theatres for 

this to work for them. Early buzz on the Internet from a midwestern 

work-in-progress sneak was auite good, citing a mix of 

adventure and romance that could work for both genders. 

Tomorrow Never Dies 

James Bond is back for the 1 8th installment of the longest-running 

franchise in film history. Pierce Brosnan returns as Agent 

00/ in this action/adventure; this time out, the debonair secret 

agent takes on a dangerously powerful media mogul 

("Carrington's" Jonathan Pryce) and crosses paths with, of 

course, two beautiful women: Teri Hatcher ("Heaven's Prisoners") 

plays the media mogul's wife who shares a secret post with 

Bond, and "Supercop's" Michelle Yeoh plays an Asian agent 

who becomes a formidable ally to 007. Roger Spottiswoode 

("Air America") directs; Bruce Feirstein scripts; Micnael G. Wilson 

and Barbara Broccoli again produce the Broccoli/Eon 

production. See this issue's Cover Story. (UA, 12/19) 

Exploitips: When MGM's fall-season press kit is opened, a 

microchip plays the Bond theme— signaling just how important 

this UA title is to the Lion, which announced in September it was 

going public. Exhibitors can expect a full

"ûr projected income. 

Thousands of dollars, 

guaranteed 

"We guarantee 45 screens $81,000 a year!" 

BASED ON 9, FIVE-SCREEN THEATRES. 


BASED ON 5, FOUR-SCREEN THEATRES. 


BASED ON 60, FIVE-SCREEN THEATRES. 

"We guarantee 1 screen $5,000 a year!" 

BASED ON 1, ONE-SCREEN THEATRE. 

Call us toll free today to find out hovv^ much you could 

be making with Unique Screen Ad Productions: 

1-800-358-1818 

Guaranteed. We guarantee you'll make the money we promise by running 

our screen ads. That's all. We sell and produce the ads. We pay for all the 

equipment and install it. We guarantee how much we pay our theatre 

owners before anyone signs on the dotted line. All you do is push a 

button to run our localized, community-focused screen ads before each 

movie and collect your checks. Indoor theatres only. 

Onique screen ad productions 

P.O. Box 2165 • St. Cloud, MN 56302-2165 • 1-800-358-1818 • Fax:320-202-2916 • www.mediaproinc.com/usa.html 

Response No. 473

DECEMBER 26 

The Horse Whisperer 

Robert Redtord directs and 

stars in this drama/romance, an 

adaptation of the best-selMng 

novel by Nicholas Evans. When 

a girl {Scarlett Johansson, also in 

"Home Alone 3") and her prized 

horse are terribly wounded in a 

riding accident, her sophisticated 

mother ("The English Patient's" 

Kristin Scott Thomas), seeing that 

the fate of her daughter rests on 

the animal's recovery, seeks out 

the help of a "horse whisperer" 

(Redford), a rural man with a gift 

for curing troubled horses. Love 

blossoms between the man and 

woman. Sam Neill, DianneWiest 

and Chris Cooper co-star. Eric 

Roth ("Forrest Gump") and Richard 

LaCravenese ("A Little Princess") 

script; Redford produces 

with Patrick Markey. 5ee photo, 

P. 30. (Buena Vista, 1 2/25 wide) 

tie-in of the season. Scott Thomas' 

"The English Patient" credit 

should help further. And one can 

see why the Montanan Redford 

would be drawn to this project, 

alt/iough it was seven years ago 

when many questioned the believability 

of Redford as a romantic 

lead opposite Lena Olin in 

Christmas I990's "Havana." 

The Postman 

Kevin Costner moves behind 

the camera for the first time since 

j^^ 

jtf^^^K 

Exploitips: Especiallygiven the 

project's strong distaff leaning, 

this is lil

—" 

. 

Sheridan; on the other, there's 

pop filmmaker extraordinaire 

Tarantino. "Jackie Brown" isn't as 

star-heavy (and thus mainstreampulling) 

as "Pulp Fiction " (for one 

thing, Crier never had the worldwide 

fame of Travolta to lose and 

regain), and "Pulp Fiction" 

bowed more than three years ago 

on a 10/14/94 date on which its 

competitors were offering only 

the likes of "Exit to Eden" and 

"Little Giants/' Will this, like 

Tarantino's previous, crack $100 

million? Expect strong media attention 

and larger-market audience 

interest on weekend # 1 ; the 

rest is up to Tarantino. 

As Good As It Gets 

An unlikely bond forms among 

three New York neighbors that 

don't appear to have anything in 

common: an old, curmudgeonly 

romance novelist (Jack Nicholson), 

a cafe waitress juggling the 

responsibilities of single parenthood 

("Twister's" Helen Hunt) 

and a gay artist whose career is at 

a crossroads ("A Smile Like 

Yours'" Greg Kinnear). All are 

brought together by a dog named 

Verdell in this comedy (aka "Old 

Friends") from filmmaker James 

L. Brooks. Cuba Gooding Jr. 

("Jerry Maguire"), Skeet Ulrich 

("Scream") and Shirley Knight costar. 

Brooks directs, and he also 

scripts with Mark Andrus and 

produces with Kristi Zea and 

Bridget Johnson. (TriStar, 12/25) 

Exploitips: Even more than the 

Brooks imprimatur, it's the diverse 

casting here that promises 

diverse demo pull. (Nicholson, 

Hunt and Cooding: Now that's a 

picture.) The fact that this is much 

lighter fare than that coming from 

Brooks' esteemed fellows like 

Costner and Scorsese, yet still 

comes from a significant filmmaker, 

also singles this one out. Expect 

"For Richer or Poorer" and 

"Mousehunt" to provide some 

competition, although the former 

could skew to particularly undemanding 

audiences and the latter 

lacks major-star firepower. 

For Richer or Poorer 

Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley star 

in this romantic comedy about a 

high-living, unhappily married 

couple who find themselves 

owing the IRS millions in back 

taxes when their accountant rips 

them off and disappears. A wrong 

turn on the way out of the country 

lands them in Amish country, 

where they hide out by posing as 

long-lost relatives. As the sophisticated 

couple adjusts to their 

new lifestyle, they rediscover 

their love for each other. Larry 

Miller co-stars. Bryan Spicer 

("McHale's Navy") directs; Jana 

Howington and Steven LuKanic 

script; Sid, Jon and Bill Sheinberg 

produce for their Bubble Factory 

house. (Universal, 12/25) 

Exploitips: All the Bubble Factory 

efforts ("Flipper, " "The Pest, 

"McHale's Navy," "A Simple 

Wish ") have performed so poorly 

that Universal ended its production 

pact with Bubble, despite Sid 

Sheinberg's previous two decades 

at the MCA helm. Although 

Bubble Factory might now have 

the same negative connotation 

with exhibitors that Savoy once 

built up, Tim Allen and Kirstie 

Alley have significant mainstream 

pull that none of the Bubble-production 

stars have before. 

Those audiences aren't going to 

know a Bubble from a Balloon, 

and what they like more than anything 

is a they-live-happily-everafter 

romantic comedy. 

Mousehunt 

Two 

down-on-their-luck 

brothers, Ernie ("The Birdcage's" 

Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee 

Evans), are surprised to learn the 

old mansion they have inherited 

is worth millions. Before they can 

cash in, however, they must rid 

the house of a tenacious mouse 

a stubborn creature who has no 

intention of vacating the premises. 

Maury Chaykin and Christopher 

Walken co-star. Gore 

Verbinski directs; Adam Rifkin 

("The Chase") scripts; Alan Riche, 

Tony Ludwig and Bruce Cohen 

produce. (DreamWorks, 12/25) 

Exploitips: This first comedy 

from DreamWorks, aside from its 

SKG moniker, has only Lane's 

"Birdcage" credit to flaunt. One 

should be able to expect a 

dreamy DreamWorks push, although 

the company's attention 

might quite understandably be 

weighted toward taking care of its 

same-day expansion of its cofounder's 

"Amistad. "Key competition 

is likely to come from 

TriStar's higher-profile "As Cood 

As It Cets"; "Mousehunt" might 

need to not so quietly hunt for 

good word-of-mouth to give it a 

better shot come weekend #2. 

Kundun 

In 1937, a two-year-old boy 

from a peasant Tibetan family is 

recognized as the 14th reincarnation 

of the Buddha of love and 

compassion; he is destined as the 

new Dalai Lama to become his 

country's spiritual and political 

leader. Directed by Martin Scorsese, 

this drama recounts the Tibetan's 

life from childhood through 

the 1950 Chinese invasion and 

ALI IN ONE 

Introducing the Falcon LCD touchscreen with built-in PC . . 

your best bet for concession stand and box office point of sale. 

Order the Falcon with optional built-in 

customer display and magnetic card reader for 

a fully integrated 

theatre POS system. 

Just plug it in and turn 

it on. Open architecture 

gives you the flexibility 

of a full function 

PC with standard parts 

so you can run your 

choice of software, 

applications. 

Just three inches thin, the Falcon fits easily 

on countertops, gives your theatre a true touch 

of class. A heavy-duty industrial 

system board and 

sealed chassis 

\ ' defy the contamination 

of 

popcorn and 

soft drink 

machines. 

iM^ Crystal visions 

TECHNOLOGY 

1954 Placentia Avenue, Suite 205, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 

Telephone: 714-642-4800 Fax:714-642-4865 • E-mail: info@crystalvisions.com 

Call 1 -8u0-669'8969 for further information or a demonstration of the Falcon's rugged power. 

Response No. 486 

November, 1997 45

" 

the crushed rebellion at decade's 

end and on Into his time in exile. 

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Kunga 

J. Tenzin and Tenzin Gyalpo star. 

Melissa Mathison (best known for 

"E.T.") scripts; Barbara De Fina 

(Scorsese's "Casino") produces. 

(Buena Vista, 1 2/25 ltd) 

ExplOitips: The $35 million 

"Kundun, " originally a Universal 

turnaround project, has been a 

cultural and political headache 

for Disney Co., which has been 

trying to open the vast Chinese 

marketplace to sell its many product 

lines. Although UCC was sold 

all "Kundun" distribution rights 

except for the North American 

and United Kingdom markets, 

China—a country in which many 

Disney toys also are made— still 

IDs this as Disney Co. fare. The 

now-departed Michael Ovitz was 

able to woo Scorsese (whom 

Ovitz agented while at CAA) from 

his longtime MCA home into a 

two-picture deal at the Mouse 

House by backing his "Kundun. 

But— unless this delivers a goodhearted 

emotional wallop (hardly 

the Scorsese signature) that transcends 

America's "Tenzin" resistance 

to stories of other cultures 

— this looks to be a domestic 

prestige item for the studio, working 

best in select-site bookings. 

The Boxer 

A once-promising fighter returns 

home after spending 13 

years in a British prison, only to 

find his city of Belfast now a place 

full of hatred and desolation. He 

returns to the ring, determined to 

find 

a way out of the legacy of 

despair, and he rekindles a romance 

with his former lover 

("Breaking the Waves'" Emily 

Watson), who now has both a 

husband who's himself in prison 

and a teenaged son that she is 

raising. In a creative reteaming of 

four "In the Name of the Father" 

principals, Daniel Day-Lewis 

JanitDiJai Problems? 

WE'VE GOT SOLUTIONS! 

stars, Jim Sheridan directs, Sheridan 

scripts with Terry George, 

and Sheridan produces with Arthur 

Lappin for Hell's Kitchen. (Universal, 

12/26 ltd, 1/9/98 wide) 

Exploitips: The prestige project 

"In the Name of the Father" 

pulled just $24 million 

for Uni after a 12/93 

opening, and that was 

with Emma Thompson 

aboard. And that was 

$10 million better than 

the Sheridan/Day-Lewis 

"My Left Foot" managed 

with a best-picture 

Oscar. Although Day- 

Lewis did draw $74 million 

for "The Last of the 

Mohicans," most likely 

"The Boxer" is a title an 

exhibitor can book with 

and for pride, knowing 

it'll pull select serious audiences. 

The Big Lebowski 

In this comedy/thriller from the 

Coen brothers ("Fargo"), a man 

named Jeff Lebowski, aka The 

Dude, is confronted by gangsters 

who demand that his wife repay 

a loan. Puzzled, the unmarried 

Dude learns there's a millionaire 

Jeff Lebowski in town, but what 

bethinks is justacase of mistaken 

identity worsens as double-crossing, 

thievery, revenge and bowling 

follow. Jeff Bridges stars with 

WE'VE REVOLUTIONIZED THE MOVIE THEATRE 

CLEANING INDUSTRY WITH THE LOWEST PRICES AND 

HIGHEST QUALITY JANITORIAL SERVICES AVAILABLE: 

GUARANTEED! 

Specializing in Cleaning Multiplex Stadium Theatres 

Expert Janitorial Staff in Company Unifomis 

Carpet & Seat Cleaning with Track Mount Extraction 

Nightly Theatre and Concession Cleaning 

Daily and Weekly Detail Cleaning 

Local, English Speaking Supervisors 

Full Line of Specialty Chemicals & Paper Products 

Stripping & Waxing Services 

Immediate Start-Ups 

FOR A FREE. NO OBUGATION PROPOSAL CALL ANYTIME 

1400-959-2052 

•CLIANIttfi 

lYITIMI 

'Our Reputation Is Spotless' 

OAIUS HOUSTON CHICAGO LOS ANGELES I 

Responsfl No. 474 

SALT LAKE CITY 

TAMPA* NEW YORK I 

an ensemble cast that includes 

Julianne Moore ("The Myth of 

Fingerprints"), "Fargo's" Peter 

Stormare and "Barton Fink"-ers 

John Goodman, John Turturro, 

Steve Buscemi and Jon Polito. 

Joel Coen directs; Ethan Coen 

produces; both Coens script. 

(Gramercy, 12/25 NY/LA) 

Exploitips: After the brilliant 

big-budget bomb "The Hudsucker 

Proxy, " the Coens needed a hit; 

now after the long-running and 

Oscar-winning "Fargo," audiences 

are likely to say "yah" to 

their next. Based on that, and 

bravely forgetting the results from 

its last forays ("The Portrait of a 

Lady, " "I'm Not Rappaport") into 

the high-stakes holiday season, 

Gramercy has long slated this for 

Christmas Day. Expect this to be 

the movie ofchoice for those who 

aren't looking for the archness of 

the arthouse but want to avoid the 

pabulum of the megaplex. Of 

course, step one is to highlight the 

Coens' "Fargo" credit. 

The Sweet Hereafter 

In a small Canadian town, a 

school bus accident kills dozens 

of children. With the residents 

variously trying to deal with the 

tragedy, a big-city lawyer ("The 

Fifth Element's" Ian Holm) arrives 

with promises of lawsuit riches. 

Some become clients; then a survivor 

has a crisis of conscience, 

and her decision transforms the 

town. Sarah Polley and Maury 

Chaykin co-star. Atom Egoyan 

("Exotica") directs and adapts the 

Russell Banks novel, and he produces 

with Camelia Frieberg. 

(Fine Line, 1 2/24 NY/LA) 

Exploitips: Although Cannes 

winners have an uneven record 

stateside, "The Sweef Hereafter" 

did win three promotable 

awards, including the Grand jury 

nod. In a four-star review (August 

issue), our Cannes critic said this 

"stirring portrait of a community 

struggling to heal" is "distinguished 

by an array of fine performances, 

Egoyan's signature 

evocative camera work, and a 

story that leaves one thinking 

without heavy-handed moralizing." 

The coastal bow could give 

this arthouser time to win more 

citable U.S. review support. 

Ma Vie en Rose 

In this French-language comedy, 

whose title translates as "My 

Life in Pink," a married couple 

(Jean-Philippe Ecoffey and Michele 

Laroque) have a new and 

happy suburban life except for 

one thing: Their nine-year-old 

son (Georges du Fresne) believes 

that he's a girl. Although Dad initially 

is far less than understand-

c 

A - Switchless Platter System 

Model # LP1 003 & Model # LP1 005 

B - Electronic Fail Safe Cue Sensor 

Model #'s: 30025-1 Single Cue • 30025-2 Dual Cue • 30025-3 Triple Cue 

C - Film Cleaner Projector Mounting Bracket 

Model #40017 

D - Film Cleaner 

Model # 4001 2 (35MM) & Model # 4001 1 (35/70MM) . . 

E - Professional Dimmer 

Model f LD1 010 with Remote (Pictured) 

Model # LD1 000 without Remote 

SPECO 

Systems & Products Enginering Company 

709 N 6th Street • Kansas City, KS 66101 

1-800-633-5913 • FAX: (913) 321-7439

48 BOXOTFICE Response 1^. 7 

— 

ing but Mom comes to his support, 

when social pressures set in 

the parents experience role reversals. 

Belgian Alain Berl iner makes 

his directing debut, and he scripts 

with Chris Vander Stappen; Carole 

Scotta produces. (Sony Classics, 

1 2/25 NY/LA) 

ExplOitips: in a glowing fourstar 

review, our Cannes critic 

(September issue) said this "rare 

gem" was "a scathingly funny, 

brutally critical commentary on 

gender roles and bourgeois think- 

Amid a color palette of 

ing.... [Berliner] deftly renders his 

cinematic suburbia at once real 

and surreal, with a tone that manages 

to be both hilarious and affecting. 

extremes— cotton candy-pink 

dresses, an electric blue sky— 

Berliner's characters exist in a 

Magritteparadise." Expectsuperb 

arthouse numbers into January. 

Good Will Hunting 

Matt Damon ("The Rainmaker") 

stars as Will Hunting, a 

remarkably bright but defiant 

young man from South Boston 

whose only hope to avoid a pending 

jail sentence is therapist Sean 

McGuire (Robin Williams, in 

"Dead Poets Society" mold), a 

former college professor with an 

admiration for Hunting's emotional 

struggles. Stellan Skarsgaard 

(also in "Amistad"), Ben 

Affleck ("Chasing Amy") and 

Minnie Driver ("Crosse Pointe 

Blank") co-star. Gus Van Sant 

("To Die For") directs; Matt 

Damon and Ben Affleck script; 

Lawrence Bender (also "Jackie 

Brown") produces. (Miramax, 

12/25 NY/LA, 1/9/98 wide) 

ExploJtips: Given its close ties 

to Bender, Miramax— which has 

been accused ofa see-what-sticks 

release approach— will be providing 

this full support; Williams' 

presence plus the platform release 

suggest the distributor expects 

strong coastal response to 

help persuade midlands auds to 

try out Van Sant product. If 

Coppola's "The Rainmaker" has 

been a hit, the Damon name will 

be a young-crowd pull. 

DECEMBER 31 

Great Expectations 

This modern-day retelling of 

Charles Dickens' classic novel 

follows the journey of aspiring 

artist Finn Bell ("Gattaca's" Ethan 

Hawke), whose life is invaded by 

a dangerous convict named 

Lustig (Robert De Niro), the beautiful 

but icy Estella ("The 

Pallbearer's" Gwyneth Paltrow) 

and an old, crazed eccentric. 

Nora Dinsmoor ("G.I. Jane's" 

Anne Bancroft). Chris Cooper 

("Lone Star") and Hank Azaria 

("The Birdcage") co-star. Alfonso 

Cuaron ("A Little Princess") directs; 

Mitch Clazer ("Three of 

Hearts") scripts; now Fox-based, 

Art Linson ("The Edge") produces. 

(Fox, 12/31 ltd, 1/1 6 wide) 

Exploitips: Last year's big literary 

adaptation— "The Crucible," 

also from Fox— underperformed 

ticket and Oscar expectations, 

and that was with the august Daniel 

Day-Lewis in the lead. Although 

Hawke in comparison 

might recall a certain vice-presidential 

tongue-lashing ("I knew 

Jack Kennedy, and you're no Jack 

Kennedy"), perhaps his teaming 

with Paltrow and the contemporary 

setting will pull the necessary 

twentysomething crowd. Cuaron's 

touch was near-perfect directing 

"A Little 

Princess," though 

that's hardly a salable 

credit. Despite 

the update, a bookstore 

tie-in could aid 

on the distaff side. 

Amor Natural 

This documentary 

focuses on a posthumously 

published 

book of erotic poetry 

by the Brazilian Carolos 

Drummond de 

Andrade and on its 

effects for everyday 

elderly Brazilians reflecting 

on love and 

sex. Heddy Honigmann ("Metal 

and Melancholy") directs and 

scripts; Pieter van Huystee produces. 

(First Run, 12/31) 

Exploitips: Documentaries 

don't sell, but sex does, so emphasize 

the subject matter's 

erotic nature and the exotic Brazilian 

setting. Given that this is for 

very specialized moviegoers, that 

the source material is a book of 

poetry is actually a selling point. 

retors is proud to announce the 

introduction of the micro-processor 

control system called "Logic" for 

the Diplomat and President model 

poppers. The heart of this new con 

trol system is a micro-processor 

that is programmed to sim 

plify machine operation. With 

one touch of the START button on the 

membrane switch panel, the operator 

can turn on the kettle heat; dispense one 

charge of popping oil into the kettle, turn 

on the agitator motor, and the forced air 

exhaust system all at the same ti-me. 

Independent control of these functions is 

still possible, but rarely needed with the 

automation provided by Logic's microprocessor 

control. 

Logic does more.. .If the operator fails 

to continue the popping process and 

leaves the kettle heat on, the microprocessor 

will turn the heat off and 

shut down the machine. Logic also controls 

the oil pump and provides the 

operator with the ability to ac^just the 

amount of oil that is delivered to the 

kettle. In aAAMwn Logic also controls pc-r^ 

and maintains the pump heat. —— 

Automate operation, reduce cost and 

maintenance, save time and money 

with Cretors' Logic Option. 

The logic Option 

C^nr" I \/RS^ 

. CALIFORNIA AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60618 

312-588-1690 • 1-800-228-1885 • FAX 312-588-2171 

E-MAIL CRETORS@aol.coin • WEB PAGE www.crctors.coni 

Logic... Another original ideafrom the people who invented the popcorn machine.

We'll Show You 

The Money! 

o-one can show you the money like we can, because the biggest profit opportunities in 

the industry today start with a call to us! From box packs to peg packs and kids packs to 

bulk packs... We can help move your per capitas and concession marketing with brands 

that sell, at bigger margins and with support you can really sink your teeth into! 

Ve're unique, fresh and your springboard to bigger profits. It's 

made us one of the 

confection industry's fastest leading growth companies over the past five years and it can put 

your business on the fast track too! 

V^

50 BoxoniCE RMponu No. 145 

DEC. UNDATED 

Midnight IN THE Garden 

OF Good and Evil 

Based on the best-selling novel, this evocative 

drama stars John Cusack ("Con Air") as 

a young writer from New York on assignment 

to cover a Christmas party thrown by a 

wealthy antiques dealer, Jim Williams ("LA. 

Confidential's" Kevin Spacey). When Williams 

is arrested for murder, however, the 

writer's article evolves into a book about a 

murder trial. 

Southern gentility, old-world social 

graces, family wealth, illicit romances 

and sudden violence. Jude Law ("Gattaca") 

and Jack Thompson ("Excess Baggage") costar. 

Clint Eastwood directs; John Lee Hancock 

("A Perfect World") adapts the John 

Berendt book; Eastwood produces with Arnold 

Stiefel for Silver Pictures and A. P. Productions. 

(Warner Bros., Dec. undated) 

Exploitips: Behind the camera in the '90s, 

Eastwood has been hit ($101 million for 

"Unforgiven," $72 million for "The Bridqes 

of Madison County") and miss (together, 

"White Hunter, Black Heart," "The Rookie" 

and "A Perfect World" made barely $50 

millionj. The solid cast here— including the 

Oscar-minted Spacey— and the always popular 

Eastwood name (even without Clint on 

camera) promise good results, perhaps near 

the $60 million that "Absolute Power' generated. 

A bookstore tie-in should pay dividends, 

as with several other films this month. 

Cousin Bette 

This comic adapation of the 

classic novel by Honore de Balzac 

tells the 1 840s story of the aristocratic 

Julot family, replete with 

adultery, fortune hunting and 

characters of suspicious virtue. 

Jessica Lange, Kelly MacDonald 

("Trainspotting"), Elisabeth Shue 

("The Saint") and Bob Hoskins 

star. Stage director Des McAnuff 

makes his movie helming debut. 

(Fox Searchlight, Dec. undated) 

Exploitips: Obviously arthouse 

material— say "Balzac" to 

many, and they might guess it's a 

video game— "Cousin Bette" 

Vi'ades into a month made for specialized 

material, of course 

meaning there's lots of competition. 

The quality cast raises this a 

notch above most, so emphasize 

the names. Expect a bookstore 

tie-in to draw the distaff demo. 

Underground 

Miki Manojiovic, Lazar Ristovski 

and Mirjana Jokovic star in 

this Serbo-Croatian production 

that, spanning a 50-year time period, 

tells the story of World War 

II refugees who, not knowing the 

war is long over, remain hidden 

in a Belgrade cellar. When the 

"Best concession trailer we've ever seen!" 

"It really produces!" 

"Great results!" 

• 

ee what the buzz is all about! 

Ca//... . 

\^^ 

: 

PiKE PRODUCTIONS 

The Newport Company . 

with the Hollywood Connection 

f^-1 

See us at 

SHOWEAST BOOTH 707 J 

. 

phone (401 

] ) 846-8890 - FAX (401 ) 847-0070 

PC Box 300 - Newport, Rhode Island 02840 USA

CONTACT YOUR AMERICAN LICORICE SUPPLIER OR CALL US? AT R10-4ft7.^5tin 

J

. 

" 

Red Corner 

In this thriller, a savvy entertainment 

lawyer (Richard 

Gere) comes to China to broker 

a big W deal. While celebrating, 

he seduces a beautiful 

Chinese woman. Awaking the 

next morning, he finds himself 

accused of raping and murdering 

her. Caught in a legal system 

that affords no presumption 

of innocence and provided a 

LA TE MOVIE MOVES INTO OCTOBER. . 

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, 10/31) 

Exploitips: This looked to be 

boxed into a comer itself when 

"Red Corner" was slated for 

1 1/26, not only versus "Alien 

Resurrection" but also just 12 

days after audiences had seen 

Gere in "The Jackal. " In a superb 

date move, this now goes 

Halloween— not as good a 

date generally, but it puts "Red 

Corner" against two studio 

openers with lower profiles. 

I 

Love you, 

I LOVE You Not 

An adolescent girl ("William 

Shakespeare's Romeo & 

Juliet's" Claire Danes) suffering 

both estrangement from 

her fellow students at a private 

Manhattan school and a crush 

on a popular boy (Jude Law) 

wins wise advice from her 

grandmother (French icon 

Jeanne Moreau), a Holocaust 

survivor with a special appreciation 

for life. Mamet casting 

director Billy Hopkins mokes 

his directing debut; Wendy 

Kesselman adapts her play. 

(CFP/Avolanche, 10/31 ltd) 

Exploitips: Featuring an intriguingly 

eclectic cast, this debuts 

against no new arthouse 

competition. The Moreau and 

Danes names could well attract 

both mature specialized 

auds and younger newcomers 

to the smart set. 

Cries of Silence 

In a hurricane's wake, a 

mute teenaged girl (Erin Buchanan) 

washes onshore; a 

young doctor (Kathleen York) 

livinq with her mother (Karen 

Black) assumes custody of the 

girl, who seems terrified. Little 

by little, 

the doctor begins unearthing 

a shocking secret. Avery 

Crounse directs, scripts and 

produces. (Showcase, 10/3) 

Exploitips: This won best picture 

and best actress awards at 

the Giffoni film fest in Italy; it's a 

ways for exhibitors 

wishing to 

draw auds to travel for kudos, 

but it adds a bit of panache. 

refugees finally emerge, they find 

their country's landscape indeed 

devastated, but from a new war. 

Emir Kusturica directs, and he 

scripts with Dusan Kovacevic; 

Pierre Spengler produces. (New 

Yorker, Dec. undated) 

Exploitips: This won the Palme 

d'Or at the '95 Cannes, though a 

bit dated as a kudos. "Underground" 

had a very limited stateside 

run this summer. Our Cannes 

critic accorded it 4 1/2 stars, calling 

it "a sprawling, imaginative, 

bold and impressive work.... 

Kusturica's balance othuipor and 

pathos keeps the film from becoming 

preachy or dogmatic, yet 

it resonates with sensitivity and 

contemporary relevance. 

I 

The Mouse 

John Savage stars as shamster/prizefighler 

Rruce "The 

Mouse" Strauss, who teaches a 

young buck the ropes about 

boxing, the art of the scam, and 

how to be knocked out with 

grace, style and minimal damage. 

Angelica Torn co-stars. 

Dan Adams directs and scripts. 

(Strand, Dec. undated) 

Exploitips: Promo tie-ins with 

local health clubs could raise the 

profile with male audiences most 

likely to give this a try. 

S( V. 

Theatre film Trailers 

That Will Entertain And Delight 

Your Audiences-Now With 

Diqita 

Picture And Sound Technology 

Featuring The Unique 3M Scotchgard 

' 

Film Protector Coating 

1327 S. Wabash Avenue Chicago, IL 60605-2574 U.S.A. 

TEL 312-427-3395 • FAX 312-427-4866 

800-FILMACK (800-345-6225) 

52 BOXOFFICE 

VISIT US AT SHOWEAST - 

Response No. 6t 

BOOTH it810 

mK^

1 

Platter Feed-Out Assembly 

Solid Construction 

Simple Set-Up/Operation 

Anti-Wrap Feed-Out Assembly 

ESP-3 

f 

One-Handed Simple Threading 

Patent Pending, Inlared Film Sensoring Technology 

Sound Systems 

Lamphouses 

Guidance Hardwore 

Automation Systems 

CinENvK FILNv SYSTEt^S 

Cofporafe Offices 6 Facfofii 

779 North Benson Avenue • Uplond, (A 91786, USA 

Phone: (909) 931 93)8 -Fax: (909) 949 8815 

R E n T E C 


NidmesF / IniernoNonal Sales 

3840 South Heleno-Aurom, CO 80013, USA 

Phone: (303) 699 7477 • Fox: (303) 680 6071 

See Us At SHOWEAST • Trade Booth # 907, 909 & 91 

Website: www.cfsren.tom 

• E mail: cfsren@ool.tom

Kd 

IlMvriiririf 

Technology 

THE BIG TIME 

MAX and its Competitors Take Large Format Film 

From tlie Museum to tlie Multiplex by Alex Albanese 

90s, a decade that was sup- 

to be all about 

Theposed "cocooning"—staying 

at home with 

the 36-inch screen and cable's multiplicity 

of choices—has turned out 

to be one of renaissance in film exhibition. 

The reasons for this are varied 

and complex, firom the healthy 

economy, to a huge drop in crime, to 

Brad Pitt; but some explanations are 

simple. People like to go out, and our 

industry has releamed the wisdom of 

two generations ago: when people 

go out, not only do they want to do 

something special, they want to be 

someplace special. 

Economic necessity killed the 

movie palaces of the past, but more 

was lost than just carved marble and 

atmospheric ceilings. Today not only 

the old attitades, but the moving 

clouds have made a comeback—on 

the lobby ceiling if not the auditorium. 

Megaplexes, those modem 

movie palaces that provide the latest 

in technology along with classic service, 

themed detailing and cappuccino, 

are adding a new weapon to their arsenal 

of excitement. It is a feature that until fairly 

recently was looked upon by mainstream exhibition 

as not only marginally relevant, but as 

being as stodgy and quaintly exotic as a gilded 

plaster dragon. But images can change fast in 

show business, and after waiting in the wings 

for 25 years, today's hot new exhibition star is 

the 15/70 large-screen format, pioneered by 

IMAXCorp. 

Until about fouryears ago, large-format film 

lived a quiet, almost bookish life, far from the 

hurdy-gurdy of Hollywood. Traditional fare 

consisted of educational documentaries because, 

aside from venues built for world's fairs 

or amusement parks, the bulk of large format 

theatres were attached to science and natural 

history museums. The format has done an 

outstanding job of serving that arena, and it 

continues to do so; but as Sony Gassics vp 

Mark Katz, who has been distributing the format 

for 10 years, points out, that was not 

necessarily the plan. "If you read interviews 

from 25 years ago," he states, "the original 

vision of the founders of IMAX Corporation, 

who pretty much pioneered this industry, was 

OUTER LIMITS: IMAX's long-standing relationship with NASA is reflected in "Mission to Mir, "a recent title. 

to build commercial theatres that would run 

commercial films and be the cinema ofthe 2 1 st 

century. But they didn't get anywhere with the 

studios back then, and their first buyers were 

museums, who were looking to basically do 

the planetarium of the '70's. They had to make 

, , 

a living, so they took the customers they could 

get, and the content of the films that were 

produced mirrored that" 

In 1994, when _,^. 

the Toronto-based 

IMAX Corp. was 

acquired by Bradley 

Wechsler and 

partner Richard 

Gelfond, they examined 

broader options. 

"We looked at 

IMAX's branded 

quality with respect 

to family entertainment," 

states 

Wechsler, "and that was something we didn't 

want to walk away from, but we also saw a 

phenomenal technology that we felt was really 

underexploitcd. if you could present such 

''IMAX appeals to 

people who want 

tnitti and reality in 

somefashion/' 

— GregMacGillivray 

beautifully clear pictures that extend into your 

peripheral vision for documentaries, why 

couldn't you also move that over to more 

standard entertainment fare?" Wechsler and 

Gelfond decided to expand the company by 

moving IMAX into more conventional entertainment 

venues. They also had a new product 

to launch: IMAX 3-D. "Our instincts told us 

there was a potential 

large demand for well 

done 3-D titles," 

Wechsler states. 

The first commercial 

3-D MAX 

theatre to open was 

at Sony's Lincoln 

Squiire in Manhattan, 

in November of 

1994. Part of a stateof-the-art, 

flagship 

megaplex. it has become 

one of the 

highest-grossing 

single movie scTecns in the United States. 

"Sony came in and proved you could put a 

state-of-the-art 3-D IMAX within a multiplex 

and be successftil," states Katz, "and tlicy

K.K».. 

laai 

proved there was an audience appetite for more 

than the standard documentaries that had been 

made thus far." In the wake of that success and 

thanks in part to the new, less expensive IMAX 

SR theatre installation, which is designed to be 

incorporated into more conventional multiplexes, 

there has been a flurry of other commercial 

exhibitors signing contracts with 

IMAX all over the world. 

they will be successftil with it. There are definite 

synergies between IMAX and conventional 

theatres, and we plan to grow off those." 

As Mark Katz points out, "What a large-format 

theatre does for a multiplex, whether it's 

in New York or a small midwestem town, is 

elevate the perception of the technical capabilities 

of the whole complex. It also gives you a 

daytime business that you're just not going to 

Til 

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: IMAX takes its cameras to the roof of the Himalayas with "Everest." Why? Because It's there. 

"One of the 

impediments for growth at 

IMAX has been the capital cost of putting in a 

theatre," Wechsler explains. "They are expensive, 

which obviously limits the number of 

viable sites around the world. So we started 

asking ourselves what makes IMAX special, 

and it occurred to us the experience can be 

reproduced in a different scale. We realized we 

could geometrically reduce the size of our 

average theatre from 425 seats to about 275. 

By doing that, we came up with a plan where 

IMAX theatres can be integrated into multiplexes 

for around half the cost of a stand alone 

IMAX theatre." The practical importance of 

this more compact IMAX experience is obvious: 

Unlike a traditional IMAX theatre, which 

requires a population base of at least one million, 

the new SR installation can be supported 

by a community of 5CX),0(X). 

In North America, the SR concept has been 

embraced by several circuits. In June, IMAX 

signed a deal with Regal Cinemas for ten 3-D 

SR systems, and in July Edwards Theaters 

signed on for 10 as well, bringing that circuit's 

total up to 13 EMAX venues. Regal executive 

vp and CCXD Greg Dunn feels that prior to this 

new SR concept "there were very Umited applications 

as to where you could build an 

IMAX theatre within one of our megaplexes. 

They've opened themselves up to many more 

markets around the country, and we are just 

now seeing this concept take off, and I think 

get with conventional cinema. That gives you 

more exposure and more daytime traffic, 

which ultimately benefits your concessions. In 

the evening, you can package your IMAX 

fihns with your conventional films because the 

EVLAX attraction is only an extra 40 minutes." 

Regal's director of marketing, Phil 

Zacheretti, agrees. "In several ways," he states, 

"we think it will bring people to the complex 

that might not normally come, or might not 

come as often. With IMAX being a different 

experience, you're going to find a lot of school 

groups, tourists, and we think we'll fmd a little 

bit of the older crowd that might enjoy the 

subject matter. It can be that Uttle extra draw, 

particularly at a time when we normally aren't 

as busy." Regal's move into IMAX is "based 

on what we think we can make happen. With 

moviegoing in general on the increase, not just 

revenue but attendance, we think we are entering 

the business of the future." 

IMAX now has 154 theatres built worldwide, 

and a backlog of 55 on the boards. Once 

those are built over the next two years, there 

will be almost as many commercial IMAX 

theatres as museum-based ones. With largeformat 

competitors Iwerks and Showcsan recentiy 

merging to ensure they can also get a 

chunk of the exhibition pie, now the big question 

is not so much "if you build tiiem will they 

come," but what will they want to watch. This 

is where opinions start to diverge. 

here has been a range of product experimented 

with over the last few years, 

from the straight-ahead 3-D undersea 

documentary "Into the Deep" to die full on 3-D 

narrative "Wings of Courage." There have also 

been documentaries with a more visceral than 

educational appeal, like the Indy cars of "Super 

Speedway" or the roller coasters of "Thrill 

Ride." Another permutation, "Across the Sea 

of Time," exploits the 3-D 

effect by contrasting antique 

views of New 

stereoscopic 

York City with modem-day 

swooping hehcopter shots, 

but cramps all the bravura 

visuals into a rather stilted 

narrative framework. 

Traditional IMAX fare 

has, by necessity, had an educational, 

documentary 

slant. "The bulk of the older 

2-D theatres are in institutions 

where the museum mission 

statements require that 

the films shown have a very 

strong educational orientation," 

explains Derval 

WTielan, executive director 

of marketing at Sony Pictures 

Classics. "Our films 

defmitely tend to be on the 

more commercial side, but 

we strive for a really good 

combination of entertainment 

and education because 

that's what the marketplace 

needs right now. As the commercial 

sector grows, our 

films will probably work to 

satisfy those needs more in the future—the 

demand is going to go in the direction of more 

entertaining rather than educational films. But 

tiiree of the current six distributors of large-format 

films are museum based, so I think there 

will still be companies to serve the educational 

needs of that part of the marketplace." 

Greg MacGillivray, whose company 

MacGilUvray Freeman has made 18 large format 

films, still feels there will be more films 

produced for the educational market than for 

the strict entertaiimient market. "I think that the 

real key for a filmmaker like myself,' ' he states, 

"is that my films will become skewed sUghtiy 

toward entertainment and subjects which lend 

themselves toward entertainment and away 

firom subjects that are solely educational. I was 

careftil to word that sentence in a specific way 

because there is a subtiety there. You don't just 

put out a film like 'The Living Sea' and say this 

is an educational fihn, period. A lot of films 

work both ways and the audience sees the 

value in both directions—highly entertaining 

but also enriching." 

"Our 'Everest' film coming out next year is 

a good example," he continues. "It's a story 

film centered around three people, but it's 

non-fictional. It is about as akin to what we 

should be doing, in my estimation, as any film 

that's come out. You take a subject Uke that and 

install a story and characters, giving the audience 

the experience ofbeing someplace, which

\t. 

t.i£'wr 

IMAX does do well, along with characters 

they can identify with. That's where I think the 

medium should be going—more toward fuller 

filmmaking rather than simplistic documents, 

as has often been the case in the past." 

"The industry has been debating this within 

itself for awhile," states Sony's Mark Katz, 

"and it's not a black and white thing. There's 

no one who can say that a narrative is not 

educational, and you can't say a documentary 

isn't entertaining, but some might not do both 

as well as others, and multiplexes are going to 

demand more narrative-oriented product because 

their audiences don't want too many 

documentaries. Based on what our instincts 

and research tell us, the audience wants a good 

story, because a good story transcends any 

medium at the end of the day." 

"IMAX," counters MacGillivray, "because 

it is so crystal sharp and real, appeals to people 

who want to have truth and reality given to 

them in some fashion. Now that's not to say 

that something like 'Apollo 1 3' wouldn't work 

in IMAX. I think it would, but I really do 

believe it's a different experience 

than just a storytelling 

medium and that's 

a subtle difference the audience 

is picking up on. If 

the split becomes 50/50 in 

terms of the number of 

theatres, that doesn't account 

for the numbers of 

attending audience members, 

and currently the 

museum facilities do considerably 

larger grosses 

and larger numbers than 

commercial facilities." 

MacGillivray doesn't 

feel documentary will 

necessarily play second 

fiddle to narrative in commercial 

theatres. "You can 

go back historically and 

look at the grosses for 

'This Is Cinerama' and 

'The Living Desert,' documentaries 

that were unique but distributed 

more or less conventionally, and found a market," 

he says. "If you do a film that is exceptional 

it will draw extremely well. With the 

increase in theatres and better marketing, I 

don't see the documentary draw being that 

different from the narrative draw if they are 

marketed in similar fashion and ifthey are both 

commercially viable." 

"If you make a solid 3-D documentary with 

the right subject matter in today's environment 

it is as economically viable, if not more so, than 

making a narrative that costs more," concedes 

Katz. "But we did some research, and there is 

no question that the most frequent IMAXgoers, 

who arc growing in number every year, 

want narrative bigtime. I firmly believe it's a 

case of timing. Someday with reasonable budgets, 

making an $8 or $9 million 3-D narrative 

versus a $6 million dollar 3-D documentary 

will be very much worth the extra cost. Once 

the creative .side of the large-format industry 

can figure out a way to tell a great story using 

the tools of IMAX that doesn't have an astronomical 

price tag, there will be a breakthrough, 

there's no question." "Some feel the vista in a 

large format film is the most important component," 

observes Whelan, "that the visual of 

soaring over the 

mountaintop just can't be 

compared to seeing somebody sitting in a 

room, acting. Others think IMAX is suppxjsed 

to take you to a place that you could never go 

to on your own. There are many great uses of 

the medium. At Sony Classics we take it on a 

project-by-project basis—whether we felt that 

it is worthwhile in the marketplace, and is 

something that should be done in IMAX rather 

than be done as a TV documentary or a feature 

fihn." 

She then mentions MacGillivray's "Everest." 

"There have been any number of IMAX 

films done in snow-capped mountains. I mean, 

you see the same themes coming up over and 

over again, which is one of the things that Sony 

wanted to change when they got involved with 

this business—to exploit more new subject 

matter But I can't wait to see 'Everest' be- 

told very effecti 

be able to get the 

'If we don't give the audience 

an emotional^ escapist 

experience the way good 

conventional films do, all 

these nice hig palaces that are 

being built to accommodate 

IMAX screenings are going to 

get a conventional 35 projector 

and stop showing IMAX/' 

— Mark Katz, Sony Classics 

cau.se, although I've seen a million IMAX 

movies that take place in the same geographical 

kinds of locations, they followed the tragic 

expedition that happened last year, and I think 

it's going to be extremely different from those 

which have come before it." 

One 

thing almost all parties interviewed 

for this story were in agreement on 

regarding 

15/70's move to become a 

main.stream entertainment choice is that the 

breakthrough film, the one that through word 

of mouth becomes a must-see for the general 

public, has not arrived yet. "It's still to be made, 

and we are anxious to find the person that will 

do it," says IMAX's Wechsler, "especially 

when you're talking about IMAX 3-D. The 

rhetoric offilmmaking, storytelling, and visual 

presentation—call it the killer application—it 

hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe it will come 

from some kid fcx)ling around in film school 

right now, or maybe one of the more established 

Hollywood diixxlors will take a diversion 

from 35mm and have the vision of what 

will work in large format. But I think we've 

yet to see it." 

Paramount has announced it will produce a 

3-D IMAX "Star Trek" short, and some feel 

perhaps this will be the film to put IMAX on 

the mainstream map. "You know, it looks fantastic 

on papeil" states Katz. '"Star Trek' is an 

established entertainment phenomenon with a 

huge foUowing'i If they actually pull it off and 

it's good, it miglujust be the breakthrough film 

this format is looking for" Loews Theaters 

president Travig Reid concurs. '"Star Trek' 

could be the bntakthrough. It will probably be 

typical of the lentth of the TV episodes, which 

is perfect—everybody has seen these stories 

ely in that time frame. We'll 

same kind of turnover we're 

used to, and the ijubject could really capitalize 

on special effects, how great they can look on 

such a huge screen, with that clarity." 

Whatever the breakthrough, the long term, 

widespread success of the format will ultimately 

rest on one factor "First and foremost," 

Katz concludes, "the films 

have got to keep coming 

and keep improving, so the 

industry can hopefully 

generate better returns and 

we can keep making more 

and better films. Because 

right now the technology is 

still what people are coming 

for—it's still not the 

film quite yet. We're getting 

there, becoming more 

software driven, but we 

have a ways to go. That's 

what will carry this medium 

forward. Because if 

we don't become software 

driven, giving the audience 

an emotional, escapist experience 

the way good 

conventional films do 

while perhaps pushing 

harder on someof the other 

senses, then all these nice 

big palaces that are being built to accommodate 

IMAX are going to get a conventional 35 

projector and stop showing IMAX. That's one 

thing I feel very strongly about." 

Greg MacGillivray is in complete agreement. 

"What the increased theatre base will do 

is 

enable us to make a better film," he says, 

"because we'll have more venues to show the 

film, and we can make more money back so 

next time we can have a bigger budget and 

better writing, better acting, better everything. 

It hopefully will end up improving the quality 

of IMAX filmmaking—that's the big cmsade 

that I have. Let's write better films, make better 

films and give the audience better filmmaking. 

"I still think it will take yeare before the 

awareness of IMAX and the quality and consistency 

of the product gets to a level that the 

audience can be assured thai their $7 or $8 

dollar investment will be worthwhile." adds 

MacGillivray. "But it will be crucial foreveryone 

involved that this indu.stry arrives at that 

place." §

Rpf^ngnsp Nn A.Q 

\ 

V 

THE "ORIGINAL" 

CONCESSION NACHOS. 

'.^] 

)CHanMR 

CHEESE 

SAUCE 

mmaKmtuonvtat 

T 

_ GOUHMET' 

nacho 

CHEDDAR CHEESE 

SAUCE 

»»0T'll2 

CHEDDAR „--.CHE 

SAUCE 

ioesE 

new^ 

a

Exhibition Profile 

COASTING 

TO SUCCESS 

Pacific Tlieatres' New Builds Are Making Waves 

by Bridget Byrne 

But what Wood insists must be typical of 

each and every theatre, whatever its design, 

wherever its location, is the excellence of presentation. 

So although there is no prototype for 

a Pacific Theatre, there is always an assurance 

that the customer is what matters. "It's like 

keeping a drinking glass clean. If there's a 

smudge on your glass, you are not going to 

have a good experience whatever the contents," 

says Wood about the importance of 

customer service. 

Wood points out that many of the films 

Pacific shows are also onscreen at competitors' 

theatres, .so "choice" takes on a different meaning. 

'Today, people want a choice of films to see 

at any given locafion, and they want a multiple 

PACIFICATION: The Beach Cities 16 in Manhattan Beach, Calif., is one of the first builds 

under Pacific's new expansion plan. 

Southern California, it's Pacific Standard 

InTime. That is. Pacific Theatres is setting 

standards with several new megaplex 

builds in El Segundo, San Diego, the San 

Fernando Valley, Anaheim, Northridge and 

Bakersfield. Pacific's Hawaiian arm (known 

as Consolidated Amusement Co.) is also opening 

new locales, including sites in Koko Marina, 

Honolulu; Pearlridge, Aica; and 

Kaahumanu, Kauhului. The rapidly-expanding 

circuit, which currently operates 328 

screens in California and Hawaii, will add 1 89 

more screeas to its tally by April of 1 999. 

Chan Wood, Pacific's executive vice president, 

head film buyer and director of marketing, 

says these megaplexes arc "examples of 

the ultra-modem complexes which will typify 

Pacific's future growth." 

But at the same time. Wood points out that 

'typical' is not a word to apply to a Pacific 

cinema "Each of our theatres has its own personality," 

says Wood, pointing to a colorfiil brochure 

illustrated with styles of architecture 

ranging from sleek modem to elaborate art deco. 

The 5 1 -year-old company, begun with the 

purchase in 1946 by William R. Forman of 

some existing drive-ins, owns and operates 

theatres as diverse in style as the nostalgic and 

famous slice-of-a-giant-golf-ball Cinerama 

Dome on Sunset Boulevard and the all-thatglitters 

El Capilan on Hollywood Boulevard; 

as modernistic as the Gaslamp, set to open this 

month in San Diego; and as vast in scale as the 

Kapolei Theatre, the largest entertainment 

center in Hawaii, with 16 auditoriums built on 

over 8.5 acres. 

choice of show times .so that they can turn up at 

the theatre and find something to .see within no 

more than a 20-minute to half-hour wait," says 

Wood, summing up one of the main reasons 

why Pacific is thinking in huge complex terms. 

The style in which the film is projected and 

viewed is the ulfimate priority. All of Pacific's 

new theatres have been designed with widelyspaced 

rows of stadium seating for a clear, 

unobstructed view from highback chairs with 

moveable cupholder armrests. The complexes 

will all feature Sony SDDS, DTS and Dolby 

Digital sound systems, and every auditorium will 

be THX-certified. "Everything the public wants 

today is definitely in the theatre," says Wood. 

But sitting, .seeing and hearing are just part 

of the exhibition experience, and Pacific Theatres 

is devoting much thought to other elements, 

such as spacious, attractive lobbies; a 

broad range of concessions; and convenient, 

easy parking with safe access. 

'Theatregoing has become more than just 

seeing a movie," says Wood. "The theatre is 

the place for a social gathering, an outing. 

People these days arrange to meet in the lobby 

to decide which film to see. They might split 

up for different movies and amuige to meet 

again in the lobby afterwards, or families split

\r/\«raiY«KAv* 

IQOT 

— 

WHAT A GAS: A sketch of Pacific Theatres' Gaslamp in San Diego, set to open this month. 

I 

up so that the children can see a G-movie while 

the parents take in an R." Pacific has responded 

to this pattern in patron activity by making the 

theatre lobbies appeaUng, expansive meeting 

places with comfortable dining areas providing 

more interesting and sophisticated varieties 

of foods than your typical concession 

so in the CaUfomia market," he says, referring 

to the brief amount of time it can take for new 

technologies and industry standards to make 

pre-existing theatres obsolete. "Five years ago, 

they were building eight- to 12-plex theatres. 

Today, they're building 16- to 30-screen theatres. 

[Other differences include the advent of] 

South. And they would work with maybe 200 

prints, and move those prints from the South 

to New York to the Midwest to California. And 

while that was going on, there would be a 

picture opening in California, then going down 

to the South, then going to the Midwest. And 

there was never a national availability. [In the 

choices. Wood says the company is negotiating 

with restauranteur Wolfgang Puck to bring 

the famed chef's innovative, eponymous cafes 

on-site, like the one neighboring the Pacific 

Beach Cities Cinema 16. Pacific also hopes to 

enter into more tie-ins with Houston's Steak 

House, another adjacent eatery. 

Thoughts are also being directed toward 

different manners of food service, such as 

selling refreshments to patrons in their seats by 

having ushers circulate snack trays. Pacific is 

also considering implementing a combined 

"film and food" service through which food 

can be pre-ordered along with a ticket for 

immediate pick-up on arrival at the theatre. 

An innovation of a different kind is a paging 

service for patrons. Designed chiefly to ease 

the worry of parents who have left children 

home with a baby-sitter. Pacific offers it as a 

complimentary "peace of mind" service. 

parent who leaves a driver's license as a deposit 

at the boxoffice is given a pager which 

can be silently beeped by an operator at the 

theatre. The theatregoer can then come to the 

lobby to take the incoming call. Refrigerator 

magnets bearing the pager service phone number 

are given out to interested patrons. 

Keeping one step ahead of the competition 

is. Wood believes, vital in a business where 

there is currently lots of "fierce competition." 

"There's a lot of building going on—the shelf 

life for a theatre has become shorter, definitely 

A 

stadium seating auditoriums, with the wall-towall 

screens. So if you built an eight-plex five 

"It^s like keeping a 

drinking glass clean. 

If there's a smudge on 

your glass, you are not 

going to have a good 

experience whatever 

the contents.'' 

years ago, that theatre would be really outdated 

already, even though it's [practically] a brandnew 

theatre. The people are demanding a better 

presentation, more variety, more choice with 

their showtimes, and restaurants and entertainment-type 

projects." 

Wood is able to speak with authority about 

the evolution of the exhibition industry, having 

joined Pacific Theatres' film department 40 

years ago in 1963. ("I started very young, by 

the way. A mere child," he hastens to add with 

a laugh). The most significant change Wood 

has observed over the decades is the increased 

number of prints available, and the resultant 

impact on booking practices. "It used to be 

pictures would open in certain areas of the 

country, like East Coast or West Coast or the 

'60s,] a picture playing the Dome theatre, like 

'Mad, Mad World,' would play for a year. 

Today, a picture like 'Lost World' opens on 

4,000 screens and grosses $ 1 00 milUon the first 

week. And in five weeks or six weeks, the 

picture's gone." 

Prior to joining Pacific, Wood's first-ever 

job was as an usher at the Inglewood Drive-In. 

Pacific, which built its success on drive-ins, 

still owns a few, such as the Vineland four-plex 

in the San Gabriel Valley, the Hi-Way 39 fourplex 

in Westminster and the Vermont Tri-plex 

in Gardena. But the move away ftx)m that type 

of exhibition, begun by Michael R. Forman, 

who succeeded his father as Chairman and 

CEO in 1981, continued even more aggressively 

when Michael's son, Christopher, took 

over the CEO reins a couple of years ago and 

began focusing on building larger theatres 

often on the sites once viable as drive-ins. 

"Our company's mission is to build the 

biggest and best state-of-the-art theatres during 

this time ofaggressive expansion," says Wood. 

"You go to a movie to be entertained. It's not 

the exhibitor's fault if the picture is not good, 

but it is the exhibitor's job to make sure the 

sound is clear, the picture is clear, the temperature 

is right, the theatre is clean and comfortable, 

the popcorn is hot, the parking is secure 

and the customer service is good and directed 

to making sure you enjoy your visit and want 

to come back." 

^H

Wired World 

LET THE GAMES BEGIN! 

The Sega GameWorks Team Offers Exhibitors a 

New Kind of Bang for Their Bucl( by Pat Kramer 

With competition between 

exhibitors on the rise, theatre 

circuits are discovering 

the virtues of adding more high 

tech video and interactive amusements 

to their lobbies, providing an 

additional source of revenue while 

giving moviegoers extra reasons to 

visit their facilities. Many exhibitors 

are now setting aside prime space or 

designating specially-designed alcoves 

for these amusements, where 

they can be enjoyed by visitors without 

causing traffic problems. 

Sega GameWorks (SOW) has 

taken a leading role in this process 

via its Sega Cities and GameWorks 

divisions. Back in 1995, the company, 

then known as Sega Enterprises, 

formed its first exhibition 

partnership with United Artists by 

participating in the development of 

UA's Starport entertainment center 

in Indianapolis. Other Starports followed 

at UA multiplexes in Baltimore, 

Austin, Denver and Albuquerque, 

giving the circuit its own interactive 

games franchise for retail mall locations. 

Ranging in size from 6,000 to 8,000 square 

feet, the early Sega Cities aimed to target the 

teenage/young adult market with a design that 

was light, bright, attractive and fun. 

Next was a Sega partnership with Cineplex 

Odeon to develop the 1 8,000-square-foot 

Cinescape facility in Calgary, Alberta, which 

opened on July 2, 1996. Cinescape combined 

Cineplex 's existing five-screen theatre in Eau 

Claire Market with Sega's latest cutting-edge 

amusements: interactive games, electronic 

motion simulator devices, movie-themed pinball 

games and lOhigh-speed Internet stations. 

Another Cinescape was built in Houston, 

Texas for Cineplex later that year. According 

to Howard Lichtman, Cineplex's executive 

vice president of marketing and communications, 

both facilities have resulted in incTcased 

business. "We're seeing a definite synei;gy 

between the Cinescape patrons and the movie 

patrons and the cross utilization is very high, 

as was our hypothesis. It is the moviegoer who 

is going to Cinescape and it is the Cinescape 

customer who is going to the movies." 

Cinescape was the first official exhibition 

pnycct under the banner of .Sega Gameworks. 

Earlier that year, in Mareh 19%, Sega Entei- 

LUCKY BREAK: An SGW "WaveRunner" environment lets users skim over simulated seas. 

prisesjoined forces with Universal Studios and 

DreamWorks SKG to form Sega GameWorks 

L.L.C., a limited liability corporation. SGW is 

comprised of three core business: games under 

the Sega brand; operation andexpaasion ofthe 

original Sega Cities division, which includes 

the placement of games in theatres; and a new 

division: GameWorks location-based entertainment 

centers (LBEs). 

In the past year, SGW has launched 

GameWorks facilities in Seattle, in Las Vegas 

and in Ontario, Califomia With an average 

size of 30,000 

square feet, the 

GameWorks sites 

are all adjacent to 

lai;ge multiplexes or 

megaplexes and 

feature the latest of 

SGW's proprietary 

line of interactive 

video games, molion 

simulators and 

amusements. 

At the Ontario facility 

on any given weekend day. youMI find a 

mix of teenagers, young adults and families 

'In some districts, 

we've actually 

increasedgame 

revenues 150 percent 

district-wide." 

lined up to play an assoiUnent of adrenalinepnxlucing 

games that test their balance, reflexes 

and sense of adventure. "Alpine Racer" 

is a perfect example: the gamer places his or 

her feet in molded plastic skis to steer down an 

incredibly fast-paced ski course as it flashes by 

on a video screen. Other games include "Hang 

Pilot" for those who enjoy the thought of 

hang-gliding but have reservations about 

doing it in the flesh; "Golden Tee" for wouldbe 

golfers; "Super Shot", which issues actual 

basketballs for practice shots tlm)ugh a moving 

hoop; and "The Lost Worid: Jurassic Parte" 

where one or two players ward off attacking 

dinosaurs by shooting 

simulated bullets 

at a video screen 

while seated in a 

simulated jeep. 

New and even 

more innovative titles 

include "Vertical 

Reality" and 

"Game Arc." Described 

as a cross 

between a video 

game and a nwtion 

simulator. Vertical Reality su-aps three players 

at a time into chairs facing a two-story screen 

where they must shoot moving targets or get 

.shot. The player's chair rises to a maximum

I 


height of 40 feet, depending on the skill of the 

players. The chairs are quickly lowered to the 

floor when players run out of ammunition or 

are caught in a fatal crossfire. 

Like Vertical Reality, Game Arc is for those 

who like to test their reflexes, shooting at 

simulated villains while sitting in a small car 

mounted to a moving platform. Moving images 

are projected on a large screen while high 

fidelity sound creates the aura of battle in an 

undeiground world inhabited by dangerous 

quickly, Wilhoyte says the Smart Cards have 

been found to increase per patron spending. 

While Wilhoyte says there's no "average" 

per-game price at GameWorks sites, the 

money spent on higher-end games is fairly 

steep. Motion simulated games like "Alpine 

Racer" and "Hang Pilot" cost $1.25 and $1.50 

per two-to-three minute game. "The Lost 

World" costs $2 per player, but to play the 

entire course from beginning to end might take 

six or eight tries, and might therefore be costly. 

SMART MOVE: A GameWorks patron uses a Smart Card debit card to go for anothier play. 

aliens. With Game Arc, price is dependent on 

how long one chooses to continue. 

This 

whole concept is very, very hot 

today," states David Stroud, 

GameWorks' director of new business 

development. "We think there's a lot of opportunities 

today with the investments the major 

chains are making and the fabulous properties 

they're creating." David Wilhoyte, director of 

Sega City and Game Operations adds, 

"GameWorks works well in places with a 

broad entertainment mix including theatres, 

retail stores and restaurants. The theatre chains 

are an important part of that mix, creating more 

of a total entertainment destination for consumers." 

Some opponents of location-based entertainment 

centers feel they create competition 

for exhibition by eating up a share ofthe money 

consumers bring to each location. Stroud says 

that's not been the case. "At other entertainment 

venues, where these components don't 

exist, business has not increased as much as at 

our larger locations. The more you offer people, 

the more they're going to get out and enjoy 

themselves and spend money. It's truly creating 

a destination that is more than one stop in 

an evening's activities." 

At GameWorks facilities, all games are set 

up to take "Smart Cards"—debit cards which 

are purchased in advance. In addition to moving 

patrons through the entertainment center 

"Game Arc" costs $2 per play, while "Vertical 

one of GameWorks" "premium" 

Reality," 

amusements, runs $4 per game. 

Besides the pinbaU, video and motion-simulator 

games, GameWorks offers access to the 

'Net via the "Internet Lounge." Patrons are 

provided with comfortable chairs and laptop 

computers where they can access an abundance 

of different sites, chat rooms, or information 

resources through specially-designed 

web pages. At $2 for every 10 minutes, this is 

a resource for those who are looking to send 

an e-mail or do a little browsing. To make sure 

those using the simpUfied system don't get 

lost, an Internet consultant is stationed in the 

room to answer any questions that arise. 

S' 

' 

GW has ambitious development plans, 

with a goal of opening 100 GameWorks 

sites worldwide by the year 2,002. The 

next GameWorks facility will be opening in 

Grapevine, Texas this fall followed by Tempe, 

Ariz, and other locations, including Rio De 

Janeiro. While the more elaborate 

GameWorks sites are being planned in high 

traffic locations near large exhibitors, SGW 

also is trying to establish partnerships with 

smaller exhibitors through its Sega Cities division. 

Stroud is in charge of setting up those 

joint ventures within theatre complexes, which 

range from installing a few amusement devices 

to areas wholly designated for games. 

"We examine and measure the proposed area 

for the games, checking out the traffic flow," 

says Stroud. "After that, we provides assistance 

in design and theming for the games, as 

well as installation and maintenance." 

While he's eager to increase business for the 

company, Stroud acknowledges that not all 

theatres are right for hosting Sega Cities. "If 

we don't feel that the theatre has the right 

design or is the right venue for our games, then 

putting a lot of games in is iieally not a good 

idea. When we visit the theatres, we try to 

explain to [exhibitors] that 

the games are a very important 

component of their business. 

We also like to make 

sure they have the newest 

and latest games and make 

sure they are kept absolutely 

clean, like everything else in 

the theatres." 

Stroud says revenues are 

up at many of their joint vennires. 

"We've really started 

to dress them up and make 

them a destination in themselves. 

As a result, in some of 

the districts we've gone into, 

we've actually increased 

game revenues 150 percent 

district-wide." Wilhoyte 

adds, "We've been successful 

at improving the performance 

of games in theatres 

that historically may not 

have been performers, 

through careftilly selected 

games and superior service. 

We want to ensure that when 

we do commit to a partnership with a theatre 

or any other game operation venue, that we can 

meet our mutual expectations for game earnings 

and our ability to service their needs." 

In keeping with their expansion plans, SGW 

has just completed a new design concept for 

Sega Cities. Wilhoyte says the size of the 

facilities will remain roughly 6,000 to 8,000 

square feet, but the theming will be more 

decorative. "[The new concept] is colorful, 

eclectic, dynamic. It's a theatrical, whimsical 

environment, very different from the current 

Sega Cities look, but very inviting. Again, it's 

a combination of having a theatre and a highquality 

game room with a lot of traffic." 

Describing the strides SGW has taken in just 

18 months, Stroud points to the three 

GameWorks facilities that are up and running: 

'To go ftx)m concept to design to installation 

to opening was just a tremendous feat!" He 

attributes that achievement to chairman Skip 

Paul. "He's put together an unbelievable team. 

I've never seen a team as smart, creative and 

effective at realizing their goals, so I'm really 

excited to be a part of this." 

While he's guarded about revealing too 

much about the company's future plans, 

Stroud says, "We're looking at and involved 

with a lot of different countries and are talking 

to several exhibitors at this time. But no doubt 

about it—there will probably be a Sega City or 

GameWorics coming to a neighborhood near 

you soon

^1 

nnvnnifV 

— 

Commentary 

'r'*^ 

STATE OF THE ART 

MGM Chairman and CEO Frank Mancuso asks tough 

questions about today's film biz by Frank Mancuso 

this year 

At 

's ShoWest convention, 

MGM Inc. chairman 

and CEO Frank G. Mancuso 

provided a keynote speech that held 

back no praise yet pulled no punch. 

Mancuso's comic anecdote about 

two men and a beardrew laughs, and 

his promise that MGM would lead 

the way toward establishing a yearround 

release schedule drew applause, 

but his calls for 

decreased— or at least more profitoriented^spending 

by both the production 

and the exhibition 

communities were straight-arrow 

serious. Because Marwuso 's address 

was filled to overflowing with analysis 

ofdo-or-die importance to professionals 

in all areas of the film 

industry, BOXOFFICE here offers a 

transcript of Mancuso s commentary 

for our readers attending 

ShowEast. 

So 

what was I thinking? I'll bet 

that's a question that went 

through many of your minds, 

that day back in the summer of 1993, when you 

found out I was assuming the chairmanship of 

MGM. Actually, I was thinking my golf game 

wasn't getting much better, even though I was 

practicing, so this seemed like a more attractive 

alternative. 

Some alternative! We were faced with the 

task of taking over this great film company 

which had struggled through a series of ownership 

and management changes and with an 

industry that barely believed it still existed 

and restoring it to its rightfiil place as one of 

Hollywood's premier studios. I took great 

comfort in the wisdom of Yogi Berra's remark, 

"It ain't over 'til it's over," and we got on with 

the task. 

And succeed we did, thanks to the hard work 

of a group of talented, seasoned professionals 

in every division of the company, and thanks 

also to the support of exhibitors. You believed 

in our efforts and supported our film slate. In 

1994 and 1995, we started to accomplish txir 

goal and Justified the faith of the exhibition 

community with film.s like "Stargate," "Rob 

Roy" and "Species." And later, with successes 

ranging from the award-winning "Leaving Las 

IN LIKE A LION: MGM ctiair Frank Mancuso (in tiis office at ttie studio)— a man willing to o/srijs.s h.nd truths. 

Vegas" and "Get Shwty" to "GoldenEye" and 

'The Birdcage," we proved that the Lion still 

had plenty of roar left in it after all. 

Yet it wasn't long before MGM faced 

challenges once again, with a sale of the company 

that would determine its ftiture. This 

time, we weren't just looking at a studio that 

had to overcome difficulties to return to prosperity. 

We also had to contend with a changing 

industry, 

production 

and marketing 

costs that were 

reaching the stratosphere, 

and an exhibition 

business that 

had made the price 

for screen expansion 

overly costly. 

So what were we 

thinking, when our 

management group 

teamed with 

Tracinda Corp. and Seven Network to buy 

MGM? Aaually, we were thinking that many 

in exhibition were up against the same set of 

challenges—that we were not alone. We had 

all faced long odds at one time or another in 

growing our businesses. We were all going to 

have to change, and we would all probably 

have to do it together 

But why change? This industry has been 

good to us, hasn't it? After all, American copyright 

industries, which include filmed entertainment, 

are among the largest and 

fastest-growing sectors of the economy. They 

account for more 

th;ui five percent of 

'"We are cannibalizing 

each other's 

audiences and 

shortening the life 

ofaplm/' 

the country's gross 

domestic product. 

They—we—create 

new jobs more than 

twice as fast as does 

the economy as a 

whole. Further signaling 

the strength 

of our business, the 

percentage of the 

moviegoing public 

that attends movies frequently rose by 14 percent 

from 1990 to 

1995. That's a 14 percent 

increase in the number of people who go to the 

movies at least once a month.

There's still mate good news about our 

industry. The amount ofmoney spent on movie 

admissions has risen every year since 1939. 

Since the Depression ended, we've had over 

five-and-a-half decades of consecutive 

increases 

in dollars spent in this country on going 

to the movies. And Americans aren't the only 

ones spending record amounts on movie tickets. 

Exhibitors are building new, bigger and 

normally don't go to the movies still aren't 

going. Littie we've done so far has succeeded 

in changing their ways. 

Look at California's San Fernando Valley. 

In the past three years, the number of screens 

in the area increased by nearly 80 percent. Yet 

boxoffice grew only 16 percent. Aldiough we 

breathed a sigh of reUef to 

see nationwide 

admissions finally move up last year, that five- 

CLIFFHANGER: Mancuso likens exhibition and distribution to the title characters from "Thelma and Louise, " so drunk 

with a sense of freedom and empowerment that they exercised it by driving off a cliff. 

better theatres around the worid. The new spate 

of construction in international markets parallels 

tiie multiplexing of America 20 years ago. 

Exhibitors should be proud that, at home 

and abroad, the moviegoing experience is better 

than ever for consumers. New theaU^s are 

laiiger and mcnie comfortable. But if our reality 

is new and bigger maricets, increasing frequency 

of attendance among moviegoers, better 

technology, and more dollars tiian ever 

spent on movie tickets, then why does the film 

indusoy have to change? 

It has to change because there's another 

dimension to our reality, and we have ignored 

it too long. Just like the characters in a disaster 

movie, we have been blissftiUy unaware—or 

pridefully unmindful—of the problems 

around us. But the problems are tiiere, and it's 

time we recognize tiiem and do something 

about them If we do, our industry will be 

stronger than ever. 

From 

1990 to 1995, the number of .screeas 

in America increased by 1 7 percent. The 

number of major-studio releases grew by 

34 percent. Yet in the same peri(xl the number 

of admissions rose by only six percent. 

noted earlier that moviegoing frequency is 

I 

on the rise, and indeed it is. But that's only 

among people already in the habit of going to 

the movies. People who attend infrequenUy arc 

not going more often, and the people who 

year curve still is not very curvy. In fact, admissions 

were the same in 1995 as in 1989. 

From 1990 to 1995, screens grew three times 

as fast as admissions, and tiie number of releases 

by five times as much. By comparison, 

admissions were all but flat. 

How much more are we spending on making 

and mariceting our movies? How many 

more dollars are we spending on building new 

theatres? And how many new movie patrons 

are we getting in return? The answers; too 

much, way too many, and not nearly enough. 

Perhaps we've been thinking, "If we build 

it, they will come." But tiiere's something 

wrong here, my friends. We're making more 

pictures and building more theatres. Yet people 

aren't going to the movies more. We either 

must find ways to grow our market or cut back 

on our spending. 

Our goal has been growth. But growth at an 

irrational cost? Growth even at the expense of 

profits? Exhibitors and studios alike have acted 

on a mandate to increase boxoffice, and we 

achieved our goal: a nine percent increase in 

dollars spent on movie tickets from 1990 to 

1 995 . 

But we' ve done it by increasing quantity, 

not quality. We built more scTeens and released 

more movies. We expanded everything except 

the number of people going to the movies. The 

size of the pie didn't get significantly bigger; 

we jast carved it up into smaller pieces among 

more films and more theatres. To put it in the 

simplest terms, we've spent more and gotten 

less. We've forgotten legendary venture capitalist 

Warren Buffet's two cardinal rules of 

creating wealth. The first rule is not to lose 

money. And the second rule is not to forget the 

fu^t rule. 

Forgotten it we have. Film companies released 

more movies in 1996 than 1995, and 

they are scheduled to release 14 more in 1997 

than in 1996. The result? A 

cluttered market in which it's 

diflFicult for a given film to 

stand out. The result of that? 

Increased spending on production, 

to make the filmbigger, 

more exciting, more 

noticeable. The result of that? 

Even more spending on marketing, 

prints and ads, to protect 

the excessive amounts 

already spent to make the 

movie. And the result of tiiat? 

A run on the market for 

Maalox. 

Studio executives are 

reaching for relief because 

supposedly at least 1 2 movies 

in 1997 will have production 

budgets in excess of 

$100 million. But in an average 

year only 10 movies top 

that figure at the domestic 

boxoffice. I sure hope this 

won't be an average year. 

From 1990 to 1995, production 

costs soared 36 percent. 

Marketing costs 

skyrocketed 48 percent. And, 

new num- 

unfortunately, tiie 

bers for 1996 have continued tiiis unhealthy 

trend. 

The story isn'tmuch better on the exhibition 

side. Is tiie competition between two studios 

dueling over films with similar content really 

any different from trying to build two 

megaplexes in the same city or shopping center 

area? Multiplexes and megaplexes were supposed 

to help exhibitors reduce their overhead. 

But when that new theatre is just a short drive 

away, or down the block, or maybe even directiy 

across the street ftom your competitor's 

new theaUTe, tiiat overhead savings is gone. We 

are cannibalizing each other's audiences and, 

by spreading movie paUx)ns across screens 

rather than across weeks, we're shortening the 

life of a film. 

ust as studios are carving up the audience 

Jpie into smaller pieces among more releases, 

exhibitors are slicing the pie into 

smaller slivers among more screens. As studios 

have believed the way to boost revenues 

is to {xoduce more films, exhibitors have acted 

on the belief that tiie way to grow revenues is 

to build more tiieatres. But building in overserved 

areas will not help your bottom line. 

If just one exhibition company were buikling 

megaplexes, if one studio were pnKiucing 

big-budget pictures and spent tens of millions 

on marketing tiiem. tiieir actions would have 

tiie positive effect on the market tiiey want. But

BAQ-N 

\i'r'i)^ 

% SAYINGS 

over portion control cheese cupel 

Locked in equality and freshness, 

f^ 

[ji^^l 

Pynamite taste, preferred 

by 9 out of 10 movie goers. 

p Consistent heating 

^[ temperature. 

& IÎSF^PP^'ov®^ 

(' 

The 

served in the ULTIMATE NachoTray 

::rease profits and customer 

joyment by adding "Ttie Ultimate Nacho" 

your menu !! 

Three compartments 

Cheese, Chips & Salsa 

# Give customer a choice: ^^^V S^P ^®«'9n fcr equal balance 

CHEESE & SALSA 

DOUBLE SALSA 

DOUBLE CHEESE 

ie Complete Nacho Program"! 

Manufacturers and Processors of High Quality Consession Supplie 

GREAT WESTEJRI^^ PRODUCTS COmPAm 

30290 US Hwy. 72 Hollywood, AL 35752 •Toll Free 800-239-2143 • Fax 205-574-211

' 

Mann 

when most major exhibitors build new theatres, 

and build them within shouting distance 

of one another, and when most studios release 

event movies and do it in the same competitive 

period, they neutralize the impact of what 

could have been market-leading strategies. 

They cancel out each other's efforts; they defeat 

each other's purpose. 

We're like the two characters in "Thelma 

and Louise." After surviving a string of disasters, 

Thelma and Louise embarked on a joyriding 

escape from the law. They ultimately 

drove themselves off a cliif rather than face 

capture. Roger Ebert described them as "intoxicated 

with the sense of their own freedom." 

That sounds like us! We've lost our 

sense of restraint, continually overproducing 

and overbuilding. Like Thelma and Louise, 

we're heading for a cliff. But will we stop 

before we go over the edge? I believe we can, 

and I believe we will. We're all part of an 

industry that is without equal in the world. No 

other country, even those with thriving film 

industries, has created a force to rival the 

American entertainment industries. We, along 

with the talents that collectively make up the 

industry we call Hollywood, have built this 

unique business, and we can bring it back from 

the edge. 

Competition is the food that feeds us, the 

drive that sustains us. It should not be the 

obsession that hurts us. Remember the story of 

the two men being chased by a bear? When 

one stopped to put on his sneakers, the other 

yelled, "You fool, you can'toutrun abear."The 

first man yelled back, "I don't have to outrun 

the bear. I just have to outrun you." We're so 

busy trying to outrun each other that we're all 

losing sight of the bear, the "huge, hairy beast" 

Jack 'Valenti once cited when describing our 

escalating costs. 

So what do we do? 

First: 

Studios should make fewer movies 

and concentrate on quality more than on quan- 

''Studios have been 

trying too hard to 

fill imaginary needs 

for their distribution 

pipelines/' 

tity. Audiences—and exhibitors—often wonder 

how studios can make so many bad movies. 

The truth is, studios have been trying too 

hard to fill an imaginary need for their distribution 

pipelines. But overproduction has 

caused the pipe to spring a lot of leaks: bad 

movies and clutter. 

Better movies will play longer in your theatres, 

giving them time to be discovered. And 

fewer films will reduce clutter, giving movies 

a greater chance to open well and hold better, 

drawing an audience over a longer period of 

time. We at the studios must concentrate our 

resources on films to which we can fully devote 

our attention, our care, and our skill—in 

production, 

marketing and distribution—to 

enhance the efficiency of the system. 

Second: Studios should release their movies 

in a more orderly, 12-month release pattern. 1 

know you've heard this before. I think it was 

mentioned in a breakfast room in San Diego at 

the first ShoWest. 

And here we are, still talking about it. If 

it's any better today it's an accident, a byproduct 

of overproduction. We all need to do 

better. There's so much proof that a yearround 

release pattern makes sense. Look at 

the January 1997 re-release of "Star Wars." 

It outgrossed any Thanksgiving or Christmas 

1 996 release, and gave our industry one of 

the best first-quarter admission numbers in 

years. Look at the successful runs of MGM's 

"Get Shorty," an October release, and 'The 

Birdcage," a March release. A film does not 

have to open in summer or over the holidays 

to be a hit. 

Studios 

must distribute pictures throughout 

the year, spreading our schedules 

across all 12 months to help reduce the 

clutter. Film fans don't lose interest in movies 

just because it's early February or late September, 

and your theatres don't cost you any less 

to operate when you have no new quality 

releases to show. A yearlong release pattern of 

want-to-see films, not just any films, will keep 

your patrons happy and your theatres full. 

At MGM, as we gear back up to full produc- 

Act III Theatres • Carmike Cinemas • Cinamerica Theatres • Cineplex Odeon • Cynos Anedos Cinemas • Dickinson Theatres • Eastern Federal • Edwards Cinemas 

A.S I 

went to sit in my seat 

my hands held a drink cold & sweet, 

but when I sat down 

my face showed a frown, 

cause my drink spilled all 

over my feet. 

.Since then I have been to a place 

that provides me a neat little space, 

where I can sit back 

with my cup in a rack, 

and relax with a smile on my face. 

Are your patrons smiling? 

Call, The Caddy Guys 

1-800-845-0591 

Caddy Products • 10501 Florida Avenue • Minneapolis, MN 55438 • 612-828-0030 • Fax 612-829-0166 

Theatres • Marcus Theatres • Metropolitan Theatres • Natwnal Amusements Pacific Theatres • Regal Cinemas • United Artists Theatre Circuit 

Response No. 421

ighten Up! 

Projection System Analyzer 

Patent Pending 

l-USLjnc. 

Simple 

Time Saving 

Portable 

Any Size Screen 

Analyzes Entire Screen - 

45 Zones Simultaneously 

Superior Luminance 

Computer Driven 

All Projection Systems 

^y^^^y^^^SZ^ 

i-USLjnc 

Quality Cinema Products 

Ultra'St^reo Labs. Inc. • 181 Bonet^ti Drive 

San Luis Obispo. CA 93401 

Telephone (805) 549-01 61 "FAX [805) 54^0163 

E-Mail feliciausl@aGl.com 

In association with 

L J Technologies. Inc. • 19017 W. 51st St. 

Merriam, KS 66203 

Telephone (913) 789-81 11 'FAX (913) 789-8088 

E-Mail ljtech@swbell.net

— 

— 

tion, we will pace our films evenly, by spreading 

such upcoming titles as "The End of Violence," 

"Hurricane," "Red Comer" and 

'Tomorrow Never Dies" across the coming 

months. We will follow that in 1 998 with "The 

Man in the Iron Mask" in January, "The Mod 

Squad" in February and "Species 11" in March. 

And we will continue to implement a yearround 

release pattern as we build our slate from 

this strong beginning. 

Third: We must follow our instinct, not a 

formula, for what makes movies work. Studios 

must make movies because they tell a 

great story, because they entertain, not because 

they conform to some theory about 

budgets. I don't believe Hollywood should 

only make movies budgeted at less than $20 

million or more than $70 million. That's Uke 

saying you can eat only canned tuna or caviar, 

can shop only at Sears or Saks Fifth Avenue. 

There is no formula for what will make an 

audience cry. laugh, cheer and, yes, come 

back again and again. If there were, we 

wouldn't need fibnmakers; we'd only need 

accountants. 

Fourth: You, our colleagues and friends in 

exhibition, must start building theatres in 

under-served towns and neighborhoods, instead 

ofoverbuilding incities already saturated 

with screens. I know some of you are already 

doing this. Exhibitors can and should continue 

to build new theatres to lure in new moviegoers 

and raise those cTucial admissions numbers. 

Building theatres practically next door to one 

another will only help you divide, not conquer. 

Examine your markets. Study your audience. 

Consider your competition. And then 

build your theatre—but not where competitors 

are building. Build it where your audience 

needs it and wants it, where it is long overdue. 

Build where you will draw in new movie 

patrons, raise admissions, and grow your business 

and this industry. Give patrons in a new 

area the pleasure of this new experience. 

''Exhibitors are 

slicing the vie 

into smaller 

slivers among 

more screens/' 

Fifth, and finally: We must join forces 

studios and exhibitors working togedier for our 

common purpose. With the new technology 

we've put into making films and building 

theatres, the theatrical experience is without 

question better than ever. Yet the investment 

we have all made in better theatres and bigger 

movies has not yet reaped the benefit it should. 

So we must do one thing more. We must 

create a joint industry campaign to promote 

moviegoing, urging those who haven't shared 

in this incredible new enhanced experience to 

come to the movies—and inviting those who 

have come to come again and again. Dairy 

producers have their "Got MilkT' campaign. 

The beef board has its "Beef; It's What's for 

Dinner" effort. With a new cooperation between 

you in exhibition and us at the studios, 

with a creative collaboration between NATO 

and the MPAA, we can create a campaign that 

tells the world, 'The Movies: There's No Place 

Like It at Home." 

With such a campaign, we can grow our 

business; we can recapture the lost patron's 

imagination; we can increase the number of 

people who go to the movies and love doing 

it. For perhaps we have become complacent 

and have allowed ourselves to believe that 

the movies are so woven into our cultural 

fabric that audiences will always come. We 

must remember—and we must remind 

that it is in movie theatres that we are swept 

away in a larger-than-life format, to a largerthan-life 

adventure or romance or drama. It 

is in movie theatres that we scream in fright 

along with everyone else, or laugh with joy 

with the rest of the crowd, or wipe away a tear 

and feel better to see others doing the same. It 

is in movie theatres that we share an experience. 

Whatever the mystique of the movies, I call 

upon exhibitors and studios alike to celebrate 

the theatrical experience with the world. For if 

we build it—the theatre in the under-served 

area, the movie that entertains and satisfies, the 

film slate with the year-round audience appeal, 

and the message of the new wonder of movies—they 

will come. 

Xenon Lamps 

Yumex ILC, Ltd. proudly introduces its line of xenon lamps for film 

projection. These xenon lamps will provide stable, bright 

Movie theatres 

performance for today's highly vivid films. 

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 

SEE US AT SHOWEAST BOOTH #101 

fiK 

noVOITICK. 

No. 202

sttfs& M 

^^R\CS 

A^ 

SOUND 

SYSTEMS & 

SPEAKERS 

\^s^î-^ 

ANOU; 

CLEANII 

AO^. 

'b'^« 

c>s s?^^ 

ORAPiW 

UGH^^»*® 

f 

ilNSTAllA-nOH 

-f^^ 

^ 

^v. 

A HEAL CROWD PLEASER 

Screens aren't our only specialty. Let Theatre Services Corporation, along with our 

Screaming Eagle Textiles and other services, provide all your theatre needs. 

^^ 

developers of the 

— f 

"World's finest screen cleaning process' 

I 

THEATRE SERVICES 

CORPORATION 

»»»»"»"^ '**»** PC 

: Screaming 'Ea£[eê?(ti[esr 

OUR CARPET & DRAPERY COLLECTION 

1-800-345-5898 if 1-800-545-0114 

Fax:972-699.7355 • Phone: 972-690-0615 -^^ ^ 

P.O. Box 835932 • Richardson, Texas 75083-5932 

i 

-== == ss International 

tquipment 

— Association

70 BoxoKUCE 

— 

Movers and Shakers 

AN INDIE 

PRODUCER'S 

HANDBOOK 

hy Sam Arkojf 

Legendary 

producer Sam Arkojf could 

easily be termed one of the most influential 

figures in movie history. As cofounder 

of American International 

Pictures— an independent producing and releasing 

company whose output spanned three 

decades and over500 titles—Arkoffpioneered 

many of the releasing strategies that are second 

nature to today's studios, attd helped 

launch the careers ofgenerations of talent 

In this knowing commentary, Arkoff gives 

the benefit of his experience to aspiring indie 

producers everywhere. Given the high profile 

independent and specialty product has attained 

recently, it's advice applicable to anyone 

in or out ofthefilm industry who seeks to 

understand the way things work.— Editor 

Independent fHXxlucers have a chance if 

they can start with unusual stories that also 

are well told. Not just one or the other. 

Both. Extravagant special effects are not 

enough. Boxoffice "stars" are often not 

enough. Audiences have been overfed with 

spectacles and superstars. They are beginning 

to ask for more, as the disappointing grosses 

on some recent extra-costly releases reveal. 

This gout from grandiosity is an invitation 

to the new producer to find creative ideas and 

writers to put together something new, and 

then do one of two things: Preferably and 

hopefully capture the cooperation of a major 

studio that will finance the picture and provide 

for its marketing; or find other financing, from 

various places and interests throughout the 

worid, to get the picture made and distributed. 

Look at the recent Oscar nominees: indie movies 

do get completed somehow. 

Indie filmmakers who hope to raise funds 

should first find a recognized disUibutor. There 

aren't tnany whose track record is strong 

enough to attract outside capital. One solution 

is to deal with the "art-house" division of a 

major. There are about five of these, and they 

may provide the assurance that foreign or nonindustry 

investors require. 

Obviously the cost of film production has 

grown much faster than the inflationary spiral. 

This has torpedoed many ofthe so-called smart 

guys in the studios who have poured hundreds 

of millions into hoped-for blockbusters, and 

who have announced that there is no future for 

less expensive films. This is nonsense. In spite 

of many of the summer superfihns costing 

more than ever before to produce and market, 

audiences still don't buy dollars, they buy fresh 

entertainment. How many ships have to sink 

before our industry stops making TITANIC, 

extravagant disaster movies? 

One way the independent producer can look 

at his profession is to consider what happens 

on Broadway. A project may begin off-Broadway 

or even off-off Broadway. If it is a surprise 

hit in these less expensive birthplaces, it may 

be picked up by the moneyed interests and 

financed for a Broadway run. The trick, again, 

is to come up with a unique idea and make sure 

it is well-written. 

When raising money it is best if the first 

funds come from the U.S. Foreign distributors 

and investors want to know that some American 

interests are putting their dollars where 

other currencies are also wanted. Today, it is 

less important to have a "sort-of ' star name 

attached than to have a guarantee of release. 

It is a buism that if a film should be made, 

it can be made. Where the money will come 

from is sometimes hard to envision at first, but 

somehow it does materialize in most cases 

provided the will is sODng and the material 

worthy. Major studios need unique, independent 

product to release. They mu.st enrich their 

slates with films such as "Fargo," "The English 

Patient," "Sling Blade" and "Scream." 

The day of the cheap imitation of 

yesteryear's successes is pretty well over—at 

least as a picture that gets theatrical distribution. 

Difficult as it is, in many ways it is easier 

to get independent films made today than ever 

before. There are all sorts of courses given in 

and out ofeducational institutions teaching the 

"hows." There are also lots of experienced 

people ready to pitch in with the making of an 

indejjendent film—cheaply, or even on spec. 

Equipment is plentiful, inexpensive, and more 

user-friendly. You want to make a movie? 

People want to help. 

If you don't have that great story yet, find 

the right novel and option it. Many books have 

been optioned for as little as $.500 a year, or 

even less. Then find a way to pitch it—or a 

screenplay based on it—to the studios. Unless 

you have the support of a major star or director, 

don'\.pennanentlyaXX-dc\\ any element, including 

screenwriter, stars, director, special effects 

people or anyone else; the final money people 

may have other ideas. It is okay if those elements 

indicate they would like to be in on it. 

Having co-produced and/or released hundreds 

of movies myself, I can confidently state 

that there will always be a place for the talented 

independent, but you must have a strong imd 

money-ready organization prcp;ircd to launch 

your films knowledgeably in tlie U.S. and 

abroad, and to sell them to all the ancillary 

markets. And ideally, but il isn't easy, it would 

be helpful to have financing for subsequent 

pictures lined up, too. After all, no one can be 

certain that any one picture is going to be a 

winner. 

Sam Arkoff is president of Arkoff International 

Pictures.

World—— Leader 

• — ,„ 

^"specialized 

Point of Sale 

\vW 

i~ ^- 

w

72 BOXOFTICE 

SPECIAL REPORT: Sound 

Motion 

by John F. Allen 

picture sound is critically important 

in setting the emotional atmosphere 

of a film Sound alone is 

often the determining factor in knowing if a 

scene is a comedy or tragedy. Obviously, the 

better the theatre's sound presentation, the 

better thefilm works. Ifsoundis, as some insist, 

more than half the show, how can exhibitors 

best exploit its potential? BOXOFnCE contributing 

writer John F. Allen continues his 

importantfour-part series ofarticles exploring 

the present state ofmovie theatre sound along 

with some valuable guidance. Part one was 

published in the April, 1997 issue of 

BOXOFFICE. Part two appeared in the July, 

1997 issue. 

In 

part one of this series, I reviewed the 

inadequacies oftypical loudspeakers found 

in motion picture theatres. Part two covered 

the amplifier power required by all types of 

loudspeakers for proper presentation of digital 

soundtracks. These columns detailed why, 

without investments in upgrading or replacing 

most of the speakers and amplifiers presently 

installed in theatres, audiences simply will not 

hear the true quality available from digital 

films. Exhibition will also miss a 

golden opportunity to redefine what the 

moviegoing experience can be. 

Rather than concentrating fiirther on 

sound system components or equipment, 

this article covers sound system 

equalization or tuning. As hard as it may 

be to believe, I will explain why virtually 

every motion picture sound system 

in exi.stence is mistuned and, more often 

than not, severely mistuned. 

How can this be? Don't technicians 

use real-time sound analyzers? Don't 

they equalize every channel of every 

.sound system according to "indu.stry 

standards?" Well, yes they do. Sort of. And 

therefore don't all stereo sound systems sound 

perfect no matter what equipment i.s used? 

Furthermore, don't they all sound the same? 

Well, no they don't. 

The fact is that theatre sound systems do not 

.sound the same even when they arc outfitted 

with identical equipment in identical theatres. 

The pn)blem is that the measurements technicians 

rely on to equalize movie theatre sound 

IF THEY KNEW WHAT 

YOU WERE MISSING: 

Part Three 

WHY TODAY'S MOTION PICTURE SOUND 

SYSTEMS FAIL TO MAKE THE GRADE AND 

WHY THEY CAN'T SOUND BETTER 

systems are hopelessly inaccurate and totally 

unrepeatable. Indeed, regardless of the quality 

and performance of the speakers and amplifiers 

installed or even the room's acoustics, one 

of the major reasons that movie theatres can't 

sound better than they do is poor tuning. 

The sound systems which get "tuned" the 

most have the distinction of not only sounding 

worse than they should, but each time they are 

re-equalized, audiences get to hear a different 

example of mistuning. In my own experience, 

one of the most ridiculous examples of this 

concerns the HPS-40(X) systems which I designed 

and installed for the Century Plaza 

theatres, screens 2, 3 and 4, in Los Angeles. 

From day one, the largest of these theatres (#2) 

has been hailed by critics and producers alike 

as "the best in the area, if not the country." 

Since these theatres are often used for premieres, 

the sound systems are constandy being 

checked. Normally one might think this would 

be a good thing. But such is not the case. One 

technician after another has marched in, set up 

his microphones and before listening to anything, 

totally changed the equalization—even 

if he had bc«n there the week before and done 

the same thing. Seals I installed on the equal- 

The technicians then listen 

and complain that it doesn *t 

sound good even though their 

measurements ^Hook good. " 

Mostly they don V complain at 

all, which is even worse. 

uja modules are ripped apart and ignored. 

When all is done, the sound systems usually 

end up sounding shrill with no bass—in other 

wwds, ruined. The technicians then listen and 

complain that it doesn't sound good even though 

their ineasurements "look good." Mostly they 

don't complain at all, which Ls even worse. 

The situation became so bad the theatre 

purchased a second set of equalization modules 

for everyone else to u.se. The equalizers I 

set, the so-called house cards, are sealed and 

should be left alone. For 10 years now, technicians 

have had their own equalizer modules 

with which they may do what they will. As 

soon as they leave, it is understood that the 

house cards will be reinstalled. If ever proof is 

required that the measurements these wellmeaning 

technicians are making are inaccurate 

and unrepeatable, consider this; In 10 years, 

no technician has ever set the second set of 

equalizers the same way twice. For 10 years, 

no technician has been able to achieve a sound 

quality as good as, let alone better than, that 

which is available by simply using the house 

cards as is. Why is this so and what can be 

done? There are actually several complex factors 

at work here. I will attempt to deal with 

some of them one at a time. 

When measuring the frequency response of a 

speaker in a theatre, a technician typically sets up 

anywhere from one to four microphones in the 

rear two-thirds ofthe theatre. Pink noise is played 

through each speakerorgroupofsurround speakers. 

The noise is, of course, picked up by the 

microphones and graphically displayed by the 

analyzer in 27 one-third octave bands. 

According to what has now become industry 

practice, motion picture .sound systems 

are equalized so that their measured 

frequency respxinse matches the "X" 

curve {see Figure 1). The frequency respon.se 

characteristic of this curve is flat 

ftwm 100 Hertz (Hz) to 2000 Hz and 

declining -3 dB per octave ftx)m 2(XX) Hz 

and above. At first glance, one might 

look at this and wonder why there is a 

curve at all, when what we are supposed 

to be listening to is a sound system with 

a flat ftiequency response (i.e., no curve). 

After all, when the pink noise is connected 

directly to the analyzer the measured 

response is equal at all 

ft^quencies, or flat 

In actuality, once pink noi.se is played 

through a loudspeaker and becomes airborne 

in a room the size of a theatre, it will no longer 

measure flat on a real-time ;inalyzer. even 

when it is. This is primarily due to that amount 

of room reverberation which the microphone 

sees which is also added to the measurement. 

Since there is a relatively laig;e amount of lowfrequency 

reverberation and very little high

The 

Everythin 

System! 

The Producer 

ki 

Sierci) bvstt'm 

\§MÎ\ i 1 i 1 1 i 

liÎ^î^^l 

The first complete system designed for small multiplex auditoriims 

(250 seats or less). The system includes 3 stage speakers, 8 

urround speakers, our 18" subwoofer, and the factory wired wall 

ack system. All you add is wire! 

he heart of this outstanding package is 

natrix that produces 6 channels from an optical or SR soundtrack. 

ligital 

the new MOD VI Cinema Stereo Processor that features the DSP "Circle Surround®" 

Another bonus is the SRS® enhancement for analog and 

soundtracks. Our new 6-channel TA6300 power amplifier will deliver 200 Watts per channel into 8 Ohm speakers 

nd 400 Watts into the 4 Ohm subwoofer, with all channels driven simultaneously. The heavy duty wall hanging rack is fac- 

Dry prewired to cut installation costs. Even our shipping palletizing is efficient to save you shipping costs. The complete sys- 

3m has a Theatre Net price of about $1 2,000. Please contact your SMART dealer for more details and the best price. 

^ri option to the Producer system is the Afterburner and Digital Plug and Play that allows 

/ou to move digital players from one auditorium to another. The Afterburner controls the 

iound level from digital soundtracks to keep the amplifiers (and your patron's ears) from overoading. 

When you purchase this option, we will wire the product into the factory built rack at 

>945 Peachtree Corners East 

Norcross, Georgia 30071 - U.S.A. 

(800) 45-SMART or (770) 449-6698 

FAX: (770) 449-6728 

email: smart@america.net

1A 

D.r««/#- 

; 

frequencies 

I 

. 

frequency reverberation, we see a rolled-off response on 

the analyzer showing more total lows than highs. 

Were we able to completely remove the reverberation 

from this measurement technique, we should see a frequency 

response characteristic which is flat to around 

8000 Hz and down around -3 dB at 1 6000 Hz {see Figure 

2). This high-frequency loss above 8000 Hz is due to the 

insertion loss of the screen as well as the high-frequency 

absorption of the air. Yet the "X" curve shows that the 

frequencies from 2000 Hz to 8000 Hz are also attenuated. 

So what's going on? It turns out to be a characteristic of 

this measurement system to show such a response, which 

begins falling off above 2000 Hz, when we are in fact 

hearing a response which is flat out to as much as 8000 Hz 

before falling off. In other words, we're in trouble already. 

The ISO 2969 and SMPTE 202M standards, which 

now encompass this measurement approach, take the 

size of the theatre into account and provide for a higher 

rate of high-frequency rolloff for larger and more reverberant 

theatres, and a somewhat reduced rate for smaller 

theatres. What they do not take into account is that the 

"knee" of the curve, where the rolloff begins, also varies 

with room size and acoustics. This is clearly seen when 

one uses loudspeakers with a flat frequency response in 

different theatres. Unfortunately, most speakers used in 

theatres are not flat and have a significant high-frequency 

rolloff themselves. Indeed, unless one uses flat speakers, 

there is no possible way to know where the knee of the 

curve should be for any particular theatre (see sidebar). 

As 

we are beginning to see, there are many shortcomings 

with this approach. Any one of them is 

enough to completely mislead a technician. The 

most important issue we must understand is the difference 

in the way we hear and process sound, versus the 

way microphones work. When sound happens, it travels 

directly from the source to our ears. Assuming we are 

indoors, it also bounces off the walls, ceiling, and floor 

as well as everything and everyone else. Echoes of the 

sound reverberate throughout the room until they die out. 

The first arrival of the direct sound at our ears is very 

important. The fu^t arrival is what our brains use to 

characterize the tone as well as the direction of the sound. 

It also triggers our brains to suppress the earliest reverberations 

of the sound so that we do not hear them. This 

is critical to our hearing process. Our ear-brain hearing 

mechanism makes a clear distinction between the initial 

direct sound and later reverberant sound. 

We experience one example of this reverberation suppression, 

or rather its absence, when we listen to someone 

speaking to us over a speakerphone. They sound like they 

are in an echo chamber. In fact, we hear so much reverberation 

of their voice and the room they are in, we can 

have trouble understanding them. Yet, if we were standing 

next to them in that room, we would not hear the 

reverberation even if we tried. Our brains suppress it very 

effectively. 

Of course, the reason it 's so easy to hear the revertieration 

through the speakerphone is because its microphone doesn't 

have a brain. Measurement microphones and real-time 

analyzers don't have braias either. And unless we take this 

into account, neither do we. 

Not only do microphones respond to the first sound 

airi vals, they also pick up all the reveiheration in the room 

and add it to the direct sound without distinguishing one 

fn)m the other. The result is a totally contaminated 

measurement. This mess is then di.splayed on the analyzer 

and is generally mistaken as representing the 

frequency response of what we will hear in the theauie, 

when nothing could be further fn)m the truth. Unfortunately, 

virtually all of today's motion picture sound 

While 

GETTING A BETTER EQ 

by John F. Allen 

the original cinema sound system far-field measurements and 

equalization procedures seem to work well with the older speakers in 

use when the "X" curve was researched, modern installations require 

a more critical approach. Since no current technology exists which can 

measure what something sounds like, we must learn to get more accuracy out 

of the real-time analyzers we have and also learn to better interpret their 

displays. 

To that end, the following suggestions are offered to technicians responsible 

for equalizing motion picture sound systems. Some of these suggestions may 

seem like heresy. But they're worth a try and certainly won't hurt. Sound system 

tuning is as much an art as balancing a symphony orchestra. It takes years to 

develop the skills required. Even then It's still an art. The following should be 

a good beginning: 

1 Set the real-time analyzer for maximum averaging time and minimum 

resolution (2 or 3 dB per division), whenever speakers are measured. 

2. Place all the measurement microphones in the third row of the theatre. If 

using a single microphone, place it in the middle third of the third row where 

the frequency response displayed looks the worst in the 100 to 500 Hz range. 

3. If the screen speakers are all the same, as is usually the case, equalize the 

center channel for a smooth response, but not better than ±2 clB. Avoid 

boosting. Use cuts only, if at all possible. Then adjust the controls for the other 

screen channels to match the settings ofthe center. Ignore the analyzer's display 

of the frequency response of the other speakers. However, the analyzer may 

be useful in balancing the high and low frequency sections of a bi-amplified 

speaker system. Setting the equalization tor all the screen channels the same 

as the center will ensure that they will sound the same. Do not adjust any 

one-third octave bands below 80 Hz. If the low-frequency bands below 100 

Hz look elevated, do not be concerned. They can be left alone for now. 

A special note about third-row measurements of speaker systems with 

constant directivity horns; When these horns are placed behind a screen, the 

coverage angles of the higher frequencies are increased around 20 degrees in 

all directions beyond the screen. This directs an excessive amount of these high 

toward the front rows. The sound in these seats may normally be 

too bright when the rest of the theatre sounds normal. In such a case, the "X" 

curve will not be seen when the microphones are in the near-field, and the 

real-time analyzer's display will show a more nearly tlat high-frequency 

response. 

4. Move the microphones. If using four microphones, place them along the 

center line of the theatre, starting from the center of the seating area to about 

10 feet from the rear wall. If using a single mike, place it in the center of the 

seating area. 

5. Adjust the equalization of the surrounds for a flat response ±2 dB from 

1 00 to 1 0000 or 1 2000 Hz. The equalization adjustments should be the same 

for both surround channels. 

6. Set the optical surround delay so that it equals, in milliseconds, the total 

length of the theatre plus 1 0. A 70-foot-long theatre would therefore have a 

delay of 80 milliseconds. 

7. Using only the microphone located in the center of the seating area, set 

the processor to the stereo optical format "04". Adjust the equalization of the 

subwoofer to cut everything above 80 Hz. 

8. Set the fader to "7". Adjust the sound pressure levels (SPL) for each channel 

using the one microphone placed in the center of the seating area. This legation 

is the most symmetrical between all the speakers and will provide the best 

channel-to-channel balance. The optical surround level is bt^st set with the 

Dolby CAT-1 .51 film and the surround delay at "0". 

9. When finished, listen to a good 20 minutes of familiar feature film 

material—not trailers. Make equal adjustments to each channel's treble as your 

ears require. If peaks in the frequency response can be positively identified, 

make adjustments to all three channels accordingly. Also, adjust the fader for 

a normal dialogue level. In terms of SPL, normal dialogue (not shouting or 

whis|x>ring) peaks at around 80 dBc, with iKcasional t)eaks to 85 or 86 dBc. 

Note the new fader setting. If other than "7", reset the fader to a (X)int ec|ual on 

the other side of "7". (If the fader is at 6 1/4, reset to 7 3/4.) Readjust all SPL 

levels at this farler setting and note it as the calibration setting for future 

servicing. Recheck the reference film dialogue level. The fader should Ix; at 

"7" when the level is normal. Ml

VV 

f-%i 

OOPS! 

There are times when 

a dependable connection 

would be more than appreciated. 

When you have a unique combination of theatre 

equipnnent you need connected, you may feel left 

out in the cold. That's when Odyssey can lend a hand. 

By designing and manufacturing over 24 innovative 

products and creating a vanety of custom harnesses, 

Odyssey can keep your theatre in smooth orbit. If you need 

custom design and manufacturing for a specific application 

Odyssey can come to your aid. We will even make a custom 

version of our products. We offer reasonable lead times, 

complete documentation and a two year warranty. Now 

you have somewhere to turn for your specialized needs. 

We make connecting anything easier. 

Odyssey Products 

We make getting connected a snap. 

770-448-4873 

5845 Oakbrook Pkwy., Suite G / Norcross, GA 30093 / 770-825-0243 Fax 770-825-0245

63 125 250 500 IK 2K 4K 8K 

FREQUENCY BAND, CENTER FREQUENCY 

16K

Lavi Introduces 

I 

Directrac" Signage... 

Magically Fast, 

Bewitchingly Easy 

We think that even Mr. Houdini 

might be impressed. Consider this feat: 

Simplicity - Change any of our available 

cartridges faster than you can say Abbra Cadabra. 

Directrac's inner cartridge easily removes from the 

frame's side door so you can conveniently change your 

For complete information about 

Directrac signage and other 

Lavi products, call 

us at 

1-800-959-1036. 

The cartridges 

simply slide out 

from the side 

frame door for 

convenient and 

quick change 

of media 

posters, letters or channel strips. 

Versatility - A wide variety of cartridges are provided 

including changeable and magnetic letters, strip channel 

and poster holder which conveniently attaches posters 

Spring-loaded clip mounts on top 

and bottom securely hold posters 

on both sides 

to the cartridge with spring-loaded clips. 

Durability - 

Matter and motion come together in a 

Tiiracle of durability and design. Available FREE STAND- 

NG or WALL MOUNTED and in finishes to complement 

iny decor. Construction is built to withstand heavy traffic 

Lavi 

ind we warranty it for one year. Standard poster size is 

IT X 28" and other sizes can be accommodated. 

rem Lavi Industries ... the premiere world supplier 

)f quality and innovative public guidance 

ind hospitality products since 1 979. 

Products for People and the Places they go 

27810 Avenue Hopkins, Valencia, CA 91355 USA 

., 

805-257-7800 • Fax: 805-257-4938 

www.lavi.com 

© 1997 Lavi Industries. Directrac patent pending 

Response No 1 10 

PUBLIC 

RiiiriAypc 

RAILINGS TUBINGS KITCHEN & CLOSEf

. 

A 

7^^. 

«,.»* 

SOw\ 

if. 

^^' .e> 

.i^»^!i 

W"^- 

»«^10" ^f' 

«?» 

«t^;j# 

Dust, dirt and debris can turn 

any film into a horror show. 

Fortunately, FPC Particle Transfei 

Rollers grab up to 95 percent 

of these contaminants before 

printing, projection or tape 

transfer. And a new, patented, 

kion-leachable antistat helps keep 

your film cleaner, longer! These 

long-lasting rollers simply rinse 

clean with water. The result is 

superior image quality, without 

using cleaning solvents. It's one 

happy ending that's sure to win 

rave reviews. 

For unsurpassed results, insist 

In FPC Rollers. If you don't see 

lur logo, they aren't from FPC, 

Inc. Anything else will keep you 

iiwake at night. 

^S?'^?'^ 

For more information: 

213-468-5774 

800 -814 -1333 (US) 

.» miKW'W.7'%'M'iL.'mmt\ 

Â 

A Kodak Coi 

www.kodak.com/go/motion 

© Eastman Knrink fnmnnnu 1Q07 

\i 

Kodak Company I

SHOWEAST '97 

Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort 

Atlantic City, New Jersey • October 20-23, 1997 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20 

10:00 a.m.- 

6:00 p.m.

?«f 

No Waste 

Less Mess 

No Clean Up 

>s 

Easy Storage 

Premium Quality 

Portion Control 

ave Labor Costs 

.£'î>- 

Out ptodQCts Are Better 

*\J.r,\ 

iseTUeylisjeawftrf 

The difference is our Premium Quality ingredients 

SHOWEAST 

ATLANTIC CITY 

www.funacho.com 

mR 

For more info: 1 -800-FUNACHO (1-800-386-2246)

ShowEast '97 

THE 1997 HONOREES 

LEE ROY AND 

TANDY MITCHELL 

Salah M. Hassanein Humanitarian Award 

Cinemark USA chairman and CEO Lee Roy Mitchell and Cinemark USA 

executive vice president Tandy Mitchell are the recipients of the 1997 Salah 

M. Hassanein Humanitarian Award. 

LEE ROY MITCHELL opened his first theatre more than 35 years ago. 

Growing up around his family's theatre business, he worked in every facet of 

exhibition, from buying and booking films to popping com. Starting his own theatre 

business in Ennis, Texas, Mitchell built and expanded his circuit into the largest 

independent theatrical exhibitor in the state of Texas. 

In 1984, Mitchell sold his original theatre company but retained the Cinemark name. 

After a short retirement, he started his quest to expand Cinemark into a major American 

and international theatre circuit. As a result of his efforts, Cinemark is now the 

fifth-largest motion picture exhibitor in North America, with 1 ,680 screens in 29 states, 

plus additional sites in Canada, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Pern 

and El Salvador. 

In addition to providing vision and leadership at Cinemark, Mitchell has served 

on the NATO board of directors as well as the boards of Nest Entertainment and 

the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts. 

TANDY MITCHELL has held various leadership roles at Cinemark. She 

currently serves as executive vice president of the company and provides direct 

supervision of theatre operations and corporate projects. According to Tandy 

Mitchell, Cinemark' s success is based on complete customer satisfaction—a goal 

she and Lee Roy Mitchell have always striven to satisfy. 

The charities supported by Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell include the Peaceable Kingdom 

Retreat for Children, Variety Club of North Texas/Children's Charity, Bill Glass 

Ministries, Young Life and the SPCA of Texas. 

y I 

I 

JIM MURRAY 

Founders Award 

ê 1997 winner of the honor variously known as the Founders Award and the 

Distinguished Service Awaid, JIM MURRAY began his career in the exhibition 

A. business the old-fashioned way: He started as an usher. Today, he is vice 

president of U.S. operations for National Amusements (whose chairman is another 

who began at the industry's bottom rungs: Sumner Redstone). National Amusements, 

founded in 1936 and by 1996 the nation's eight-largest circuit, projects that 

by year-end 1997 it will have 944 stateside screens at 104 sites. 

Murray has been a key part of National Amusements' growth for a quarter-century. 

He joined the company in 1973 as a district manager and by 1988 was 

managing the entire East Coast region. In 1991, Murray transferred to National 

Amusements' Dedham, Mass., corporate headquarters, where he took up his current 

post. Despite his long tenure at National Amusements, he is only now equaling his 

time spent at Century Theatres in New York, where he previously worked for 25 

years as well. 

Active outside the office, Murray is president of the Variety Club of New 

England. Through his efforts, Murray coordinated collections for the Jimmy Fund, 

which this year reached a tally of $598,000. In addition, he had the nation's highest 

sales of Gold Hearts for Cystic Fibrosis. Murray also serves as a director on the 

boards of NATO and NATO of New York, and he is treasurer of TONE. As is 

common for this award's recipients, Murray has served on the ShowEast Executive 

Committee since its founding 13 years ago.

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE GLOBAL MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY 

Congratulates 

this year's best 

and brightest, the 

1997 SHOWEAST 

AWARDEES 

BOXOFFICE 

at SHOWEAST: 

Booth #208 

KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN USE

Congratulations, Ieff, 

On Receiving The 

Show T award 

NOBODY Deserves It More; 

Because 

nobody does it better.

. JAMES 

Sony Pictures entertainment 

Proudly Congratulates 

The following 

1997 ShowEast Award Winners 

Adam Sandler 

ShowEast Comedy Star Of The Year 

LEE ROY AND TANDY MITCHELL 

Salah m. hassanein Humanitarian award 

WES CRAVEN 

Lifetime achievement Award 

Murray 

THE FOUNDER'S AWARD 

SONY 

PICTURBB

PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONGRATULATES 

THE SHOWEAST '97 AWARD WINNERS 

JEFF BLAKE 

Shoiv "E" Award 

JAMES L. 

BROOKS 

1997 George Eastman Award 



WES CRAVEN 

Lifetime Achievement Award 

JAMES MURRAY 

The Founder's Award 

ADAM SANDLER 

ShowEast Comedy Star of the Year ° 

âmmmmt * 

m^"^^ 

/^;

fli 

A NEWS CORPORATION COMPANY 

Congratulations to the 

'97 ShowEast Award Recipients: 

^ 

mf!M 

James L. Brooks 

Lee Roy & Tandy Mitchell 

Salah M, Hassanein Humanitarian Award 

Jeff Blake 

Show "E" Award 

Adam Sandl 

ShowEast Comedy Star 

Year 

Wes Craven 

Lifetime Achievement Awr 

James Murray 

The Founder's Award

"CONGRATULATIONS, DOC- 

HARES TO YOU!^^ 

WARNER BROS. 

Congratulates these individuals honored by 

SHOWEAST '97 

for their outstanding professional achievements 

in the entertainment industry. 

JEFF BLAKE, Sony Pictures Releasing 


LEE ROY & TANDY MITCHELL, Cinemark 


JAMES L. BROOKS 

George Eastman Award 

WES CRAVEN 


ADAM SANDLER 

Award of Excellence in Motion Picture Comedy 

JIM MURRAY, National Amusements 

Distinguished Service Award 

1997 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved

Wes Craven 


Lee Koy Mitchell and Tandy Mitchell 


leff Blake 


lames Murray 


lames L. 

Brooks 


Adam Sandler 

Comedy Star of the Year 

LIVE. 

ENTERTAINMENT

*£GAL •••»••• 

CINEMAS 

is proud to congratulate 

JejfBlake 

1997 Show ''E'' Award 

Lee Roy & Tandy Mitchell 

1997 Salah M. Hassanein Humanitarian Award 

James L, Brooks 

1997 George Eastman Award 

Adam Sandler 

1997 ShowEast Comedy Star of the Year 

James Murray 

1997 Distinguished Service Award 

Wes Craven 

1997 Lifetime Achievement Award 

CtNEMAS^ 

www.regalcinemas.com

Congratulations 

Jeff Blake 

Show "I" Awam 

James Brooks 


James Murray 

Founder's Award 

Tandy a Lee Roy Mitchell 

Salah M. Hassanein 

Humanitarian Award 

Adam Sandler 


Wes Graven 

Lifetime Achievment Award 

'¥.: 

Ji»srjjiPlail#^' 

SONY THEATRES 

JOHNSON IHEAIRESi

Congr 

from yourfrieW!^ 

iJiulations! 

's 

at Hershey's 

Show 'Ê'^ Award: 

Jeff Blake, President, Sony Pictures Releasing 


(aka Distinguished Service Award) 

James Murray, Vice President of Operations, 

National Amusements 

Salah M. Hassanein Humanitarian Award: 

Lee Roy Mitchell, Chairman and CEO of 

Cinemark USA, and his wife, Tandy Mitchell, 

Executive VP of Cinemark 

George Eastman Award: 

Oscar-winning film maker James L. Brooks 

Comedy Star of the Year: 

Adam Sandler (to appear in New Line's 

1998 release "The Wedding Singer")

1997 Show TAwaidWinner 

rom your friends at 

I 

DOLBY 

jlioratories Inc. , ,, .,_. 

aro Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 Telephone 4 1 5-558-0200 1-ax 41 5-863-1373

CONGRATULATIONS 

U 

i p u 

Shiov\/ 

AxA/ard 

PP 

uu 

alah IVI. 

r 

d 

fl n 

Hassanein Humanit:arian AÂ/ard 

U 

d 

rr 

[ 

Founder's Av\/ard 

y BS IS 

George East:man Avi/ard 

nn 

d 

Comedy 5t:ar of t;Kie 

Year 

L.ifet:ime Achiievement: Av\/ard 

NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC 

200 ELM STREET DEDHAM, MA 02026

CONGRATULATIONS 

TO THE 

1997 SHOWEAST HONOREES 

JEFF BLAKE 

Show E Award 


Salah M. Hassanein Award 

JAMES MURRAY 

Distinguished Service Award 



ADAM SANDLER 


WES CRAVEN 


N^

a 

The 

ShowEast '97 

JEFF BLAKE 


recipient of the 1997 Show "E" Award is JEFF BLAKE, 

president of Sony Pictures Releasing. As head since 1994 of 

Sony Pictures Entertainment's domestic theatrical distribution 

arm, Blake has been a key element in the studio's new-found 

vigor at the boxoffice. 

This past year, Blake has overseen such successful releases as 

Columbia's "Anaconda," "The Fifth Element," "Men in Black" 

and "Air Force One," and TriStar's "My Best Friend's Wedding." 

During the holiday season, TriStar will offer two high-profile 

films: "Starship Troopers," a Paul Verhoeven sci-fi actioner opening 

Nov. 7, and "As Good As It Gets," a James L. Brooks film 

starring Jack Nicholson. 

Before taking his current post in August 1994, Blake was president 

of domestic distribution for Columbia. Prior to joining the 

Sony team, Blake spent 18 years at Paramount Pictures; after 

serving in several capacities at Paramount, Blake was named 

executive vice president and general sales manager of the studio's 

domestic distribution arm in 1987. 



Multi-talented writer/producer/director JAMES L. 

BROOKS is the recipient of the 1997 George Eastman 

Award. Brooks is a three-time Academy Award winner 

and 1 2-time Emmy Award winner. He began his television career 

as a writer who then later 

produced television hits 

such as "Taxi," "Mary 

Tyler Moore" and "The 

Simpsons." Brooks began 

working in film in 1979 

when he wrote the screenplay 

for "Starting Over." 

which he co-produced 

with Alan J. Pakula. In 

1983, Brooks wrote, produced 

and directed "Terms 

of Endearment," for which 

he earned three Academy 

Awards. In 1 987, he wrote, 

produced and directed 

"Broadcast News," which 

won the New York Drama 

Critics Award for best picture 

and best screenplay. Through Gracie Films, Brooks executive 

produced the feature film "Say Anything," produced "The War of 

the Roses" and co-produced "Big" with Robert Greenhut. 

In 1990, Brooks produced and directed his first play, "Brooklyn 

Laundry," in an L. A. -based production starring Woody Harrelson 

and Glenn Close. His most recent film as a director was "I'll Do 

Anything," starring Nick Nolte and Albert Brooks; he also produced 

last year's smash "Jerry Maguire," which starred Tom 

Cruise and was written and directed by Cameron Crowe. 

Currently, Brooks is editing the theatrical feature "As Good As 

It Gets," starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear— 

film he wrote, produced and directed. 

THE BEST! 

We are proud that the very 

highest quality Dolby and 

Digital sound systems come 

from us. So many in fact, that 

there is probably one in 

operation near you. You 

deserve the same service! 

HADDEN Z^' 

THEATRE 

10201 Bunsen Way 

Louisville, KY 40299 

(502) 499-0050 

(502) 499-0052 FAX: 

Louis Bornwasser, Owner 

SUPPLY COMPANY 

Design-Consultation-Sales 


WEAR 

Presents: 

"Show Biz!" 

Fashion Accessories 

• Vests 

•Ties 

• Bows 

• Cummerbunds 

• Scrunchies 

• Aprons 

• Headwear 

Call or Fax for FREE 

Brochure & Swatch 

1-800-647-8372 

FAX (760) 749-6164 

flavorwr@ix.netcom.com 

28425 S. Cole Grade Rd. 

Valley Center, CA 92082 


Nnvptnhpr 1Q07 

Si'K

" 

ADAM 

SANDLER 


Brooklyn-born comic ADAM 

SANDLER, who broke into the 

mainstream with notoriously bizarre 

characters like Opera Man, Canteen Boy, 

Carlos and Cajun Man on television's "Saturday 

Night Live," is the recipient of 

ShowEast' s Comedy Star of the Year 

award. Sandler's first foray into comedy 

was at age 17 when his brother encouraged 

him to go onstage spontaneously at a Boston 

comedy club. While attending New York 

University, Sandler continued to perform in 

clubs and universities throughout New York. 

Shortly thereafter, he won a spot as part of 

"Saturday Night Live's" cast for the i990/'91 

season; he and his unique, outrageous characters 

became increasingly popular over the 

five years he appeared on the show. 

ShowEast '97 

Sandler made his feature film debut in 

i993's "Coneheads," and subsequently 

starred in several comedies including "Airheads," 

"Billy Madison," "Bulletproof" 

and "Happy Gilmore." Coming up for 

Sandler is New Line's "The Wedding 

Singer," slated to open Feb. 13, in which 

he'll star in the title role opposite Drew 

Barrymore. Set in New Jersey circa 1985, 

the film tells the story of Robbie (Sandler), 

lead singer for a band that does cover versions 

of Culture Club and Dead or Alive 

songs to mixed reactions at small-town 

wedding receptions. When he's jilted at the 

altar of his own wedding, he's devastated, 

and his work suffers. 

The role "marries" Sandler's aptitudes as 

both a comic actor and a singer—the multitalented 

entertainer wrote and performed 

such hits as "Lunchlady Land," "Chanakah 

Song" and "Red-Hooded Sweatshirt," and 

has released three comedy albums which 

feature both spoken-word pieces and songs: 

"They're All Gonna Laugh At You!," 

"What the Hell Happened to Me?," and his 

latest, "What's Your Name," which recently 

hit record stores everywhere. 

Sandler is currently busy co-scripting 

"The Water Boy" with his writing partner 

Tim Herlihy. The film, in which Sandler 

will also star, is scheduled to go into production 

this month and will be released 

through Buena Vista. 

^H 

^JL 

WAGNER ZIP-CHANGE® INC. 

MM 

The #1 Name 

In Marquee Letters 

& Equipment 

.Since 1930 

/ Flat Zip-Change® Letters 

/ Dimensional Wagner^ Letters 

/ Reverse Zip-Lite* Letters 

• Mini-Marquee Letters 

/ Stainless Steel "Wagner 

Marquee Faces 

/ Movie Rating Symbols & 

Sound System Logos 

Visit Our Booth At 

8H0WEST and SHOWEAST 

WAGNER* ZIP-CHANGE* INC. 

3100 Hirsch* Melrose Park, IL 60160 

Phone: 1-800-323-0744 

Fax: 1-800-243-4924

Dnonnnr.n K(n A On 

COMING DECEMBER 1997 

National Cinema Network, a partoer of UCMN

SHOWEAST 

1997 

TRADE 

SHOW 

FLOOR 

PLAN 

COME VISIT WITH BOXOFFICE A T BOOTH # 208! 208 

Lllllfiiifi!. BLEACHERS imn 

SI 

I 

a> 

8 

< 

i i i 

(Our Trade Show 

Booth List 

Begins On 

» 

' 

» I 

Page 88) 

si 

a. 

~ I 

g I 

i1

''-^^90., 

VoT^lf " ônf to choose a w.noer,êS^-^j;;>.^J^^'^^ 

^^^cess/on basiness. Winning- 1+ ^ 

AICP 

Response 

American International Concession Products, Corp. 20 Dubon Court, Farmingdale, NY 1 1 735 

(516) 420* 1868 Fax (516) 420*4042 

No. 15

88 BOXOFHCE 

5 

Gia 

71 

SHOWEAST '97 BOOTH LIST 

(Organized alphabetically by companyi 

Advanced Sales S Mktg 621 

15 Prospect St. Paramus, NJ 07652 

201 -368-3724/fax:201 -368-25 12 

Rep: Melvin H. Golbert 

Confectionery brokers for concession saies. 

American International Concession 916, 918 

P.O. Box 379. Malverne, NY 11565 

516-420-1 868/fax: 516-420-4042 

Rep: Chris Sciortino 

Manutacturer/distrib. bulk i packaged candy, 

Sour Patch Kids, Bon Bans Ice Cream, syrups. 

ATM International. 1020 

Rep: Josh MacNamara 

Avask,lnc 925 

75 W. Forest Ave.. Englewood, NJ 07631 

201-567-7300/lax: 201-569-6285 

Rep: Jenniter Bilsky 

Feed-safe automatic polyester film production. 

BagcraftCorp 713 

3900 West 43rd St. Chicago. IL 60632 

312-254-8204/fax: 312-254-8204: Rep: Laura Oisen 

Stand-up popcorn bags, Honeycomb Foil bags. 

Ball Park Franks 224 

Rep: Don DeLordo 

Banner Candy Mfg. Corp 50 

14 Vanden/enter Ave. #250 

Fort Washington, NY 1 1050 

S16-883-4000/fax:516-883-4344 

Rep: Libby Mauro 

Candy-coated/chocolate-coveredproducts. 

Bass Industries Inc. 329 

380 NE 67th St, Miami, FL 33138 

305-751-2716/fax:305-756-6165 

Rep: Robert Baron 

Marquees; illuminated theatre signage. 

Boston Light & Sound. 928, 929 

124 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA 02134 

617-787-3131/fax:617-787-4257 

Rep: Larry Shaw 

Projection and sound equipment, service and 

installation. 

BOXOFFICEMAGAZINE. 208 

6640 Sunset Blvd.. Suite 100 

Hollywood. CA 90028 

213-465- 1 186/lax:213-465-5049 

Rep: Bob Vale 

Monthly trade magazine covering all aspects of 

the motion picture industry. 

Brach A Brock Confection 321, 323 

4120 Jersey Pike, Chattanooga. TN 37421 

423-510-7223/fax:423-510-7148 

Rep: Jim Murray 

Turnkey loose candy program. 

BreJtfusEnvlronments 304 

410 S. Madison. Suite 1, Tempe, AZ 85281 

602-731 -9899Aax: 602-731 -9469 

Rep: Michael Regan 

Acoustical pan»l», artistic sound panels. 

Caddy Product*. 530, 628 

7667 Cahill Road. Minneapolis. MN 55439 

800-845-059 1/lax: 6 12-829-0 166 

Rep: Peter Bergin 

Front or back mounted cupholdera. 

C. Cretors S Co 510 

3243 N. Calilomia Ave., Chicago, IL 60618 

3 12-588- 1 690/lax: 3 12588-2 1 71 

Rep: Edward McKnight 

Popcorn poppers, supplies, accettorlet. 

CFS/Rentec 907-911 

791 N. Benson Ave.. Upland. CA 91786 

909-93 1 -93 18/fax: 909-949-88 15 

Rep: Ron Offerman 

Projection accessories. 

Christie Electric 817, 819 

10550 Camden Drive, Cypress. CA 90630 

71 4-236-86 10/fax: 714-229-3185; Rep: Joe Delgado 

Projectors, Xenon consoles, rewinds, bulbs. 

Cinema Supply Co 816 

502 South Market St. Millersburg. PA 17061 

717-692-47444ax: 717-692-3073; Rep: Van Troutman 

Wholesale distribs, concession/theatre equip. 

Cinema Xenon Intl. 101 

7613LeBerthonSt, Tujunga, CA 91042-1232 

81 8-352-12 18/fax: 818-353-4091; Rep: Dick Stockton 

Xenon arc lamps. 

Cinemeccanica U.S 804 

1313056th Court #608, Clearwater, FL 34620 

813-573-301 1/fax:813-572-0136 

Rep: Jack Johnston 

Projectors, lamphouses, sound, rectifiers. 

Coasters 822,824 

250 26th St, Suite 202, Santa Monica, CA 90402 

800-882-8269/lax: 310-451-3583; Rep: Jon Stem 

Cupholders. 

Coca-Cola USA 501-511, 600-610 

1 Coca-Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30301 

404-676-8622/fax: 404-676-3605; Rep: Mark Duffy 

Coke Classic, Diet Coke, Sprite, Hl-C, more. 

Colfax.Inc 729 

38 Colfax Street Pawtucket Rl 02860 

1 -800-556-6777/fax:40 1-724-4313 

Rep: Larry Dressier 

Popping/topping oils: Popsit, Seazo, Topsit. 

Colgate-Palmolive. 1022 

101 North Summit Street Tenafly. NJ 97670 

201-81 6-5025/fax:20 1 -568-0953 

Rep: Barbara Kiefel 

Ajax, Palmollve, Murphy's Oil, more. 

Component Engineering Co 67 

3601 Oilman Avenue West Seattle, WA 98199 

206-284-91 71/lax: 206-286-4462; Rep: Bill Purdy 

Sound head conversions: SR'D Digital, more. 

Cinema Products Int'l. 69 

1015 5th Ave. North. Nashville, TN 37219 

615-248-0771/fax: 615-248-2725 

Rep: Elizabeth Langley 

Crest Audio Inc. 1027 

100 Eisenhower Drive. Paramus, NJ 07652 

201-909-8700/fax:20 1 -909-8744 

Rep: Kris Gustafson 

Amps, mix consoles, digital control systems. 

Cy Young Industries, Inc 9? 

1270 N. Winchester Rd.. Olathe. KS 66061 

91 3-780-1 776Aax: 913-780-0756; Rep: Came Young 

Cupholders, boosters, trays, seat renovations. 

Digital Theater System: 413-419, 512-518 

31336 Via Colinas. #101, Westlake VIg., CA 91362 

818-706-3525/fax:818-706-1868 

Rep: Stacey Williamson 

DTS digital sound systems tor movie theatres. 

Dolby Laboratories 701, 703, 800, 802 

100 Potrero Ave.. San Francisco, CA 94103 

4 15-558-0200/fax: 4 15-863- 1373: Rep: Erin Dare 

Dolby Processors, nolae reduction, Dolby 

Stereo digital. 

Dr. Pepper/7-Up Co 1024 

P.O. Box 655086. Dallas. TX 75265 

214-360-7781/fax:214-360-771 

Rep: Ronnie Seals 

Dr. Pepper beverages, syrups. 

Duraform 1023 

1435 S. Santa FeAve., Compton, CA 90221 

31 0-761 -1640/lax: 310-761-1646: Rep: Betty Prosser 

Fiberglass trash receptacles and bench 

seating. 

Durkan Patterned Carpet.....218, 220 

405 Virgil Dr., Dalton. GA 30720 

706-278-7037/fax: 706-226-0360 

Rep: Zach Sosebee 

Custom commercial carpet. 

East Coast Sign Adv. 217, 219 

Rep: Al Mikula 

EAW. 712-716 

One Main Street Whitinsville, MA 01588 

508-234-6 1 58/fax: 508-234-825 

Rep: Heather Gore 

EIMS, Inc 121, 123 

12206 148th Ave. K.P.N. . Harbor. WA 98329 

888-4-SPLYCE, 253-884-5802\fax: 253-884-5803 

Rep: Debbie Von Ditter 

Windows PC-based theatre management system. 

EVIAudio 917-923 

602 Cecil Street Buchanan. Mi 49107 

61 6-695-6831/tax: 616-695-1304; Rep: Monte Wise 

Fashion Seal Uniforms 1018 

P.O. Box 4002. Seminole, FL 34642 

813-397-961 1/lax: 81 3-393-0238 

Rep: George Mulroy 

FDC Technologies 105, 107 

601 Corporate Circle. Golden, CO 80401 

303-384-1401/fax:303-384-1419 

Rep: Robert Buergisser 

Integrated boxoffice, concession and 

management systems. 

FFM, Inc 314 

Rep: Bruce Blanton 

Fllmack Studios 810 

1327 Wabash Ave.. Chicago, IL 60605 

312-427-3395/fax: 312-427-4866: Rep: Robert Mack 

Custom 35mm motton picture film trailers, slides. 

FUNacho, Inc 222 

2165 Central Parkway, Cincinnati. OH45214 

800-386-2246/fax: 513-352-5122; Rep: Mike Grause 

GiSAcoustics 1019 

5901 Elizabeth Ave.. St Louis, MO63110-1992 

314-781-1422/fax:314-781-3836 

Rep: Ned Goiterman 

Fabric covered acoustical wall panels. 

Gemini, Inc 706 

103 Mensing Way. Cannon Falls. MN 55009 

507-263-3957/fax: 507-263-4887 

Rep: Bill Fredrickson 

Marquees, plastic i metal dimensional letters. 

GlassForm 210 

P.O. Box 92. Los Alamitos. CA 90248 

800-842- 1 121/fax: 310-527-7400; Rep: Cindy Gardner 

Manufacturer of fiberglass trash receptacles. 

Globe Ticket t Label Co 212 

3435 Empire Blvd.. SW. Atlanta. GA 30354 

800-523-5968/lax: 404-762-9260; Rep: Richard Eddy 

Thermal tickets, coupon books, VIP passes, etc.

hPS-i^DDQ, 

The remarkable breakthrough 

hirst In Digital Stereo 

i IS Digital Stereo can only be 

CIATEO IF 

IT CAN BE TRULY HEARD. 

^Q^ 

The HPS-4000 is the ONLY 

MOTION PICTURE SOUND SYSTEM 

WITH THE POWER DEMANDED 

BY Digital Stereo. 

HPa-4aaD 

Next Best

90 BUXOFFICE 

1 

I 

! National 

\ 

303 

7 

TRADE SHOW 

BOOTH LIST 

Gold Medal Products 51,52 

2001 DaltonAve., Cincinnati, OH 45214 

513-381-1313/fax: 513-381-1570; Rep: Robin Bretti 

Snack bar equipment and supplies. 

Goldtierg Bros 305 

P.O. Box 17048, Denver, CO 80217 

303-321- 1099/fax: 303-388-0749: Rep: Randy Urlil< 

Projection booth supplies. 

Goldentjerg Candy Co 65 

161 W. Wyoming Ave., Pliiladelphia, PA 19140 

2 15-455-7505/fax:2 15-455-3017 

Rep: Mindy Goldenberg 

Candy, Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, Chem-ets. 

Great Western Products 818, 820 

1898LelandDr. S.E., Marietta, GA 30067 

770-952-4700/lax: 770-952-7749 

Rep: Mark Hamilton 

Popcorn and nacho supplies, topping. 

The Guzzo Group LLC. 425 

1 1909 England, Overland Park, KS 66213 

913-451 1921/fax: 91 3-451 -1544 

Rep: Vince Guzzo 

Hanover Uniform Co 421 

529 W. 29th Si, Baltimore, MD2121 

800-54 1-9709/ fax:410-235-6071; Rep: John MIntz 

Uniforms for the theatre industry. 

Harliness Mali Ltd. 807 

Rep: Ian Sim 

Hershey Chocolate USA 312 

14 E. Chocolate Ave., Box 804, Hershey, PA 17033 

71 7-534-4071/fax:717-534- 7694 

Rep: Michael Hughes 

Hershey 's brand confectionery products. 

High Performance Stereo 629 

64 Bowen St., Newton Centre, MA 02159 

61 7-244- 1737/fax: 617-244-4390: Rep: John F. Allen 

Digital-ready HPS-4000 sound systems. 

Hussey Seating Co 309, 311, 408, 410 

1 Dyer St, North Berwick. ME 03906 

207-676-2271/fax:207-676-2222 

Rep: Ron Bilodeau 

Theatre seating. 

Icon International 201, 203, 300, 302 

3600 Port of Tacoma Rd., Tacoma, WA 98494 

206-926-8075/fax:206-926-8076 

Rep: Suzanne Dyke 

Computer ticl(etlng, concessions and info. 

Imperial Bondware 221 

75 Chestnut Ridge Rd, Montvale, NJ 07645 

201-307-4535/fax: 201-307-6125; Rep: Tarra Luz 

Plastic cups, popcorn bags and bucl(ets, etc. 

International Cinema Equip 623, 62$ 

100 NE 39th St. Miami, FL 33137 

305-573-7339/fax: 305-573-8101; Rep: Steven Krams 

New, rebuilt and used theatre equipment. 

International Display Sy8tem8....718, 720, 719, 721 

Rep: Ellen Wilcken 

Inter County Mechanical Corp 1008 

1601 Arctic Ave., Bohemia. NY 11716 

516-563-1362/fax: 516-563-9327; Rep: John McGee 

HVAC and building maintenance. 

Irwin Seating B13, 815, 912, 914 

P.O. Box 2429, Grand Rapids, Ml 49501 

616-7B4-262l/fax:616-784-5819 

Rep: Vicki Stein 

Quality seating for movie theatres. 

J&J Snack Foods Corp 828-830 

5353 Downey Rd., Vernon, CA 90058 

213-S81-0171/fax:213-583-4732 

Rep: Robert Rudley 

Soft pretzels, churros, frozen desserts. 

JBL Professional. 401-405 

8500 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA 91329 

818-895-8850/fax: 818-830-1220: Rep: Donna Perry 

Surround loudspeaker systems, amplification. 

J.G.Ciark. 528 

1171 W. Center St, Marion, OH 43302 

205-333-0333/fax:800-538-2594 

Rep: Dennis Maccagnone 

Kelmar Systems 

70S 

284 Broadway, Huntington Station, NY 11746 

516-692-6131/fax:516-421-1274 

Rep: Andrew Marglin 

Automation systems, projector upgrades, more. 

Kinetics Noise Control. 103 

6300 Irelan Place, Dublin, OH 43017 

6 14-889-0480/fax: 614-889-0540 

Rep: Larry Holben 

Acoustical Wall and ceiling finishes. 

Klipsch Professional. 1006 

P.O. Box 1320. Hope. AR 71801-1320 

50 1 - 777-0693/fax: 50 1 - 777-0593 

Rep: Ginny Sanders 

Loudspeakers and surrounds. 

Kneisiey Electric Co 211 

P.O. Box 4692, Toledo, OH 43610 

419-241-1219/419-241-9920 

Rep: Betty Schiffler 

Lamphouses, power supplies and consoles. 

The K-Ration Co 320 

Rep: David Goodman 

Lawrence Metal Prod. 204 

260 Spur Drive South, Bay Shore, NY 11 706 

51 6-666-0300/fax: 51 6-666-0336 

Rep: Stephen Lawrence 

Portable posts, ropes, railing, turnstiles, gates. 

Len-D Enterprises 1009 

P.O. Box 556, WheatleyHtgs., NY 11798 

516-242-724 1/fax: 51 6-243-4723 

Rep: Lenny Dickstein 

Splicing tape, splicers, port glass & projection 

lenses. 

Lifesavers/Nabisco 500,502 

P.O. Box 312, Parsippany, NJ 07054 

20 1 -682-5029/fax: 20 1 -682-5222; Rep: Andy Kohler 

Convenience and single pack foods. 

Lucasfllm THX. 715, 717 

P.O. Box 2009, San Rafael, CA 94912 

4 15-662-1900/fax: 4 15-662-2186; Rep: Tern Miller 

THX audio. 

M&M/Mars 723,725 

800 High St, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 

908-852-1000/fax:908-850-2734 

Rep: Michelle Sellin 

M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, more. 

Marble Co. Inc 1025 

P.O Box 160030, Nashville, TN 37216 

800-759-5905/fax: 615-228-1301; Rep: Randy Bauch 

Booth supplies, automations, dimmers, sound. 

Marcel Dearochers Inc 66 

3500 Rachelie St, Montreal, Quebec, CANADA 

51 4-526-2686/fax: 514-526-3593 

Rep: Gerry Nadeau 

Draperies/cinema and studio screens. 

Meridian Worldwide. 428 

16842 Von Karman, Ste. 125, Irvine. CA 92715 

714-724-5400/fax: 714-724-5424 

Rep: Frank Rodriguez 

Consolidation, transportation and warehousing 

worldwide. 

Mesbur & Smith Architects 1021 

148 Kenwood Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6C 2S3 

41 6-656-5751Aax: 4 16-656-5615: Rep: David Mesbur 

Architects specializing in theatre design. 

Miller & Kreisei Corp 730 

Rep: Lynn Shubert 

MovieAd. 330 

475 Ramblewood Dr., Coral Springs, FL 33071 

305-344-7706/fax: 305-755-0506; Rep: Emil Noah 

Ad slicks, title art, concession mylars, translites. 

MovieFone 1000-1004, 1006, 1007 

4 World Trade Ctr., Ste. 5280, NY. NY 10048 

212-504-7442/fax: 212-504-7567: Rep: Marty Griffin 

Call-in movie info service, advance ticket sales. 

MPOVideotronics 316 

Rep: Jocelyn Jones 

Multifoods 104 

P.O. Box 173774, Denver, CO8021 7-3774 

800-880-9900, ext 6369/tax: 303-338-6370 

Rep: Mike Bates 

Full-line concession supply distribution. 

MVE, Inc 207 

8011 34th Ave. S., # 100, Bloomington, MN 55425 

612-853-9600/fax: 612-853-9661; Rep: Kim Janecek 

Bulk C02 systems for tjeverage carbonation. 

National Association of Theatre Owners 

(NATO) 70 

4605 Lankershim Blvd., Suite 340 

North Hollywood, CA 91602 

a 1 8-506- 1 77a/fax: 8 1 8-506-0269 

Rep: Mary Ann Grasso 

Trade association for the business, technological 

and marketing needs of exhibition. 

National Cinema Service 318 

P.O. Box 10799, New Orleans, LA 70181 

504-734-0707/fax: 504-734-0700: Rep: Chris Pierce 

Theatre projection and sound equipment. 

ICEE Corporation 71 

West Lancaster Ave, Wayne, PA 19087 

610-964-7878/610-964-9769; Rep: Terry Goldstein 

Icee frozen carbonated drinks, Air Popt popcorn. 

National Ticket Company. 619 

P.O. Box 547, Shamokin, PA 17872 

800-829-0829/fax: 800-829-0880: Rep: Diane Surak 

Tickets, gift certificates, coupon books, 

NCS Corporation 607 

4897 West Waters Ave, Tampa, FL 33634 

813-887-3957/fax: 813-885-6154; Rep: Walter Beatty 

Technical equipment, concession stands, more. 

Nestle Food Co 

901, 903. 90S 

800 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203 

818-549-6000/fax:818-543-7822 

Rep: Marie Boudreau 

Raisinets, Goobers, Sno-caps, Butterflngers, etc. 

Odells 806 

P.O. Box 11336, Reno. NV 89510-1336 

800-635-0436/fax: 702-323-6532: Rep: Michael Btout 

Popcorn topping, ODELL S brand canola oil. 

Odyssey Products 100, 102 

5644 Baldwin Court, Norcross, GA 30071 

770-448-4873/fax: 770-453-9626: Rep: Eve Miller 

Infrared assistive hearing equipment for theatres. 

Omega Pattern Works 205 

P.O. Box 1446, Dallon, GA 30722-1446 

800-24 1 4908/fax: 706-272- 76 1 

Rep: Joyce Maxwell 

Printed carpets for commercial use. 

Omn/temi Data Tech. Ltd. J13, 315, 412, 414 

2785 Skymark Avenue, # / 1 

Mississauga, Ontario M8Z-2S6 CANADA 

905-629-4757/fax: 905-629-8590 

Rep: Ed Coman 

Automated ticketing, concessions, A TM, more.

1 

Omaha, 

5 

TRADE SHOW 

BOOTH LIST 

ORC Lighting Products 709, 71 

1300 Optical Dr., Azusa. CA 91702 

818-969-3355/fax: 8 1 8-969-2260 

Rep: Jeanie Moore 

Manufacturer of Xenon and Mercury lamps. 

OSRAM SYLVANIA, Inc. 613, 615 

lOOEndicottSt, Danvers, MA 01923 

508-777- 1900/fax: 750-2089 

Rep: David Greening 

Osram Xenon lamps. 

Pacer/CATS 809, 811, 908, 910 

3701 Wilsiiire Blvd. #9th, L.A.. CA 90048 

21 3-388-71 00/fax: 213-388-8666: Rep: Loren Pryor 

Computer concession, ticketing, accessories. 

Packaging Concepts, Inc. ...420 

4971 FylerAve., St. Louis. MO 63139 

314-481 -1155/fax: 314-481-6567; Rep: John trace 

Leak-proof popcorn bags. 

Paramount Pictures 307 

5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038 

213-956-84 18/fax:21 3-956-3429 

Rep: Marc Mulcahy 

Motion picture distributor. 

Peavey Electronics 416 

71 1 Asl.. Meridian. MS 39301 

601-483-5365/fax: 601-486-1278; Rep: FayAdkins 

Digitally-based cinema sound equip., speakers. 

Pepsi-Cola Co. 801-805, 900-904 

1 Pepsi Way, Somers, NY 10589 

914-767-7814/fax: 914-767-1 195; Rep: Peter Leyh 

Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Slice, Ocean Spray, LIpton. 

PermlightTechnology. 430 

4640 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 

800-286-4017, 714-693-7578/fax: 714-693-0236 

Rep: Jim George 

LED aisle lighting. 

Phonic Ear Inc. 109 

3800 Cypress Dr., Pelaluma, CA 94954 

800-227-0735/fax: 707-769-9624; Rep: Susan Paul 

FM & Infrared hearing assistance systems. 

Pike Productions 707 

P.O. Box 300, Newport, Rl 02840 

401-846-8890/fax: 401-847-0070; Rep: Kathea Bias 

Custom policy S announcement trailers. 

Proctor Companies 409, 411 

10497 Centennial Rd, Littleton, CO 80127 

303-973-8989/lax: 303-973-8884; Rep: Margie Mercer 

Concession stands, acoustical, THX Bafflettes. 

Promotion In Motion, Inc 812, 814 

3 Reulen Dr, P.O. Box 558, Closler, NJ 07624 

201-784-5800/fax:201-784- 1010 

Rep: Katharine Jamieson 

Candy: Care Bears, Lemonheads, Red Hots, etc. 

Promotional Mgmt. Group 420, 422, 424 

5700 Broadmoor, 11912, Mission, KS 66202 

91 3-831 -7644/fax: 831-7577: Flop: James McGinness 

Collector cups, popcorn tubs t kids trays. 

PryunTueh L.L.C. B21-82S. 920-924 

1000 Hokxxnb Woods Pkwy 11316. Roswoll. GA 30076 

770-S18-7976/fax: 770-587-0484: Rep: Skip Oolan 

Theatre management system*. 

QSC Audio Products 906 

1675 MacArthurBlvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

714-754-6175/tax:714-754-6174 

Rep: Cindy Cao 

Professional, THX-approved power amps. 

R&D Electric Design. 

Rep: Richard Gershman 

32B 

RDS Data Group, Inc 223, 225, 322, 324 

P.O. Box 421, Simcoe, Onl, CANADA N3Y4L6 

519-428-2500/fax: 519-428-9441 

Rep: Brad Depooter 

Theatre ticketing and concession systems. 

Ricos Products Co. 506 

621 S. Flores, San Antonio, TX 78233 

800-880-1810/fax: 214-637-6739; Rep: Anita Watts 

Nachos, popcorn, food service, distribution. 

Roberts Oxygen Co 317, 319 

15830 RedlandRd, Rockville, MD 20855 

301-948-8100/fax: 301-948-2465; Rep: Bill Hartley 

S.A. U.S.A. Inc. 229, 230 

7004 Louise Terrace, Bay Ridge, NY 1 1209 

800-955-7474/fax: 718-680- 1226 

Rep: Marcel Vanluyn 

Complete sound systems. 

Sarnow Candy. 708 

P.O. Box 9016, Valley Stream, NY 11582 

516-872-4000/fax: 516-872-4072; Rep: Bill Smith 

Full line concession distributor. 

Schneider Corp. In America 508 

400 Crossways Park Dr., Woodbury, NY 11797 

516-496-8500/fax: 516-496-7508; Rep: Henry Greese 

Projection lenses for 70mm, 35mm & 16mm. 

Schult Design & Display 55-57 

318 Cedar, Pleasant Hill, MO 64080 

816-540-4798/lax: 816-540-4790; Rep: Jeffrey Schult 

Posters, marquees, concession cases, more. 

Screenvision Cinema 306 

275 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 

21 2-752-5774/fax: 212-752-0086 

Rep: Darryl Schaffer 

Cinema advertising. 

Seating Concepts, Inc 722,724 

4901-600 Morena Blvd., San Diego, CA92117 

61 9-581 -57 15/1ax: 61 9-581 -5725; Rep: Anne Smith 

Standard and custom seating. 

Smart Products, Inc 209 

307-K West TremontAve., Charlotte, NC 28203 

800-343-3635/fax: 704-377-4247; Rep: Gary Wood 

CinemaSeat child protection seats. 

Smart Devices inc 710 

5945 Peachtree Comers East, Norcross, GA 30071 

404-449-6698/fax: 404-449-6728 

Rep: Robin Klamfoth 

Cinema sound components & systems. 

Sony Cinema Products Corp. 601-605, 700-704 

10202 W. Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 

310-280-5777/fax:310-280-2024 

Rep: Gemma Richardson 

SDDS playback, DCP 1000 and Sony speakers. 

SPECO Systems 308, 310 

709 N. 6th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101 

913-321-3978/fax:913-321-7439 

Rep: Gene Higginbolham 

Stelnlndustrles 520-524 

22 Sprague Ave., Amityville, NY 11701 

516-789-22224ax: 516-789-8888; Rep: Andrew Stein 

Concession stands, popcorn t nacho fixtures. 

Strong InternatlonaL 59-62 

4350 McKinley St , NE 68 1 12 

402-453-4444/fax: 402-453- 7238 

Rep: Ray Boegner 

Projection and sound equipment. 

Summit Foods Enterprises 301, 303, 400, 402 

P.O. Box 141, Dedham, MA 02027 

6 1 7-830-020 Wax: 6 1 7-830-0205 

Rep: Paul Bonliglio 

Klondike Movie Bites, Naya Water, more. 

Sunshine Wire & Connector, Inc 930 

Rep: Harvey Keiser 

Sweet City Supply.... 

Rep: Joseph Caffrey 

..206 

Theatre Confections, Inc. 913 

795 Monroe, Rochester, NY 14607 

71 6-271 -0858/fax: 71 6-271 -0859 

Rep: Jeffrey Dodge 

Concession operations for indie exhibitors. 

Theatre Service Corp 53, 54 

800 Brookhurst. Richardson, TX 75080 

800-345-5898/fax: 21 4-699-7355 

Rep: Alvin Wigington 

Screen cleaning process, chemicals, draperies. 

TicketPro Systems 429 

870 Mercury Dr, Lawrenceville, GA 30045 

770-682-5485/fax: 770-682-8397; Rep: John Shaw 

Computer software for entertainment industry. 

T.K. Architects, Inc 404, 406 

106 West 1 1th St., #1900, Kansas City, MO 64105 

816-842-7552/fax: 816-842-1302: Rep: Tamra Knapp 

Design and planning for new theatres. 

Tootsie Roll Industries 808 

7401 Cicero Ave., Chicago, IL 60629 

3 12-838-3400/lax: 312-838-3564 

Rep: Cheryl Barko 

Tootsie Rolls, Junior Mints, Mason Dots. 

Tricorp Amusements 418 

5 Veronica Ave.. Somerset, NJ 90846-7767 

908-846- 7767/fax: 908-846-0622 

Rep: Chuck Peitz 

Ultra Stereo Labs 63, 64 

18730 OxnardSt.#208, Tarzana, CA 91356 

81 8-609-7405/lax: 81 8-609-7408 

Rep: Jennifer Shutt 

Sound processors, booth monitors, etc. 

Ultratechlnc. 423 

P.O. Box 436; Homestead, PA 15120 

4 12-469-8324/fax: 412-469-931 

Rep: Donald Wunderlich 

Full line theatre supply & service. 

Universal Cinema Services 216 

Rep: Jason Martinez 

VogelPopcorn 617 

2301 Washington St, Hamburg, lA 51640 

712-382-2634/fax:712-382- 1357; Rep: Dan Gray 

Bulk popcorn, popcorn supplies. 

Wagner Zip-Change Inc 504 

3100Hirsch St, Melrose Park, IL/708-681-4100 

800-323-0744/fax: 800-243-4924 

Rep: James Leone 

Changeable letters for theatre marquees. 

Weaver Popcorn Co 213, 215 

P.O. Box 395, Van Buren, IN 46991 

317-934-2101/fax: 317-934-4052; Rep: Tom Dodd 

Popcorn producer. 

Wunder-Bar. 

Rep: Bret Baker 

12S 

Wyandotlnc. 325 

135 Wyandot Ave., Marion, OH43302 

800-992-6368/fax: 8 14-382-5584; Rep: Kay Collins 

Corn chips, popcorn, nachos. 

See you on the 

Trade Show Floor!

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 definitely from MARS. 

MARS is 

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, visit booths #1000,1002,1004 

at ShowEast. Or call John Ventura at 212-450-8140. 

A division of MovieFone! Inc. 

BOOTHS #1000.1002,1004 

Response No. 78

Exhibition Profile 

ANCHORS AWAY 

Movie Tlieatres Are Retail's New Anchor Tenants 

by Herb McLaughlin and Howard McNenny 

multiplex in a spectacular $1.4 billion retail 

development in Fukuoka, Japan, called Canal 

City Hakata. Today, although open only a short 

WARNER'S CORNER: Warner Bros. andNichiiCo.s Warner Mycal cinema-anchored 

retail complexes in Japan have revitalized once-troubled shopping districts. 

Herb McLaughlin is partner-in-charge and 

HowardMcNenny is director ofcinema design 

at Kaplan/McLaughlin/Diaz. KMD is an architecture 

and urban planning firm with offices 

in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, 

Seattle, Mexico City, Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul 

and Kuala Lampur. 

Today, 

the movie theatre is 

much more 

than a great place to see the latest Hollywood 

film spectacular, or even to sample 

the latest in gourmet snacks. What many 

theatre operators have not yet realized is that 

their multiplexes can be a key ingredient in 

successfully revitalizing our nation's cities. 

Find that hard to believe? Here are jast a few 

examples: 

In Pasadena, Calif., a downtown shopping 

district that until a few years ago was a deserted 

near-slum is now crowded with shoppers and 

strolling visitors, attracted by an exciting mix 

of shops, restaurants and two multiplex theatres. 

On one side of the street is a six-screen 

theatre operated by United Artists. In "One 

Colorado," a new center that helped kick off 

the area's revival, is an AMC theatre. 

In San Francisco, the long-established 

Embarcadero Center recendy added a fourscreen 

cinema. Retail shops had enjoyed excellent 

daytime business five days a week, but 

were dead on weekends and during evening 

hours. Since the theatres opened, all that has 

changed. Many of the stores have extended 

their hours, and one key tenant, the B. Dalton 

book.store, actually relocated fix)m a prime 

ground floor spot to a second floor location to 

be closer to the traffic flow of theatre patrons. 

One of the earliest examples of cinema-asanchor 

is the United Artists seven-plex in the 

Horton Plaza in San Diego, which opened in 

the early 1980s. It was at one end of the retail 

spine, and on the upper level, so theatre patrons 

had to walk through most of the mall to get 

there. Horton Plaza has been a phenomenal 

success as a result of the crowds drawn by the 

theatres, who shop or eat before or after their 

movie. This success has spilled over into the 

entire surrounding arcii, bringing about a rebirth 

of a once-decaying downtown. As for 

ticket sales, the fact that the number of screens 

has since been doubled to 

14 would suggest 

that UA is also happy with the results. 

This is hardly an only-in-America phenomenon. 

In 1993 we at Kaplan/McLaughlin/Diaz 

(KMD) were appn)ached by AMC to design 

their first cinema project in Asia—a 13-screen 

time, the Canal City Hakata multiplex is selling 

more than 25,000 tickets a week, and the 

retailers in the center report that sales and 

crowds are beyond even their most optimistic 

projections. Once again, the result was a revitalized 

district in what had been a somewhat 

run-down part of the city. 

Other retail-cinema centers in Japan are becoming 

equally popular. Warner Bros, has 

formed a joint venture with Japanese retailer 

Nichii Co., Ltd., which today operates nine 

Warner Mycal cinemas (also designed by 

KMD) located in or adjacent to shopping centers. 

In many cases the cinema is a revitalizing 

element for a shopping center in need of help. 

The cinema-as-anchor is just as successful 

in other parts of the world. In Bangkok, the 

huge Secon Square shopping center has as one 

of its anchors a 12-screen Golden Village multiplex. 

Its success can be measured by the fact 

that a nearby shopping center with no entertainment 

anchor, completed less than a year 

before Secon Center opened, is now virtiially 

empty. In Cairo, KMD has found an emerging 

market for cinema-anchored retail developments. 

Our first cinema project there, a six-plex 

near Cairo, sits atop a new retail mall, becoming 

the traffic generator for the entire complex. 

What's fascinating about all these projects, 

both in the United States and abroad, is the key 

role played by movie theatres in the success of 

the entire complex. In the past we have tended 

to think of theatres as a beneficiary of mail 

traffic. In fact, however, it is clearly the other 

way around. Stores and restaurants prosper 

because of the presence of the silver screens. 

The most often-cited example of the "urban 

entertainment center" is Citywalk, created h\ 

MCA and located right next to its 

Universal 

Studios theme park in Los Angeles. This exciting 

agglomeration of impulse retail, trendy 

restaurants and a 20-screen Cineplex Odeon 

multiplex has enjoyed unparalleled success 

from opening day. 

Until recently, however, no one seems to 

have thought of imitating Citywalk elsewhere. 

The reason is that conventional wisdom attributed 

Citywalk's success to its location, right on 

the pathway between the parking garages for 

Universal Studios and the entrance to the 

theme park itself. Citywalk obviously was the 

94 BOXOFFICE

eneficiary of a guaranteed traffic generator 

that existed nowhere else. But when KMD got 

involved in the initial planning of the second 

phase of Citywalk, our studies found that fully 

80 percent of its visitors came solely to visit 

Citywalk, and never went to the theme park. 

What we are now finding is that urban 

entertainment centers are being planned or 

built in many other parts of the country, fixjm 

Irvine Spectrum in Orange County, Calif., 

where Edwards has a 2 1 - 

screen multiplex plus 

Imax theatre, to Coco 

Walk, near Miami, Fla., 

where AMC is the multiplex 

operator 

Why is there such powerful 

synergy between 

movie theatres and their 

neighboring retail stores 

and restaurants? The answers 

involve everything 

from basic human psychology 

to the practicalities 

of parking and traffic 

flows. 

A recent study done at a 

midwestern shopping 

center with a 14-screen 

multiplex shows just how 

good the retail/cinema fit 

really is. The study, reported 

in Shopping Center 

Business magazine, is 

based on surveys conducted 

during every 

screening at every theatre 

between Thanksgiving 

and Christmas of 1996, 

and again during March of 

•ONE" 

1997. It found that the only time when parking 

demands for shopping and theatregoing rise 

simultaneously is between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. 

on Saturdays. But peak demand for theatre 

parking is still after 6 p.m., when shoppers 

typically are not out in force. 

What is it about the mix of film entertainment, 

retail and restaurants that makes for such 

a rehable formula for success? 

Part of the explanation is that our attitude 

toward shopping has changed. In the fu^st few 

decades after World War U, when American 

consumers were still getting accustomed to the 

notion of consumer abundance, the shopping 

was itself a form of entertainment. We went to 

the store—and soon to the mall—as much for 

the fun of browsing as for the practical need to 

purchase something. 

But today's adults, and certainly their teenage 

sons and daughters, are no longer dazzled 

by even the most elaborately displayed merchandise. 

Shopping has again become a chore. 

Many consumers have reverted to "target" 

shopping, where they drive to a mall, run in to 

pick up a few pre-selected items, 

and head 

back to their cars. 

When Louis Harris & Associates asked 

Americans to rank their 10 favorite leisure 

activities, women rated shopping as tenth. It 

didn't even make the list for men. Most of us 

no longer have lots of spare time to spend 

browsing. Back in 

1950, for example, only 

about a third of all women were earning paychecks. 

Today that percentage has doubled, 

and is even higher for women over 35. Men 

are also busier than ever But in 85 percent of 

American homes, the shopping is stiU done by 

women; they are about 73 percent of mall shoppers, 

according to the Mass Retail Association. 

When women and men do make time to 

shop, they like the experience to be enjoyable. 

WAY OR ANOTHER: The AMC-anchored One Colorado in Pasadena, Calif., 

has helped increased business in all the neighboring stores. 

In the past, we have tended to think oftheatres 

as a beneficiary of mall traffic. In fact, 

however, it is clearly the other way around. 

It's no accident that the most successful retailers 

work hard to make their store environments 

entertaining. 

While young consumers are the core of the 

movie market, there are plenty of older ticket 

buyers. In the Louis Harris survey's question 

about favorite leisure activities, going to the 

movies was tenth on the bst for men, and 

seventh for women. 

What is different about the younger movie 

audience is that it is heavily influenced by TV, 

electronic games and other high-impact forms 

of entertainment. They are drawn to movies, 

especially in a multiplex setting, because the 

theatre offers them a constantly fresh selection 

of entertainment experiences. Everything else 

in a shopping center—the architecture, the 

merchandise on display, the restaurant 

menus—is comparatively static. A multiplex 

theatre can provide a completely different entertainment 

experience every day. That's a 

powerful tool to generate return visits. 

Why, then, are restaurants the third vital 

element of a successful urban entertainment 

center? It's not as if heavy exposure to 

Nintendo and the Internet results in an uncontrollable 

appetite for cafe latte or tiramisu. The 

real appeal of many of these trendy food spots 

is social; people go for the companionship, not 

the croissants. Our urbanized and anonymous 

communities offer fewer opportunities to simply 

meet and mingle. Many Americans are 

starved for the kind of casual socializing that 

once was commonplace in town squares, and 

that still is in European plazas. Restaurants in 

an entertainment-oriented retail center are an 

ideal setting for relaxing with fiiends and for 

people-watching. 

The combination of retail, food and cinemas 

is a powerful formula for success. The best 

example of what it can mean, both for the 

center itself and for its community, 

is the aforementioned 

One Colorado in Pasadena. 

A lovely city best 

known for the annual Rose 

Parade, Pasadena's old retail 

core along Colorado Boulevard 

had by the 

1970s become 

a near-slum of 

decrepit brick buildings. 

Shoppers avoided the 

district, 

and nearby residential 

areas were falling into decline. 

That began to change 

with the development of the 

retail-and-entertainment 

complex that opened in the 

early 

1990s. One Colorado 

was designed by KMD to 

preserve the elegant brick 

facades that lined the boulevard 

while creating a modem 

shopping center. 

A street that once mixed a 

handful of struggUng shops 

among long-vacant buildings 

now has retailers and 

eateries like Banana Republic, 

J. Crew, Bames & Noble, 

Blockbuster, The Gap, 

Victoria's Seciet, The Cheesecake factory and 

dozens of other national names, along with an 

estimated 200 local and regional names. 

The success of the center has spilled over 

into nearby streets. In all, the district now has 

more than a million square feet of stores, restaurants 

and movie theatres. Rents have soared 

to $4 per square foot. Sales tax revenues to the 

city top $1 million a year. 

^he most significant part of the One Colorado 

story is that there is nothing 

J. unique about its success. There are 

scores of smaller cities all across America 

whose aging downtowns could be dramatically 

revitalized by a well-planned entertainment 

retail center The same basic approach 

could be applied with equal success to blighted 

or declining neighborhoods in our largest cities. 

The movie theatre is a critically important 

ingredient for these revitalization projects. 

They are often the difference between success 

and failure. This gives theatre operators a powerful 

incentive to get actively involved in the 

planning of these centers from the earliest 

possible stage. It also provides a strong position 

from which to make sure that developers, 

local politicians and other tenants understand 

the theatre's key contribution to the center and 

to the community. 

^g

"FROM WHERE I SIT..." 

Our Forum For Readers Just Like You 

The 

dark, disturbing 1932 Warner Bros, 

film "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain 

Gang" has one of the more memorable 

closing scenes in movie history. Portraying an 

escaped convict, Paul Muni is asked how he 

lives. His response: "I steal." 

The same could be said of some current 

filmmakers who, bereft of original ideas, have 

leaned toward remakes and sequels. In doing 

so, they are pilfering titles and characterizations 

of proven winners, but in the process 

more often than not they have unconscionably 

butchered the story line. Already consigned to 

cinematic oblivion, the unlamented 'The Scarlet 

Letter" is a prime example of when to leave 

well enough alone. The author's message was 

not only altered but obliterated. Nathaniel 

Hawthome's novel previously had been given 

three screen treatments, all credible. The first 

was a 1 926 silent with Lillian Gish; next came 

a 1934 sound version starring Colleen Moore. 

There was a German production in 1973, with 

English subtitles, directed by Wim Wenders. 

In Hawthome's novel, the transgressors 

who flouted the mores of 17th-century New 

England were punished. Screenwriter Douglas 

Day Stewart and director Roland Joffe had 

other ideas, however, and as a consequence 

their 

1995 release evoked derisive guffaws 

fk)m film observers. Instead of a grim scene at 

the scaffold (which would have made for great 

theatre), their "Scarlet Letter" had adulteress 

Hester Prynne riding off into the sunset with 

her ecclesiastical impregnator, Reverend Arthur 

Dimmesdale. Shades ofa Gene Autry "B" 

western, with Gene waibling "I'm back in the 

saddle again." 

On the subject of remakes, pnxJucer Arnold 

Kopelson has said, "There's a shortage of g(xxl 

projects. You see some of these great movies, 

with well-thought-out story lines, and they 

offer a very fertile area." Can we now l(x)k 

forward to a spate of remakes? There arc all 

ATTACK OF THE 

PURLOINING 

REVISIONISTS 

by Paul R. Maracin 

kinds ofoutstanding stories out there that could 

be mutilated if the goal is to scrap the author's 

unsettling denouement. John Steinbeck aficionados 

might cringe on sf)eculating what 

Tinseltown revisionists would do with "Of 

Mice and Men." We can see it now: Instead of 

taking matters into his own hands and shooting 

Lennie so as to spare him from extrajudicial 

vengeance, George takes the money he has 

been saving to buy their own farm and hires 

legal counsel. The canny lawyer convinces a 

jury that Lennie did not kill Curley's wife and 

Currentfilmmakers, 

bereft of original 

ideas, have leaned 

toward remakes and 

sequels. In doing so, 

they are pilfering 

titles and butchering 

proven story lines. 

that he was in fact a victim of police conspiracy. 

Who can foiêt the dramatic finale in the 

David O. Selznick screen version of "A Tale 

of 1\vo Cities," Charles Dickens' novel set in 

the period of the French revolution? Sydney 

Carton (Ronald Colman) is led to the guillotine, 

nobly accepting death after changing 

places with Charles Damay. As the camera 

slowly ascends skyward, we hear Colman's 

somber voice intone: "It is a far, far better thing 

that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far 

better rest that I go to than I have ever known." 

Those moving words are suuight from the 

pen of Dickens, but obviously the old master 

wordsmith had no idea of how to bring a story 

to a satisfactory conclusion. Director Jack 

Conway and Colman should have known betten 

But that can be remedied. In a new version, 

the guillotine malfunctions, and in the ensuing 

confusion Carton escapes into the crowd with 

the aid of a conniving warden He subsequently 

resurfaces, with a new identity as Master of 

Ceremonies at Folies-Bergere. 

And there's "(jone With the Wind." Surely 

the current breed of screenwriters can better 

Maiâret Mitchell's bland ending. In the faithful 

adaptation of the book, Rhett (Clark Gable) 

bids adieu to Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) in the 

famous front-door take in which he recites the 

line of frankly not giving a damn. This must be 

changed: it's too tame for today's sated audiences. 

In the remake, we can have Rhett excoriate 

Scarlett with a string of expletives (almost 

obligatory in present-day scenarios), and some 

film critics will doubtless acclaim this as "unfettered 

dialogue." Not to be outdone—and 

relegated to second-class citizenry—Scarlett 

with reply in kind, and you can be sure she 

won't use the innocuous interjection "fiddlede-dee!" 

As the twoexchange vulgarities at the 

doorway, Rhett suddenly has achange of heart; 

he sweeps Scarlett off her feet and dashes up 

the stairway with her in his arms in a reprise of 

an earlier scene. The film ends as the bedroom 

door slams shut. Then again, some filmmakers 

would likely insist the door remain open. Well, 

whatever sells. 

has precipitated the trend toward 

Whatremakes and sequels? Writing for 

The New York Times News Service, 

Bernard Weinraub quoted one Hollywood producer 

who had this to say about contemporary 

decision-makers in the film industry: "Creative 

executives are young, inexperienced 

people who have gone to the same schools, 

wear the same clothes, drive the same cars, eat 

in the same places, are way in over their heads, 

and have no life experience other than television." 

For affirmation of this development, we 

need only consider New Line Cinema's 

planned remake of 'The Women." The Clare 

Boothe stage hit was adapted for the screen in 

1 939 by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin. with tlie 

uncredited assistance of Donald Ogden Stewart. 

The script for the remake, which is in 

prepRxluction, is being written and "updated" 

by Diane English. Her claim to fame? She 

created TV's "Murphy Brown." 

And are you ready for this? Time Warner 

has announced plans to produce a sequel to 

"Casablanca" If Claude Rains were around 

today, his reaction would probably be: "I'm 

shocked. Shocked!" 

Hi 

PaulR. Maracin is a journalist, movieintffand 

His daughter. 

regular BOXOFFICE reader. 

PKay Krieg lives in Genmmy and writes regularlyfor 

BOXOFFICE about the motion picture 

industry there.

Reach ove 

movie-goie 

.5 million 

each month 

Available i over 100 theatres 

natlonwidîn key markets 

Guaranteed 

distribution of over 

I million p^ beards each month 

"Advertising has always known where you 

live. /\low it knows where you play." iT^''" 

-' • - 

AdWeek , February 3, 1997 

' 

-?t* 

ADVERTISERS: PLEASE CALL PIK:NIK AT 213-6^5-2556 

HEATRE OWNERS: PLEASE CALL GLOBAL CINEMA NETWORK AT 8i8-oAn-Ai:>n

Special Report 

IT STARTS WITH NATO 

NATO's Training Tapes Are Invaluable to Circuits on the Grow 

by Michael Payne 

Mary Ann Grasso, NATO 

Barry Myers, AMC 

Employees come and go—that's a fact of 

life for the theatre owner. High employee 

turnover, while not without certain 

financial advantages, has a major 

downside: training. As new employees arrive 

on a regular basis, teaching these new hires 

their jobs can become a full-time job in itself 

How do theatres combat this training problem? 

"The larger theatre circuits often produce 

their own training films and materials," says 

Jeff Logan, president of Logan Luxury Theatres. 

"But the smaller guys like us don't have 

the money or the resources to do it ourselves." 

That's where the National Association ofTheatre 

Owners (NATO) comes in. Spurred on by 

the need for such training materials by smaller 

theatre circuits—as weU as interest from the 

larger circuits for more comprehensive training 

tools—NATO decided to produce a nine-tape 

video training series for theatre employees, entitled 

'It Starts With You!" (see accompanying 

reviews, p. 98). "Our goal was to make a training 

tape series that set a level standard for theatre 

employee fijnctions," 

says Mary Ann Grasso, 

executive director of NATO. "This allows a consistency 

within our industry to present an entertaining 

and enjoyable moviegoing 

experience." 

Grasso began the ambitious project by putting 

together a committee of contributors fiom both 

the smaller theatres chains and the giants. Logan 

notes, "The committee was specifically made up 

of representatives from circuits of all sizes. Barry 

Myers [international corporate training manager] 

ofAMC represented the big guys, Maureoi Mc- 

Namara [training director] of Landmark represented 

the middle, and John Saag | vice president] 

of Ass(vi;Ued Theatres of Kentucky ;uid myself 

represented the smaller circuits. The whole 

point was to come up with something that 

every theatre will be able to utilize." 

Working so closely with "competitors" 

proved to be illuminating. "As the little guy," 

says Logan, "I was impressed by how open and 

responsive the bigger guys were." Saag agrees, 

saying "I was a little apprehensive going into 

this, but everybody jelled together. It was truly 

a collaborative effort." 

McNamara was also impressed by the teamwork. 

"It was an incredible experience, working 

together in such a cooperative 

environment." she recalls. "We had some very 

intensive conference calls, going over scripts, 

outlining stuff...but it was amazing to me how 

much time and energy each company put into 

the project, how they saw the value of it." Myers 

adds, "It was a lot of fun and the process went 

extremely smoothly. I made some very good 

friends." 

Foremost on the committee's minds was 

creating a training tool that would be informative 

without being boring. "It wasn't just the 

knowledge," explains Logan. "I mean, we all 

work in theatres, we know how things work. 

But it was the way to present that knowledge 

that was the challenge. You throw a manual in 

front of someone and they fall asleep. So that's 

why we decided to make a film, one that was 

entertaining and informative at the saine time." 

To help them decide just how "It Starts With 

You!" would be structured, the committee 

looked to an obvious source: "We collected 

odier training tapes and materials faim the 

major theatre circuits," Logan states. AMC, 

Regal, UATC and Cineplex all graciously donated 

their own training videos for the com- 

WF^

— 

— 


mittee to view. "We watched so many tapes," recalls McNamara, 

"and we intently tried to learn from each one of those. We sort 

of took the best from the best." 

To produce the actual filming, the NATO committee chose 

Metro Productions of Kansas City, Mo., which previously produced 

commercials and training films for such companies as 

Wal-Mart, Blockbuster Video, and Toyota Motor Corp. Scott 

Henson and Roger Hull, two writer/directors for Metro, worked 

in collaboration to organize the shooting scripts and direct the 

nine tapes in the series. 

"What I brought to the table," says Henson, "was my experience 

shooting in theatres when they're open." Because NATO 

didn't have the budget to build an entire theatre set, they decided 

to shoot "on location" in an actual theatre. Barry Myers ofAMC 

got permission to use the AMC Independence Commons in 

Kansas City. "Because [AMC's] home office is here in Kan.sas 

City," Myers states, "the Independence Commons is accustomed 

to such unusual requests." Myers also helped coordinate 

other production materials, such as the theatre uniforms that 

were to be the "costumes" for the project. But, in order for the 

tapes to be useful for all theatre chains, Myers didn't use specific 

AMC uniforms. "Obviously, we had to make the tapes generic 

as far as brand identity," he points out. 

By all accounts, it was a hectic shoot. "We filmed all nine of 

them in two weeks," states Mary Arm Grasso with pride. "I can't 

even believe we got through it." It was no small feat, considering 

that each of the nine segments averages 10 minutes in length 

that's the equivalent of a feature-length project in merely 14 

days. To help speed up the shoot, director Henson didn't film in 

sequence. "It was crazy," he recalls with a laugh. "It's Tuesday 

morning, and you have to shoot every scene in that location for 

all nine films—then let the editor figure it all out later." 

Perhaps the toughest—and ultimately most rewarding — production 

decision occurred before the actual filming: choosing 

the actor "hosts" ofthe video series. "In order to maintain a sense 

of continuity through all nine films," informs Grasso, "we 

decided to have the same two actors host every segment." 

"We wanted to find people who were dynamic and fun," says 

McNcimara, "but could still carry the [training techniques] in a 

lively and professional way." To that end, director Henson began 

with a casting call in Los Angeles. 

"I flew out, auditioned the best picks in person, and put those 

auditions on tape," he explains. The NATO committee then 

reviewed the audition tapes, after which they easily chose stage 

actress Heidi Gott (who is currently touring with "The Rocky 

Horror Picture Show" play) and Sci-Fi Channel regular Roger 

Lodge to be the hosts of "It Starts With You!" 

"The two of them just jumped out and off the screen for us," 

McNamara says. "We all thought there was really only one 

choice. It was interesting how the committee all agreed." Logan 

was also very pleased. "I think we really got lucky with them; 

they had amazing chemistry together. I think they're real finds. 

They have a banter that is humorous and entertaining, which is 

what we want, based on the target audience." 

Director Henson concurs. Knowing that the target audience 

teenagers—are tumed-off by ultra-serious, documentary-style 

filmmaking, Henson attempted to make good use of the hosts' 

comic abilities, aiming for a light-hearted and humorous approach. 

"If the employees get bored with the tapes and don't 

watch them, they're useless," Henson stressed. "If you don't 

make them entertaining, you've wasted your time." 

Seeing the finished product the NATO committee all agree that 

their time was anything but wasted. McNamara feels 'It Starts With 

You!" is a godsend to mid-sized theatre circuits like Landmark. 

"We're growing to the point of needing training programs that 

focus on enhancing the overall presentation of our business. But 

[by ourselves] we really couldn't affoid to do something like this." 

Saag agrees. "For me, as a small circuit, I have got to believe this is 

the best thing NATO has done for the small operators," he states. 

"Despite all the great things [NATO] has done in the past, this 

is the tool I can use the most This is how you run a theatre." ^H 

THE TALE OF THE TAPE 

BOXOFFICE Reviews the 

NATO Training Tape Series 

Each 

of the nine videos in the NATO Training Tape Series "It Starts 

With You!" covers a different aspect of theatre operations. Without 

exception, all the tapes (each around 10 minutes long) are expertly 

produced, humorously involving, andjam-packed with valuable training 

information. Whatfollows are short reviews ofeach segment. 

"Orientation: It's in Your Hands" 

The first tape in the series, "Orientation"' points out how the "magic of the 

movies" has much to do with the skills and attitudes of the theatre employees. 

The tape outlines the various job positions and how they interact, thereby 

stressing the importance of teamwork and why learning such work ethics can 

only help out the new employee in the future. In this way, the tape can also 

be useful as a recruiting tool, even explaining that many famous filmmakers 

once began their careers as movie theatre employees. 

"BoxofBce: First Impression" 

This tape stresses that because the boxoffice attendant is the first theatre 

employee the customer meets, he or she plays a key role in creating an 

enjoyable moviegoing experience. It's explained through demonstrations 

exactly how the attendant should act (utilizing eye contact and smiling but 

remaining businesslike, forexample) and how to keep a clean, well-organized 

boxoffice. The tape even shows how to spot a counterfeit bill. 

"The Usher: You're Uie Host" 

It's pointed out that the usher is really the "host" of the theatre, and 

therefore should impart a fun-spirited attitude to the customers, .setting the 

mood for the evening's enjoyment. The tape shows how to manage the movie 

*' 

crowds, keep the lobby clean and safe, and, most importantly, how to deal 

with difficult customers without losing one's cool. 

"Concessions: The Difference Is You" « 

The focus here is that the main difference between the movie experience 

at a theatre and at home is the concession stand, and therefore it's important 

to provide fast, friendly and accurate service. There are even sales tips on how 

to reel the customers in and get them to purchase more than they wanted. 

'Titan Presentation: Presentation Is Everjiliing" 

Designed mostly for projectionists, this video reviews standard practices 

of the trade. It's more technical in content than the other tapes, and appropriately 

so. It points out daily operating procedures, how to check sound and 

picture quality, and includes the "Five Golden Rules" of film projection. It 

also contains an extensive troubleshooting section that is valuable to botli new 

and experienced projectionists. 

"Safety and Security: Accident and Incident" 

Through step-by-step demonstrations, this tape shows many vaiious emergencies 

that commonly occur and how to deal with them. It stresses the 

importance of not admitting guilt and/or liability. There's a good primer on 

how to avoid crime, and what to do should a crime take place. The tape also 

explains how to handle the bigger, not-so-common emergencies, such as a 

tornado warning or even a fire. 

"Serving Patrons with Special Needs: Dignity and Respect" 

"Never touch a customer's wheelchair without asking first" is only one of 

the many lessons in this important behavioral guideline on how to treat the 

handicapped and the elderly. As the tide indicates, the tape stresses "dignity 

and respect." It demonstrates the various service accommodations (such as 

assistive listening devices) that exist to help make the moviegoing experience 

more enjoyable for those with special neaJs. 

"Sexual Harassment: Don't Cross the Line" 

Perhaps the most important tape in the series, "Don't Cross the Line" 

does an admirably accurate job of pointing out exactly where the line falls. 

Although the tape is aimed at young adults in the theatre industry—explaining 

that rules of conduct differ between school and work—this video 

could benefit any employee in any workplace. 

"Ratings: Informed Decisions" 

Unavailable for viewing at press time, the tape focuses on the MPAA 

ratings system and its value to moviegoers. 

Michael Payne

I 

SPECIAL REPORT: Europe 1997 

Europa Europa 

Our outgoing BOXOFFICE European correspondent 

on the state of the Continent by Melissa Morrison 

the last 18 months, BOXOFFICE has 

Fprhad the great goodfortune ofproviding 

page space to Melissa Morrison, our 

European correspondent, formerly stationed 

in Prague, and one ofthe most talented young 

commentators to come our way in some time. 

Melissa recently resettled back in her native 

country, the U.S. Her commitment to the readership 

o/BOXOFFICE was such that she immediately 

proposed the following article— a 

kind of debriefing of what she learned about 

the European market as she pounded ourjournalistic 

beat. As a thumbnail sketch 

of across-the-board trends and developments, 

it may be one ofthe most 

useful articles we 've ever run. 

Readers interested in the exhibition 

scene are also directed to our 

July "Giants of International Exhibition 

Directory"and its accompanying 

tables— all of which were 

compiled by Melissa As for Ms. 

Morrison, all of us at BOXOFnCE 

would like to take this opportunity to 

publicly thank herfor ajob well and 

imaginatively done. V/e lookforward 

to regular appearances ofher byline 

in our pages.— Editor 

for Sylvester Stallone's entire '8()s oeuvrc can 

now be linked by a drinking game says a lot 

about Europe's industry in the '90s. The German 

guy downing a Lowenbrau in a Munich 

pub is more likely than ever to have seen 

mainstream American films like "Sleepers" 

and "Legends," thanks to the multiplexes that 

have mushroomed up around the continent. As 

for European movies, Michalkov isn't the only 

foreign filmmaker using Western actors and 

filming in English; he's just part of Europe's 

bid to challenge Hollywood by pooling resources 

and targeting international audiences. 

The fall ofcommunism in the former East bloc 

has opened up a promising new market for all 

their distribution arms, and have been expanding 

steadily: Each has built approximately 260 

more screens since 1990. 

AMC has dipped a tentative toe into the 

market, starting with Spain and Portugal, while 

Australia's Village Roadshow has announced 

one of the most ambitious campaigns in exhibition 

history: 2,000 more screens worldwide 

by the end of the century, including sites in 

virtually untapped Italy and Greece. Since neither 

AMC nor Village has distribution concerns 

in Europe, their execs obviously feel 

Aquick game of "Six Degrees 

of Kevin Bacon" encapsulates 

tiie current state of 

Europe's cinema industry. The object 

ofthe game, which was popularized 

by some of the wackier 

elements on the Internet, is to link 

any actor or film personality to randomly 

selected pop culture icon 

Kevin Bacon in six "moves" (i.e., 

direct links) or less. So: Nikita 

Michalkov to Kevin Bacon. Ready? Go! 

Michalkov, the Oscar-winning Russian star 

and director of 1994's "Burnt By the Sun," is 

currently making "The Barber of Siberia" with 

Julia Ormond, who was the female lead in 

"Legends of the Fall," which also starred Brad 

Pitt, who was in "Sleepers" opposite Kevin 

Bacon! And with two degrees to spare. 

That actors hailing from the two ccxintries 

whose Cold War antagonism was responsible 

100 BoxomcE 

MUCH TWO MUCH: A bomb in the U.S.. the Antonio Banderas-Melanie Griffith-starring "Two Much" 

was a smash in Spain, demonstrating the wisdom of international co-financing arrangements. 

aspects of the industry. Somewhere in Hollywood, 

Bacon's agent must be smiling. 

M 

Multiplexity 

-on-European companies currently lead 

the multiplex revolution. The British 

journal Screen Digest credits the European 

multiplex wave to the American companies 

Warner Bros, and United Cinemas 

International (UCI), the latter of which is a 

joint venture between Universal, MGM and 

Paramount studios. These companies first arrived 

in the mid-to late-'80s to supplement 

exhibition alone is a fiiiitful enterprise. 

Bets are on the United Kingdom for the 

distinction of becoming the first European 

country to reach screen saturation. Il will take 

at least another year, however, according to 

industry observers. Among the companies 

helping to achieve that goal is Cine-UK, 

formed explicitly to build multiplexes in Britain. 

Run by former Warner Bros. International 

head Stephen M. Wiener, an Americiui, the 

company's corporate strategy is to build in 

family-entertainment areas that include such 

features as bowling alleys and pizza restau-

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJ 

N CINEVISION CORPORATION brings you one of the largest selections of new, used 

and rebuilt theatre equipment in the country. With 25 years of experience, this enables us 

to provide installations and service world-wide. All rebuilt equipment sales are backed by 

a full one-year warranty. 

Trade-ins of your surplus equipment are accepted. 

I 

A 

N 

D 

U 

S 

E 

D 

T 

H 

E 

A 

TR 

E 

E 

PROJECTOR HEADS-3SMM-USED 

CENTURY C 70.6mm Lens Holder $ 2,350.00 

C ENTURY C 1 01 .6mm Lens Holder 2,500.00 

CENTURY SA 2,750.00 

SIMPLEX 35 Late Model 2,700.00 

BALLANTYNE PRO-35 2,500.00 

SOUNDHEADS-3SMM-USED 

CENTURY R-3ArR-3 $ 1,595.00 

SIMPLEX 5-STAR 1,595.00 

SIMPLEX SH- 1000 1,095.00 

SIMPLEX SH-1 020 1,095.00 

MOTIOGRAPH SH-7500 395.00 

PROJECTORS AND SOUNDHEADS SOLD ONLrVtUH COMPLETE BOOTH 

PROJECTION SYSTEMS-USED 

CINEMECCANICA V-4 $ 2,500.00 

CINEMECCANICA V-8 4,395.00 


NORELCO FP-20 4,500.00 

35/70MM PROJECTION-USED 

CENTURY JJ-2 $ 6,500.00 


KINOTONE DP-75 4,995.00 

NORELCO AA-II TODD-AO 4,500.00 

XENON LAMPHOUSES-USED 

CHRISTIE 500 Watt $ 995.00 

CHRISTIE 1000 Watt 995.00 

CHRISTIE 2000 Watt 2,150.00 

CINEMECCANICA ZENITH 2,250.00 

ORC 1000 Built-in Power Supply 1,595.00 

ORC 1 600 W/Separate Supply 1 ,895 .00 

ORC 4000 2,495.00 

STRONG X- 16 1,595.00 

STRONG SUPER LUMEX 2,995.00 

XETRON XH-2000 2,595.00 

-THE ABOVE LAMPHOUSES INCLUDE POWER SUPPLIES- 

XENON CONSOLES-USED 

CHRISTIE CH-10 



PLATTER SYSTEMS-USED 

ORC CP-302 3-DECK 

SPECO LP-270 

CHRISTIE AW 3 

$ 2,250.00 

2,750.00 

3,995.00 

2,250.00 

2,250.00 

3,500.00 

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS 

MONO Sound Systems from $ 

KELMAR AS7200 Sound System 

NT.50 Sound System 

SMART STEREO GENERATOR 

SMART SR-130 

FS 

SMART MOD II 

SMART MOD II-B FS 

SMART MOD II-B 

ULTRA STEREO 4-CHANNEL 

DOLBY CP-50 

DOLBY CP-65 

DOLBY CP-200 

DOLBY CP-500 

DTS-6 Digital Processors 

SONY SDDS 

ALTEC A-7 Stage Speaker 

ALTEC A-4 Stage Speaker 

ORC Automation System 

CINEVISION/CENTURY Manual Lens Turret 

B&L CINEMASCOPE Lenses 

MAGNACOM Attachments 

IRWIN CITATION Chairs 

AMERICAN M-35 Chairs 

from 

from 

550.00 

795.00 

495.00 

99.00 

750.00 

1,295.00 

1,995.00 

2,495.00 

1,395.00 

1,995.00 

3,900.00 

3,995.00 

CALL 

CALL 

CALL 

450.00 

650.00 

595.00 

495.00 

450.00 

450.00 

25.00 

22.50 

Q U 

I 

P 

M 

E 

N 

T 

PARTS REBUIU) EXCHANGES 

We have an extensive inventory of parts in stock to fit 

most projectors. Dealer discounts available. We offer 

excellent repair and exchange services on projectors, 

intermittents, soundheads, etc. Export inquiries 

invited. 

R P O R A T I 

3300 N.E. Expressway, Building 2A 

Atlanta, Georgia 30341 

{770} 455-8988 

{770} 455-4066 fax

102 Rf)\f)rnrE 

" 

rants, particularly in places overlooked by established 

circuits. Virgin/MGM is another 

maverick, with its concept of high-grade theatres, 

complete with special areas featuring a 

private bar and waitress service. Virgin plans 

37 multiplex sites, which will make it the 

country's biggest multiplex chain. 

As BOXOmCE reported in July, France 

remains one of the most-closed countries to 

foreign exhibitors (see article "Pas De Deux, 

BOXOFFICE vol. 133, no. 7, July 1997). Its 

dominant cinema-operators—Gaumont, 

tral location in Eastern Europe made it attractive. 

Odeon's next intended sites, besides Italy, 

are also Eastern and Central Europe: Germany, 

Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The 

Australian exhibition giant Village Roadshow 

also built a Budapest cinema in a joint venture 

and plans three more over the next two years. 

M 

Spreading the Joy 

xhibition and distribution are closely 

linked in Europe. The United Kingdom 

Jhas the greatest concentration of owner- 

MAKING WAVES: 'Breaking the Waves" hadit all: Danish director, Scottish set, 

French backing, English actors and international acclaim. 

Pathe and UGC—also operate distribution and 

production arms, triple-twine against outside 

invaders. Another obstacle is legislation limiting 

new theatres to 2,000 seats, a response to 

fears that suburban megaplexes will suck cinema-goers 

out of city centers. 

The Netherlands is an example of a country 

that, albeit tiny, has tremendous boxoffice potential, 

with residents currently averaging a 

low one trip per person annually to the cinema. 

Other countries that top circuits are beginning 

to mine are those ofEastern Europe — 

primarily 

Hungary—and Southern Europe. Italy 

is 

one of Europe's largest markets—admissions 

in '95 were 91.4 million—despite several 

hindrances: It's underscreened, and the 

traditional cinema-going season lasts only 10 

months. Spain is tapped for a growth spurt in 

virtually all areas of its film industry. Admissions 

have soared by 20 million since 1988, 

exceeding 100 million in 1996, but its attendance 

rate is still considered small. A clutch of 

exhibition companies, both local and foreign, 

have swooped in to change that, including 

Spain's Lauren Film; a collaboration among 

Wamer Bros., Spain's PRISA and Portugal's 

Lusomundo; and AMC International. 

The burgeoning free-maricet economies of 

Eastern Europe have attracted capitalists of all 

stripes, and cinema circuits arc no exception. 

Hungary is the site of the most activity. Torontc)-ba.sed 

Cineplex Odetm chose the capital, 

Budapest, for its first European multiplex. 

CEO and President Allen Karp said Hungary's 

strong economy, stable government and cenship 

and the greatest degree of integration 

between the two sectors, according to the British 

Film Institute. So much so, in fact, that in 

1 994 the government's Monopolies and Mergers 

Commission investigated. It concluded 

that, indeed, the major U.S. distributors, as 

well as such domestic ones as Entertainment, 

First Independent, and Guild and Rank constituted 

a complex monopoly in distribution, but 

said such a formation wasn't hurting anyone. 

Even so, U.K. distributors face a tough market: 

huge media and marketing costs and a screen 

shortage. As a result, a lot of majors let U.S. 

movies go straight to video there. 

France's vertically integrated sector bolsters 

the country's strong loyalty to its own movies. 

It's also the only non-English-speaking country 

that routinely subtitles its foreign films 

rather than dubs them. The annual September 

festival at Deauville generates a lot ofcoverage 

for U.S. films, so most distributors wait till then 

to release their biggest American movies. 

Distribution of Italian films abroad has declined 

hugely in recent years— by 80 percent, 

according to one estimate. Hope for the industry 

as a whole is pinned on the new deputy 

prime minister who oversees film, Walter 

Veltroni. In terms of exhibition, he is expected 

to get an agreement from multiplex operators 

to establish domestic quotas, thus improving 

the chances for domestic films' distribution. In 

smaller ctxintries such as the Netheriands, distributors 

must compete with tcx) many prints 

on too few screeas. As a result, releases arc 

stratified into art-house movies and blockbusters, 

with middle-budget films getting 

squeezed out of the cinemas. 

The 

Admission Positions 

English, German and French are 

Europe's most avid cinema-goers. Britons, 

for example, are expected to buy 

130 million movie tickets in 1997, an increase 

of five percent over the previous year. American 

blockbusters like "Independence Day"are 

credited with juicing up European cinemagoing. 

Some countries have also experienced 

a renaissance with domestic films. Germany, 

for example, experienced a domestic revival 

in 19% with a string of comedies, one of 

which, "Werner Das Muss Kesseln!", was the 

most popular movie of the year after "ID4," 

earning a zergut $3 1 million. According to the 

Media Salles yearbook, a publication of the 

European Union and Italy, such low-budget 

comedies have catapulted the market share of 

domestic product to its current level of 19.5 

percent—almost twice the usual. 

Though summer is America's blockbuster 

season, that's when Europeans traditionally 

stay out of cinemas. (Southem Europe's summer-only 

outdoor theatres are an exception.) 

Some exhibitors and distributors are targeting 

this weak spot by banding together and 

launching media campaigns and discounts designed 

to entice people into cinemas, such as 

the German distributors' 1996 initiative, "Der 

Sommerhit: Kino." The $20 million campaign 

focused on U.S. and German films. 

An effect of a summer vacation from the 

movies is an autumn glut. In '95, there was one 

big opening (250 to 350 screens) in major 

territories every week between August and 

October Distributors rush to circulate their 

accumulated surplus of American blockbusters, 

typically resulting in shorter runs of two to 

three weeks, half the time conventional wisdom 

says is necessary for a film to maximize 

its earning potential. 

U.K. 

Home Movies 

producers do better than any other 

European country, because they share 

a language with the world's most rabid 

filmgoers, the Americans. Even so. that's not 

a lot of flicks: Only one to four films annually 

make back their productions costs. And that's 

only films that manage to get a distributor The 

Arts Council's National Lottery Fund helped 

films reach production, dedicating $4 1 million 

for 35 projects tram September '95 to December 

'96. Up to 150 filins could be launched by 

the council's "studio" franchise initiative, 

which could revolutionize the Briti.sh industry 

with the largest handout ever: $65,4 million for 

each franchise, spread over six years. 

The German success with local c-omedies 

bodes well for its industry, while France has 

long been protective of its films and nurtured 

them accordingly. Other countries are not as 

fortunate. The tradition of govemment-subsidized 

films is ending. Spain and Italy have 

reduced subsidies to a trickle. Italy hopes new 

mini.ster VelUDni makes good on his promise 

to compensate with tax changes that encourage 

private investment in production. Mean-

WISTAR 

SCHKN FRAMES 

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. 

^ 

\. 

Other fine products we manufacture or distribute: 

WestarATAP/k14 

Automatic 

Projectors 

M.T.E. Studio Equipment 

B^^^^^^Ba^^^^Q^^^H 

^M 

Wester 35 & 

35/70 mm Projectors 

Lens, Screen, Lamp and 

Aspect Ratio Calculators 

Westar HDMC 

Projection Lenses 

^=ooo 

^?.= 

Process & Special 

Venue Projection

inj 

fiiwr\tm£*v 

— 

while, Spain found an answer in co-productions 

with the Americans: 'Two Much," starring 

Spanish heartthrob Antonio Banderas and 

American Melanie Griffith, earned $1.3 million 

in its 1995 opening, eventually becoming 

the most successful domestic film of all time. 

Eastern Europe's domestic cinema is one of 

the casualties of emerging capitalism—albeit 

a temporary one. The govemments can't afford 

subsidies, while newborn private production 

companies are struggling to gain a foothold. 

For example, in the Czech Republic, Oscar- 

"Istanbul Under My Wings," with support 

from Eurimages, a Council of Europe funding 

program. The film was one of the most successfiil 

in Turkey in a decade. 

Americans Abroad 

American 

studios and independents have 

spread their reach further over the Continent, 

tapping into local productions as 

well as intensifying their distribution of European 

products. Britain and the United States 

have long held a special distributing relation- 

attracted 61,000 ticket-buyers in its first 

month—nearly twice what all other local cinemas 

combined drew in total. 

Needless to say, the former Soviet bloc is 

ripe for an exhibition invasion. Of all the viable 

Eastern European countries, Russia with its 

vast population and burgeoning, if uneven, 

development of a leisure class, seems the most 

neglected. Only one local company. Golden 

Ring, has announced plans to build a chain of 

multiplexes across the country. Russia's first 

multiplex, the Kodak Kino Mir. opened promisingly 

in Moscow in 1996. 

Finnkino, Finland's exhibition/distribution 

giant, has crossed the Baltic to become No. I 

in Latvia's developing market. Finnkino discovered 

it can raise prices in Latvia's stillstruggling 

economy, and plans to pioneer the 

first muhiplex in the capital, Riga. Lithuania 

and Estonia are also being eyed for development 

by the Scandinavian countries, whose 

languages and customs are similar. 

CZECH-ING UP: Despite the Oscar-winning "Kolya, " the East bloc remains under-financed and in a 

post-Communist slump, with production fall-off running as high as 60 percent in the last 10 years. 

winning "Kolya" aside, production has fallen 

from 40 to 50 features annually to 20. 

Two are Better Than One 

Increasingly, European countries are working 

together, pooling their resources in 

order to compete with Hollywood's products. 

"The Ogre," the 1 996 film by Germany's 

Volker Schlondorff, is but one example: Its 

German, French and British co-producers 

amassed $17.7 miUion, hired an international 

star (American John Malkovich), and made 

the movie in English—clearly with an eye for 

an audience beyond its producing countries. 

The United States is aJso getting into the act. 

In late 

1995, the American Film Marketing 

Association (AFMA) signed an agreement 

with Nederlandse Vereniging van Speelfilmproducenten 

(NVS), the Dutch film producers' 

association, to collaborate on English-language 

movies. It marked the first private-sector 

agreement between European and 

American trade associations. 

One of the most interesting trends in European 

co-production is the partnering of Western 

European countries—typically 

better-funded—with not-so-well-fundcd 

Eastern European countries. Tlirkey is an example: 

In 1994, the government saspended 

subsidies for filmmakers—unfortunate timing, 

since pnxluction had reached an all-time 

low of 1 1 films the previous year. However, 

domestic production has started to improve 

thank-s to European co-pixxiuctions such as the 

1995 Spain/Netherland.

PiCS 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.* 

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 AFTER- 

BURNER threshold limiter and 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! 

The "Producer" is a complete 6 

channel cinema stereo system. 

Even includes speakers! 

•Factory wired wall rack 

•6-channel MOD VI cinema 

stereo processor. 

•MN600 "Soundcheck" booth 

monitor. 

•TA6300 6-channel high 

power amplifier. 

•3 Stage 1-90 screen loudspeaker 

systems. 

•8 SMART Wharfedale 2180 

surround speakers for split surround 

sound. 

•Powerful DS573 18" subwoofer 

system. 

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. Limited time offer! 

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) 900-1 984 

240 volt systems available for export customers. Lease not available outside the U.S. 

ased on 60 montli lease. First and last month payments are paid in advance. A $1 .00 purchase option is offered at the end of the lease, 

'rices do not include freight charges, tax, sound cables, or installation.

106 RnYnmrii: 

— 

— 

INDEPENDENT EXHIBITION SHOWCASE 

THE 'ART ofASHEVILLE 

Entrepreneur John Cram Revives Art Theatre 

in North Carolina's AU-American City 

by Eric Gipson 

been achieved through the vision and sweat of 

those who preceded the city's recent turnaround. 

John arrived in 1 972, newly graduated from 

the University of Wisconsin, and set up shop 

in South Asheville with some mugs, bowls and 

goblets. While his first month's earnings were 

$ 1 6.70, his New Morning Gallery would eventually 

gain regional prestige. Soon after, John set 

his sights on downtown Asheville. "I was always 

impressed by downtown Asheville's infi"astructure, 

with its Art Deco buildings and history," 

he says. "It just didn't have enough people." 

PLAY IT AGAIN, CRAM: John Cram in front of the refurbished Fine Art Theatre on bustling 

Biltmore Avenue. The cinema has helped revitalize the downtown section ofAsheville, N.C. 

Cram's grin—beaming of energy, enterprise 

and a sease of mischievous 

John 

fun 

has been well-known to the residents of 

Asheville, N.C, for 25 years. These days, his 

smile is particularly ebullient when he opens 

the door of the Fine Arts Theatre, the newly 

restored 51 -year-old cinema on Biltmore Avenue, 

the city's main sU«et. 

In the mid '80s, few A.sheville residents would 

have envi.sioned that the Fine Arts Theatre would 

make such an architectural and operational comeback. 

The cinema originally presented mainstream 

films and occasional vaudeville shows 

until 196(), when it began a 15-year stint as 

A.sheville'sadulltheatre until closing in 1985.The 

rcsunectionofthe cinema mimjis the rebirth that 

has taken place throughout the city, located in the 

Blue Ridge Mountaias of North Canslina 

Asheville has always enjoyed a certain degree 

of renown: for its mountain scenery and 

four-season climate; as the inspiration for 

Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward Angel"; 

and as a getaway and retirement destination for 

the wealthy, literary and famous. More recently, 

the city has received a variety of national 

press: as winner of the Ail-American 

City title and as haven for everyone fhsm New 

Age followers to businessmen escaping bigcity 

life. Observing the city's upsurge in population 

and the downtown bustling with 

restaurants, galleries, shops and tourists, a firsttime 

visitor would be hard-pressed to believe 

the locals who often say, 'Ten years ago, one 

did not have to look both ways before crossing 

Biltmore Avenue." It has been an incredible 

traasformation, most residents agree, that has 

In 1989, John opened the Blue Spiral I 

gallery on Biltmore Avenue—now recognized 

as having been a major force in downtown 

Asheville's comeback. Adjacent to Blue Spiral 

I, however, was a space which tapped into a 

love John has held since a child. "Just what 

if...," he thought, looking at the shell of the 

empty Fine Arts Theatre. 

"I've always loved film and studied it at the 

University," he says while munching on popcorn 

in the theatre's upstairs Critic's Lounge. 

"While I couldn't indulge that interest through 

managing the shops and gallery, I guess I 

infused latent theatre tendencies in my woik 

such as the idea ofjust putting on a good 'show' 

and naming Blue Spiral I after the monolith in 

'2001 : A Space Odyssey."" John also saw the 

need for a theatre of the right kind. "Despite 

the fact that this town was growing in .so many 

ways, and was developing a progressive reputation, 

the fact was there were a lot of first-rate 

movies that were missing this town. So this 

enterprise had to be an extension of my art 

relationship to the community." 

When John purcha.sed the building for 

$ 1 00,000 in 1 990, it seemed only the latest, yet 

hopeful chapter in the tinsd history of a building 

which served as a bittersweet memory for 

most residents. On October 24, 1946, the theatre 

opened as The Strand, with more than 

1,000 customers turning out for the films 

"Let's Go Steady!" and "The Town Went 

Wild." In those days, the downstairs 200-seat 

cinema was for "Whites Only," and the black 

population was restricted to the upstairs 80- 

seat section until segregation ended in 1 964. In 

I960, the theatre began showing "nudist" 

films, such as "Nature's Paradise." ("See actual 

film .shots of the Worid Naturist Congress!")

..ko- tOQT 

a 

The theatre closed that year, reopened in 1962 

(in the erotic genre), closed in 

1 %3 due to a 

lack of first-run films, and, once more that year, 

reopened—again as an "adults-only" cinema 

Nudist films evolved into hard-core cinema 

(while the upstairs section shifted to showing 

gay films), and pornography was the theatre's 

hallmark from the late '60s until 1985, when 

tough obscenity laws ended a 30-year run of 

one of the two most common Asheville fibs: 

"TTie car has 20,000 miles" and "I've never 

been to the Fine Arts Theatre." The theatre was 

then rented out for concerts, plays and film 

screenings—and even saw a stint as home to 

the 

Asheville Metropolitan Church—before 

John purchased the building from the Community 

Arts Council. "When I purchased the theatre, 

a lot of the arts community thought, 'Let's 

make this happen right away and open it.'" 

But John wanted to renovate die theatre 

TWO THUMBS UP: Customers enjoy the Fine Art's upstairs Critic's Lounge 

and bar— converted from the former manager's apartment. 

properly and knew patience was a crucial factor. 

In 1990, Biltmore Avenue was home to 

abandoned buildings, but John had an intuitive 

feeling that—and he was not sure precisely 

when—better times would come for downtown 

Asheville. Thus, he took it slow with the 

building's renovation. The theatre was not a 

grand cinematic palace; however, its functional 

character had just enough subtle frills 

and retro appeal to inspire his creative eye. 

Afterabitof P.T Bamum-ing with the bank, 

John secured funds to begin renovations which 

would total $650,000. He brought the building 

up tocode and installed new seats, new carpets, 

new paint and new curtains, all coordinated in 

rich art deco color blends. There were some 

go-arounds—like taking out the wall which 

separated the upstairs balcony theatre to make 

a singular theatre, until learning that having a 

second upstairs theatre would be more profitable. 

And there were some opulent and very 

calculated refinements, one being the conversion 

of the previous management's apartment, 

located behind the upstairs theatre, into a 

"Critic's Lounge" complete with a bar. Operational 

and booking assistance came by way 

of Dick Morris, a Sarasota, Fla. agent whose 

company, Morris Productions, continues to 

book films for the Fine Arts Theatre. "Dick 

taught me much about the rhythm of showing 

a film and building an audience, i.e., if it's 

popular, then you need to hold it over. He's 

probably saved me several hundred thousand 

dollars." On the technical side, Frank 

Worthington, of Raleigh, N.C. -based 

Cinetech, installed new projectors and sound 

equipment. "Frank kind of camped out in 

Asheville and taught us novices the 60 steps, 

or what seems like 60 steps, of running the 

projector," says John. "I learned it, although I 

had not used that part of my head in a long 

time." By 1 996, renovations were almost complete 

and downtown Asheville was thriving. 

Considering these factors, John knew it was 

time. D-Day was set for Friday, the 13th of 

December; H-Hour was 6:30 p.m. "The last 

seats were being installed at 6:05 p.m.," he adds. 

On that cold, rainy and windy evening, a 

long Une of patrons—including families, college 

students and adults of varying ages and 

tastes, from the terminally hip gallery crawlers 

to those who had not set 

foot in the theatre since 

1 959—streamed in to behold 

two classics : the restoration 

marvel of the 

Fine Arts Theatre and, 

onscreen, the beautiful 

ajid 

resplendent blackand-white 

love agony of 

Humphrey Bogart and 

Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca." 

Showing in 

tandem was "Cinema 

Paradisio" (which John 

calls "a wonderful metaphor 

for the theatre's 

re-opening") and 

"Blade Runner." 

the 

"In the lobby after 

show, people kept 

saying, 'Thank you, thank you,'" says John. 

"About all I could manage to do was say 'thank 

you' [back]—and then sit 

down for a good 

drink." Meanwhile, coworkers covertly saw to 

it that the Fine Arts marquee read, "Play it 

again. Cram." Tides have since included such 

films as "Shine," "Johns," "Brassed Off," 

"Pink Flamingos," "Ulee's Gold," classics like 

"Vertigo," and a strong offering of Shakespeare, 

including 'Twelfth Night" and "Hamlet." 

"It's been a quality mix of first-run, 

independent, art and classic films," says John. 

"And now Asheville is getting them about the 

time they play in Charlotte and Raleigh, which 

is a good step for this town." 

Multiplex cinemas in the Asheville suburbs 

pose some competition, John says, but not to 

any bothering point "Sometimes, I lie awake at 

night and think, 'Ooh, if I had "Jurassic Park" I'd 

have full seals all the time,'" he says. "And, 

likewise, the 'plexes want films such as 'The 

Enghsh Patient' and 'Shine,' the latterofwhich 

I was able to get, and it did very well." But John 

never forgets his commitment to his format, or 

its advantages. "The 'plexes here tried to show 

'Secrets and Lies' and no one went. I brought 

it back for a special engagement and it did three 

times as well. Sometimes, the art fihns can get 

lost out there if they're not in the right venue." 

The feedback and satisfaction of his patrons 

have provided the ultimate balance sheet 

INE ARTS THEATRE 

Owner: John Cram 

36 Biltmore Avenue 

Asheville, NC 28801 

(704) 232-1530 

Earliest Movie Memory: 

'The Mummy" (1932) 

Favorite Concession Item: 

"Popcorn—all the way to the 

bank!" 

Favorite BOXOFFICE 

Feature: 

"All Independent Exhibition 

Showcases. It's 

instantly 

therapeutic to read about others 

who have the same dreams and 

challenges." 

Advice to Other Independents: 

"Treat each day as a new 

opportunity to make an upbeat 

difference in people's lives, from 

the films you show to how you 

interact with your customers, 

staff and community." 

"Now," says John, "we have people of all ages 

coming to almost every film because it's their 

clubhouse, where they want to see their friends." 

The Fine Arts Theatre is also a feather in the 

cap for downtown Asheville. As the cinema 

does not have its own parking lot, it creates "a 

ripple in business community," John says, citing 

a nearby restaurant's doubling of receipts 

after the theatre opened. "If you park to go to 

a movie, you want to make it an evening and 

visit other businesses. People are willing to 

make a little bit more of an effort, to walk the 

block or two or three. It's starting to come 

together, to be what a city is supposed to be— 

place where people gather together for a great 

variety of functions and socializing." 

As with his gallery and shops, John plans a 

certain amount of hands-on tenacity until he is 

satisfied of the theatre's independent success. 

He's hired a manager and has a large part-time 

staff which he "pays a bit more than the industry 

norm, but I expect a bit more from them." 

With basic operations intact he now wants to 

explore different promotion techniques, as in 

his faxing area colleges about "Looking for 

Richard" or using Asheville's abundant bedand-breakfasts 

as a conduit. 

John says he also plans to expand the 

theatre's lobby with a dessert bar. And he might 

consider use of the the Fine Arts Theatre stage. 

The restored stage recently got a trial run from 

a group of children who put on a school 

show—a show which went fine until some of 

the kids caused a small and harmless fire by 

putting the curtain over the floor hghts. "I keep 

my hair short for a reason-so I can't pull it 

out," says John, laughing. "I've been having 

fun, but I'm obviously still learning." 

gg

BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE 

presents our 

ShowEast 

1997 

PRODUCTS 

BUYING 

A fully-integrated theatre management 

system in the PC environment is available 

through EIMS, Inc. This is a state-of-the-art 

system operating in Windows NT or 95 in a 

32-bit environment, offering ticketing, concessions, 

employee manager and home office 

modules. Contact EIMS, Inc. at (888) 4- 

SPLYCE or (253) 884-5802. Find EIMS, Inc. 

on the Internet at http;//www. eims-inc.com. 

Response number 301. 

9S(A^€ 

A copy of Ledtronics' "Based LED Engineering 

Design Guide" is now available. The 

16-page publication contains extensive 

cross-references for the LED equivalents of 

common miniature and subminiature incandescent 

lamps. Ledtronics supplies bulbs for 

thousands of different applications in industries 

ranging from aviation and automotive to 

security and interior decorating. New "doping" 

technologies have increased LED light 

output by as much as 20 times over earlier 

generations, and allow the production of daylight-visible 

LEDs in virtually any color of the 

spectrum. For more information, call (310) 

534-1505. 


Available in three configurations, the JBL 

Cinema 5000 Screen Channel System provides 

every size theatre with an advanced 

cinema sound system. The new system is the 

world's f i rst true th ree-way behind-the-sc reen 

cinema sound system that fulfills the promise 

of the era of digital film audio. There are three 

mu] 

Compiled by 

The Editors of 

BOXOFFICE 

'S'l

Cinema 

Products 

International 

Complete line of quality booth supplies 

and equipment including: 

• Sankor SS Lens 

• Aisle/Step Lighting 

Xenon Lamps 

All Booth Supplies 

new Items for 1997: 

• Laser Lens- solid state optical light source 

• Phonic Ear Infared Hearing 

Assistance Systems 

• "Premier" - crowd control systems 

• Premium Cinema Seats 

(Available Early 1 

998) 

Call Today For Our Catalog 

Ron Purtee, President or Wayne Hemmerly, Account Executive 

Cinema 

Products 

International 

1015 5th Avenue North 

Nashville, TN 37219 

615-248-0771 • 800-891-1031 

FAX 6 1 5-248-2725 or 888-89 1 -0554 

Re-introducing: 

"lim Harvey" Ticketing and 

"Hungry Camel" Concessions Sales 

Newly Updated 

More Features A More Options A New Low Price

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

'C. I INTERNET 

1 10 BOXOFTICE Re«pons« No. 238 

' 

Movie theatres are more 

than they used to be.. 

Now they're 

Y\]^ ^' " ^^' 

CENTERS!! 

Redemption Tickets - for your arcade games 

Bar-coded Tickets for the "SMART" 

redemption center. 

ShowEast1997 

New Products Guide 

A new twist on Oreo cookies and churros has been introduced by 

I & J 

Snack Foods Corp. The traditional churro has been enhanced 

with the chocolate cookie and cream f i III ng of Oreo cookies. The Oreo 

Churro represents a co-branding partnership between J & J 

Snack 

Foods Corp. and Nabisco. J & J 

Snack Foods also presents PretzelCookie, 

a snack that looks like a pretzel but tastes like a cookie. 

m ONE 1 1 ONE 1 A ONE A A ONE 4 

r IcoiTos 1 IcoiTON I IcoiTOS 

- 

, I . ICOITOS I 

Stock "ONE COUPON" or Custom-printed Designs 

ULTRA BANDS - The best Tyvek wristbands 

i 

' SUPERSTRONG ADHESIVE 

• WATERPROOF. TEAR-RESISTANT 

• NUMBERED FOR CONTROL 

• STOCK DESIGNS OR CUSTOM PRINTED 

(2 

' DOUBLE-NUMBERED BAND WITH TEAR-OFF STUB- ^ 

GREAT FOR PRIZE DRAWING AND CHILD IDENTIFICATION! "^ 

National 

Call for details: 

PC. BOX 547, SHAMOKIN. PA 17872 

ORDER DEPARTMENT 800-829-0829 

TOLL FREE FAX 800-829-0888 

TICKET CO.® INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT 717-672-2900 

••^m^t^WSlB INTERNATIONAL FAX 717-672-2999 

JiSL 

1 

W9 http://www.nationalticket.coni 


PROJECT 

A CLEAN, SHARP IMAGE 

Available in five flavors (lemon, vanilla, oatmeal, chocolate and 

ginger), the cookies come in easy-to-reseal 1 5 oz. tubs and 1 oz. bags. 

Finally, PB&J Softstix—which combine real fruit and peanut butter 

filling with the taste of soft pretzels—have been added to ) & J's food 

service product line. Write J & J Snack Foods Corp. at 6000 Central 

Highway, Pennsauken, NJ 08109, or call (609) 665-9534. 


Star Manufacturing International announces its new line of four-, 

seven- and 1 

1 -quart capacity round warmers. These warmers have 

high wattage for fast heat-up of foods. They are corrosion resistant, 

easy to clean and have a stainless steel body. For further details, call 

(800) 264-7827. 


Sharp, Dust-Free Projection 

Clear Sound Reproduction 

Reduces Projector 

Maintenance 

Extends Print Life 

2 Year Warranty 

SV-4120 

In North & South America 

1 778 Main Street 

Sarasota, FL 34236 USA 

TEL. 1-941-951-2432 or 

1 -800-624-3204 (U.s. ft cm

^~KBJVIAR 

SYSTEMS INC. 

Analog and Digital Readers 

Automation Systems 

Complete Sound Systems 

Film Handling Equipment 

Gate/Trap and Turret Kits 

Porthole Frames 

Projection Accessories 

KELMAR SYSTEMS INC., 284 BROADWAY 

HUNTINGTON STATION, NEW YORK 11746 

Response No. 1 96

The Phone Call is 

The Price is 

The Service is 

FREE 

RIGHT 

EXCELLENT 

Call for the Best Price on 

Quality Sound 

& Projection Equipment, 

Booth Supplies, 

Xenon Bulbs and more 

800-552-7502 

% 

Response 

Bruce Worrell 

ShowEast 1 997 

New Products Guide 

CardLogix has announced that it has formed a strategic alliance 

with MPO Videotronics to jointly provide Smart Cards, software and 

interactive touchscreen terminals to movie theatres for automatic 

ticketing. MPO Videotronics suppi ies interactive terminals for streamlined 

customer-activated movie ticketing and concessions. The new 

Smart Card-based system lets customers avoid long lines and carry 

No. 188 

Confused? 

less cash. Additionally, Movie Magic software is provided in La:i: 

Logix free of charge for customization of theatre-specific information. 

This customization can include co-branding offers for additional 

products, refreshments and related services. Call (714) 437-0587. 


Lavl's Beltrac public guidance systems offer posts designed with 

4-way slots allowing them to be configured in any way. The slots can 

also be used to integrate Post 'N' Panel sign frames to work as dividers 

capable of displaying your messages. Sign frames can be easily 

Don't be. 

The Mirble Company lus provided the best value in booth 

supplies for more than 35 years. 

Let ut save you lime and money by providing all of your booth needs. 

* MNKOR PnOJECTOn LCNSCa * SPUCINO ANO CUE TAPO 

* CT-3emjccm * tunaLCx^ctL* xenon bulb* 

* EXCrmLMIM * REPLECTOm 

* LENSCLEANIII.PUII4M(«(MLt * AND MUCH, IMUCH MORE 

f OSwIMOJO* 

DDIMARBLE COMPANY 

NCODPOIIAICD 

I, TN 372 1 6 • » I M27777J • 6007J9.590S • fAX 6 1 5-227.700e 

mounted atop any post with their 

iu" .lounting mc i 

to be positioned in 8 different directions for the best viewing angle. 

Beltrac is engineered with minimal parts and the retractable belt is 

completely encased within the post. Beltrac is available in a variety 

of colors and finishes to enhance any decor. Call (800) 257-7800. 


112 BOXOFFICE 

RetponM No. 298

Genuine 

GLassForm ® 

Fiberglass Trash Receptacles 

and Bench Seating. 

SEE YOU AT SHOWEAST BOOTH #210 

1-800-995-8322 or 1-800-842-1121 


1 

N 

TtiEATCE SERVICE 

NETWCCr, INC. 

P.O. BOX 190 

yorkville, illinois 60560 

OfferingThe Best Value In Film BuyingToday! 

Compare Our Prices and ServicesI

THEATRE 

EXHIBITION 

EQUIPMENT 

XENON 

BULBS 

NCS Corporation 

WORLDWIDE CINEMA SUPPLY DEALER 

ir ONE STOP SHOPPING SOURCE * 

ir FACTORY DIRECT PRICING 

CONCESSION 

& 

LOBBY 

PRODUCTS 

CUSTOM 

CONCESSION 

CASEWORK 

BOOTH 

SUPPLIES 

& 

LENSES 

FILM 

PROJECTORS 

& 

PLATTER 

SYSTEMS 

LAMPHOUSES 

& 

CONSOLES 

ir TOLL FREE ORDERING 

îr MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED ir 

\^ 

& 

BOX OFFICE 

FIXTURES 

LOBBY 

ir PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT TEAM 

PÔRLDWIDE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION 

it OUR GUARANTEE - 100% SATISFACTION 

POPCORN 

& 

BEVERAGE 

EQUIPMENT 

HOT DOG 

& 

NACHO 

EQUIPMENT 

SOUND 

SYSTEMS 

& 

COMPONENTS 

Corporation 

Cinema Exhibition Equipment 

800-776-6271 

Concession Equipment 

800-733-7278 

SCREENS 

& 

FRAMES 

AND 

MUCH 

MORE! 

or your nearest NCS Sales Office 

Cincinnati 

Kansas City 

(513) 352-0606 (913) 492-0966 

Los Angeles 

Tampa 

(818) 367-1106 (813) 884-7909 

Ridgefield, CT 

(203) 438-3405 

AND 

MUCH 

MORE! 

l«IJ.-flB«

ShcEast 

The 

Industry's 

Leading 

Producer of Policy 

and Promotional' 

Trailers for 

Exhibition 

Vtillming Reams Animation, Inc. 

SUPERGLO 

!S!SISISISMSIS!3M 

A durable pearlescent, 

smooth surface offers 

maximum reflectivity & 

light distribution. 

Specials 

Special/FX Policy Trailer 

Regularly iWr', NOW 

Lights! Camera! Action! 

Policy Trailer 

RegulorlylS*:^, NOW 

Gift Certificates Trailer 

^ 

fs^*} 

îx^-" 

s^m|«'^ 

\^'J 

^^\ 

aiow- 

Regularly H^T; NOW '^ 

Order Today! 

By Phone 1-800-972-6468 

By Fax 210-342-1523 

By E-mail: WRanim8@aol.com 


HURLEY SCREEN 

17. _.' 

'>vo*" 

BBfaEIBlBlBlBlBrBlBJBIBIBIBlBlBIBIBlBlBlBigiBIBlBIBtBlBJIBl 

SILVERGLO 

A smooth, aluminized surface 

offering the highest 

reflectivity for special applications 

such as 5D. 

Screen Framing • All Types Available 

FAX # (410) 838-8079 

NW-16 

A heavy guage matte 

white surface offering 

excellent light distribution, 

image clarity, and 

color rendition. 

AUTOMATED HIGH SPEED U/L APPROVED TICKETING EQUIPMENT 

Factory Service, the only authorized manufacturer and repair center. 

AUTOMATICKET 

A Division of Cemcorp 

110 Industry Lane - P.O. Box 296 

forest Hill. MD 21050 

HURLEY SCREEN CORP. 

A Subsidiar/ of Cemcorp 

410-838-0036 • 41(^879-3022 • 410-879-6767 • 410-836-9333 

Response Mo, 57 

Ttflf BQu>pm«wt 

mNick Mulone & Son, Inc. 

100 Highland Ave. / Cheswick, PA 15024 

(412) 274-3221 / 274-5994 / 274-4808 (fax) 

trEM 

THEATRE SCREEN FRAMES OF ALL TYPES 

STRAIGHT OR CURVED FRAMES 

SPEAKER PLATFORMS • LACING SPRINGS 

Brute Force Masking Control Motor 

Features: 

• UL, CSA Approved 

• 1/3 Horsepower 

• Low Voltage Control 

• Chain Driven 

• Optional Set-Up Control Box 

i 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

.1 

ShowEast1997 

New Products 

Guide 

Pro-Tapes & Specialties announces new 

DuvePro, a unique pressure tape-backed 

polyester/felt black fabric that has been specifically 

developed to replace the use of 

Duvetyne cloth in theatre and motion picture 

applications. DuvePro Is designed for tasks 

as varied as masking or blacking-out stage 

sets, wrapping lighting trusses, patching curtains, 

and killing lighting hot spots. 

DuvePro's tape-backed construction eliminates 

the need to staple, tack or nail and then 

spray the Duvetyne to cover the hot spots 

created by tacks or staples. (800) 345-0234. 


The Swan Corporation, makers of 

Swanstone reinforced solid surfacing, have 

released an eight-page catalog featu ri ng their 

complete line of vanity tops and bowls. 

Swanstone does not need special care. Stains 

and cigarette burns wipe off with a sponge 

and mild abrasive cleanser. Swanstone vanity 

tops and bowls carry a 25-year warranty 

against cracking. For more details, write The 

Swan Corporation, Dept. #248, One City 

Centre, St. Louis, MO 63101, or call (314) 

231-8148. Internet address: http^www.theswancorp.com. 


The Dine Coins series is the most recent 

addition of Hoffman Mint's line of educational, 

collectible art. This series of 1 dinosaur 

images is available in two styles: 1 1/8" 

shiny brass coins and 1 5/8" antiqued bronze 

medallions. Each die-struck coin depicts a 

scientifically accurate image of the dinosaur 

on the front and facts on the reverse. Available 

for theatre promotional giveaways. Call 

(800)227-5813. 


Lawrence Metal Products Inc. has developed 

and introduced a new sign stand to 

meet the demands of regular outdoor use. 

Model 1325 features an all-aluminum, powder-coated 

steel base and assures dependable 

service in all weather conditions. Two 

frame sizes are offered: 1 4"x22", 28 lbs., and 

22"x28", 31 lbs. Height of tube and base Is 

30", with base measuring 6" 1 square. A wide 

range of standard color finishes are available 

and custom-colors to customer specifications 

can be accommodated at optional cost. Call 

(516) 666-0300 for more information. 


116 BOXOFMCE 

Ratponte No. 85

ShowEast1997 

New Products 

Cinemeccanica U.S., Inc. introduces a new 

console. Model CC7040H-USA. Features include 

lamphouse modules available in two 

configurations: 1600/4000 watts and 

4000/7000 watts. The unit can accommodate 

a variety of automation systems to create the 

system a 

customer 

wants. 

Irem rectifiers 

will 

continue to 

serve as the 

power supply, 

along 

with a new 

Irem igniter 

with a 

nearly instantaneous 

ignition 

pulse. 

Call 

(909) 481- 

5842. 

Response number 316, 

The new Express Ultra LP from Featherlite 

Exhibits gives you the look of laminate on a 

folding panel display. With a wide variety of 

available laminates and fabric colors, your 

display can have a custom appearance at 

portable prices. Call (800) 229-5533. 


Audio Control Industrial presents lasys, a 

fuzzy logic based electro-acoustic analyzer. 

Through statistical analysis of amplitude, frequency 

and time, lasys "learns" its environment 

and arrives at the best possible gain, 

sensitivity, bandwidth and time constraints for 

any test. All test results and formats relate 

directly to real audio devices, such as loudspeakers, 

amplifiers, crossovers, iimiters, delays 

and equalizers, and their actual 

performance parameters. Call (206) 775- 

8461 or fax (206) 778-31 66. 


An automated voice response system is 

being introduced by Unique Telecom Solutions. 

Called Film-By-Phone, this system allows 

people to find movies by feature title, 

category or location; hear descriptions of previews 

of select films; and check show times 

and directions to different theatres. Call (888) 

70-VMAIL or write Unique Telecom Solutions, 

354 Crown St., Brooklyn, N.Y., 11225. 


Tivoli Industries presents Stellaria, an open 

conductor grid system and spotlights suited 

for illuminating large, open, commercial 

spaces. Stellaria's low-voltage ceiling-suspended 

grid system has the effect of aesthetically 

lowering high-ceiling spaces, creating a 

more inviting, contemporary appearance. 

The modular grid system suspends light in 

space, emphasizing distinctive architecture 

with dramatic lighting efficiency. Call (914) 

658-8393 or fax (914) 658-9635. 


•24hr Phone Assistance 

•Intermittents Overhauled 

•Contract Service 

5 CallTVillFreelS 

Available 

• Next Day Parts 

Shipping 

• 1 Year Warranty 

lb 

on all NETS 

Overiiauled Equipment fe 

•Dealer Discounts Available 

•Sound - Dolby Certified 

1-800-388-7547 

•Buy and Sell Used 

Equipment 

•Screens Installed 

• Drapes 

• Maskings 

• Servicing 

Major Circuits 

and Independents 

• Consulting 

• Stereo Systems 

Custom Fabricated 

^'1^ New England Theatre Service, Inc. 

295 Treadwell St. i203i 281-6583 

Concern 

Response Ivlo. 77 

Increase Profits 

With 

Hamden, CT 06514 

Intermission Slide Shows 

(Including Local Merchants Advertising) 

Toll Free: 1-800-446-5330 

POT O'GOLD 

PRODUCTIONS, Inc. __ 

Revenue producing pre-show advertising slides In rKeaiers since 1984 

WE SELL IT... 

PRODUCE IT.. BILL IT.. 

NO RISK... NO INVESTMENT ...NO HEADACHES! 


Theatre Ticketing and Concession! 

Grain/Atlanta's Theatre Ticketing System combines PC Standard equipment with 

nineteen years of experience in Buying, Booking & Film Rental Software Systems ti 

assure PERFORMANCE, PRICE & RELIABILIT^ 

Over 80 Ticketing Systems are installed internationally in Circuit^ 

from 5 to over 400 Screens. 

Easy to Learn and Operate 

u Daily/Weekly Box Office & 

Concessions Reporting 

' Up to 4 Ticlfet Selling 

Stations 

No Mandatory Ongoing 

Ctiarges 

Systems from $9,500 

twptîoMl Service Po tk 

Tkam InksUif since 19TQ 

I 

Continuous Sales Status Display 

I 

I 

Daily Home Office 

Transmissions 

Customization Available 

' Six Months Free Telephone 

Support 

' Rapid Printing of frofessional 

Quality Tickets 

\i

118 (R-156) Boxomo 

••••• OUTSTANDING 

•••• VERY GOOD 

••• GOOD 

•• FAIR 

• POOR 

(no stars) BOMB 

REVIEWS 

November 1997 

VENICE FEST/ 

DAY AND DATE: NOV. 21 

DECEIVER •••1/2 

Starring Tim Roth, Renee 

Zellweger, Chris Penn and Michael 

Rooker. Directed and 

written by Josh and Jonas 

Pate. Produced by Peter 

Glatzer. An MGM release. 

Drama/thriller. Rated R for violence, 

language 

and 

some sexual 

content. Running 

time: 

101 minutes. 

Screened at 

the Venice 

film festival. 

Opens 11/21. 

This darkly 

comic psychological 

thriller 

/ m u r d e r 

mystery stars the 

always compelling 

Tim Roth as 

Wayland, a disturbed 

genius 

accused of killing 

a prostitute 

(Renee Zellweger, 

doing a 

change-of-pace 

role from 'Jerry 

Maguire"). But 

TRD IH AND CONSEQUENCES: Renee Zellweger 

and Tim Roth star in MGM's "Deceiver. " 

he turns the tables on the investigators 

("Mulholland Falls'" Chris Penn and 

Rosewood's" Michael Rooker) by using 

his superior mental abilities to unnerve 

and manipulate them. 

A compulsive liar, temporal lobe epileptic, 

alcoholic, and filthy rich summa 

cum loude Horvord psychology graduate 

with a 1 5 1 -point iQ, Wayland finds 

dark games a gleeful distraction from 

the empty bitterness of his life caused by 

familial disharmony and other deepseated 

emotional 

problems, and 

the cocksure but 

cerebrally inferior 

detectives 

are perfect targets 

for our intelfectually 

formidable 

antihero. 

Although 

some of its plot 

elements are ultimately 

a little 

convoluted and 

confusing, "Deceiver" 

Twhich 

played atVenice 

under the title 

"Liar") is a fascinating 

character 

study, on impressive 

actors' 

showcase, and 

a superior thriller, 

rilmmaking 

brothers Josh 

and Jonas Pate ("The Grave") show 

great promise, confidence and originality, 

particularly exemplified by their 

uniquely wry method of character exposition. 

--C/irisfino Jame§ 

REVIEWS 

Excess Baggage R-172 

Fire Down Below R-171 

The Game R-170 

Hoodlum R-173 

Julian Po R-171 

Kull the Conqueror R-172 

Soul Food R-170 

Steel R-173 

A Thousand Acres R-170 

FEST REVIEWS 

American Perfekt R-164 

Another9 1/2 Weeks R-164 

The Assignment R-162 

The Assistant R-165 

Bad Manners R-166 

Boogie Nights R-159 

A Brooklyn State of Mind R-166 

Call of the Wild R-166 

Capitaine Conan R-164 

The Children of Heaven R-166 

Colin Fitz R-166 

Dogtown R-166 

Eve's Bayou R-162 

Expectations R-167 

Gattaca R-160 

George B R-167 

A Girl Called Rosemarie R-168 

The Glamorous World 

of the Adion Hotel R-168 

Gold in the Streets R-168 

Gummo R-163 

The James Gang R-168 

Levels R-168 

KissorKill R-157 

One Night Stand R-158 

The Opium War R-169 

Pajarico R-169 

PourRire R-169 

Self Storage R-169 

Seven Years in Tibet R-161 

Sick R-160 

Swept From the Sea R-161 

The Tango Lesson R-158 

U-Turn R-163 

The Wings of the Dove R-1 59 

DAY AND DATE: 11/21 

Deceiver R-1 56 

SPECIAL FORMATS 

Super Speedway R-171 

FLASHDACK:1961 

The Absent-Minded Professor ... R-172 

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED 

Coming films already reviewed ... R-1 70 

REVIEW DIGEST 

Our monthly release overview ... R-173

FESTS 

TORONTO 

many late starts 

Too 

and too many 

disgruntled journalists who bad 

trouble seeing all the films they 

needed to see somewhat marred the 22nd 

Toronto International Film Festival. But 

there were more films that curried favour 

with audiences and critics alike than in 

past years, includinq Curtis Hanson's "L.A. 

Confidential" andl Paul Thomas Anderson's 

"Boogie Nights," which together 

shared the critics best-picture nod (followed 

by David Mamet's "The Spanish 

Prisoner and Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet 

Hereafter"). Thorn Fitzgerald's "The Hanging 

Garden" and "The Sweet Hereafter" 

shared the best Candian feature nod, the 

first time that award has been split between 

two contenders; "L.A. Confidential" 

and Lee Tamahori's "The Edge" came in 

third and fourth. Carine Adier's U.K. first 

film "Under The Skin" took the Fipresci 

international critics prize, and Vincenzo 

Natali's thriller "Cube" was named best 

Canadian first feature. 

Other favorites included 

Venice-fest best picture winner 

"Fireworks," "Fudoh: The New Generation," 

"Washington Square" and "Twenty- 

FourSeven."— Shiomo Schv/artzberg, 

Canadian Correspondent 

KISS OR KILL 

iririr 

Starring Frances O 'Conner, Matt Day, 

Chris Haywood and Barry Otto. Directed 

and written by Bill Bennett. Produced by 

Bill Bennett and Jennifer Bennett. An October 

Films release. Drama. Not yet rated. 

Running time: 96 minutes. Opens in November 

(undated). 

There is something extremely Hkable 

about this dark and quirky dramatic thriller, 

which has much to do with the two leads, 

Frances O'Conner and Matt Day (who both 

also starred in "Love and Other Catastrophes"). 

In fact, the problem of the Down 

Under film is that it's just too dam likable 

to be a workable thriller. Filmmaker Bill 

Bennett (who returns to his home country 

after his less-than-successful American effort 

"Two If By Sea") begins the film with 

a powerful opening scene and a Dylan 

Thomas quote, both of which seem more 

substantial than the film that follows. 

Call it "Two If By Outback," but "Kiss or 

Kill" is a tale of two grifters, Nikki 

(O'Conner) and Al (Day), who make their 

living by doping and robbing married businessmen 

that Nikki picks up in bars. But, 

when their latest mark accidentally dies, they 

take to the road with an incriminating sex tape 

of a local sports celebrity. Zipper Doyle 

(Barry Langnshe), that they found in the dead 

man's briefcase. When folks on their trail start 

ending up dead, each begins to suspect the 

other. They find themselves not only on the 

run from tfie two detectives and Doyle, but 

also from their growing suspicions. 

Although the film has something to say 

about how much we really know our lovers 

and about the nature of trust, it simply isn't 

GOLDBERG BROTHERS, INC. 

"Celebrating our lOOfh anniversary" 

Slide Projector Port 

With FuUy Adjustable Shelf 

• Easily removable • 12" x 12" glass frame 

• Adjustable shelf 

• Non-skid surface prevents projector movement 

Adjustable Film Clamps 

Quick and simple • Transfers up to 16,0(X) feet of film 

without breaking it down 

• Sold in sets of three 

Projection and View 

Port Glass Frame Sets 

• 16" X 20" hinged glass frame 

• Opens easily • White water float glass 

with anti-reflection coadng 

Surround Speaker Mounting Brackets 

• Accommodates most popular surround speakers • Shock 

absorbers between the base plate and side pieces 

• Adjustable for a wide range of speaker sizes. 

Film Guidance Rollers 

• For projectors or wallmount 

Ticket Box 

Show Shipper 

ELR System 

• 6,000 ft & 

12,000 ft available 

• Easily changeable schedule sheets 

• Hinged schedule v«ndow w/ access 

to flashlight compartment 

• Lockable stub holding area 

• Separate lockable lost and found area 

• Clipboard holder in door 

Trailer Retrieval 

Reel 

A QUICK & EASY way to 

handle the coming attractions 

that have been pulled out of 

the feature for tear down. 

Office: (303) 321-1099 • Fax: (303) 388-0749 

8000 East 40th Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80207 


/r» 

1 CT\

— 

— 

FESTIVAL REVIEWS 

clear exactly what that is. The loose, documentary 

style is a double-edged sword, allowing 

for a carefree immediacy and yet 

keeping us distant from the emotional core 

of the characters. A layer of real fear is 

lacking from the film, and it's never truly 

believable that either Nikki or Al is a killer. 

Still, the performances are lovely, the odd 

characters engaging and the filmmaking 

quirky. And there is a scene between two 

detectives (Chris Haywood and Andrew S. 

Gilbert) that is worth the price of admission 

all by itself. Susan Lambert 

ONE NIGHT STAND ••^ 

Starring Wesley Snipes, Nastassja 

Kinski, Robert Downey Jr. and Kyle 

MacLachlan. Directed and written by 

Mike Figgis. Produced by Mike Figgis, 

Annie Stewart and Ben Myron. A New 

Line release. Drama. Rated R for strong 

sexuality and language, andfor drug content. 

Running time: 103 min. Opens 11/14. 

TTiere probably isn't another contemporary 

director who can put inchoate moods 

and sexual undercurrents on the screen 

quite like Mike Figgis, as shown in 

"Stormy Monday," "Internal Affairs" and 

"Leaving Las Vegas." Although in "One 

Night Stand" he's working from a simpler 

and less developed story than in his previous 

films, the emotions he gets at are anything 

but simple. 

Max Carlyle (Wesley Snipes) is a commercial 

director who is happily married to 

Mimi ("The Joy Luck Club's" Ming-Na 

Wen) in Los Angeles. One night durmg a 

trip to New York, he meets another woman, 

Karen (Nastassja Kinski), who is also married. 

Their chance encounter leads to just a 

one-night stand, but when Max returns 

home he is no longer the same person. 

When he goes back to New York a year later 

to visit his friend Charlie (Robert Downey 

Jr.) who is being hospitalized with AIDS, 

he finds out that Karen is married to 

Charlie's brother Vernon ("Showgirls'" 

Kyle MacLachlan). 

Despite a miscue at the beginning that has 

him talking to the camera. Snipes (who won 

the best actor prize at the Venice fest for his 

work here) hasn't been this good or this engaging 

since "Rising Sun." And Kinski, 

who's prone to brooding, shows a frisky and 

sensual side that hasn't been evident since 

James Toback's "Exposed." Downey, who 

has the role of the dying artist, also turns a 

cliche into a tour-de-force, delivering what 

Tom Hanks only promised in "Philadelphia." 

"One Night Stand" could be an appropriate 

bookend to Hal Ashby/Robert Towne's 

"Shampoo" (1974). "Shampoo" was about 

how the hopeful and hedonistic '60s came 

to an end, with people pairing off and settling 

for something less from sexual partners 

than they once desired. "One Night 

Stand" is 

about hedonistic people who ve 

lived compromised lives and are now trying 

to find new ways to sexually and emotionally 

connect within the diminished expectations 

of the '90s. Kevin Courrier 

THE TANGO LESSON y^l/2 

Starring Sally Potter, Pablo Veron and 

Heathcote Williams. Directed and written 

by Sally Potter. Produced by Christopher 

Sheppard. A Sony Classics release. 

Drama. French- and Spanish-language; 

English subtitles. Rated PGfor brief language 

and some violent images. Running 

time: 101 min. Opens 11/14 NY. 

In "The Tango Lesson," Sally Potter ("Orlando") 

returns to her roots as a professional 

dancer (which she was before she started 

making short dance films in 1972). Instead 

of celebrating movement or exploring the 

cultural roots of the tango itself, she turns the 

story into a self-serving examination of the 

issue of control in romantic relationships. 

Potter plays a film director working on a 

script that seems to be about fashion models 

brought together by a legless designer who 

involves them in a photo shoot—and then 

the models start getting assassinated by 

snipers. While Hollywood producers are 

trying to decide what to make of this rather 

questionable idea for a movie. Potter takes 

tango lessons from a passionate hunk 

(Pablo Veron) who has just lost his dance 

partner. While they do the tango, they also 

Simcoe 

! 

J

— 

— 

— 


do the dance of love. The idea Potter seems 

to be putting across is that, in the tango, the 

female follows, whereas Potter's instincts 

as a director means that she should lead. By 

the end, she leads all right; she even starts 

to sing, which should just about get audiences 

hoofing right out of the theatre. 

As in "Orlando," Potter combines the 

instincts of a theoretical feminist with a 

Harlequin romantic, which means that as a 

dramatist she's both abstract and sentimental. 

Put another way, in "The Tango Lesson" 

and "Orlando" she wants audiences to 

be swooning with her petulant heroines and 

their sexual fantasies while at the same time 

learning important political lessons about 

gender and control. "The Tango Lesson" 

certainly looks better than "Orlando," with 

Robby Muller's black-and-white cinematography 

giving the film at the very least a 

graphic vitality. Kevin Courtier 

THE WINGS OF THE DOVE ^^1/2 

Starring Helena Bonham Carter, Linus 

Roache, Alison Elliott and Charlotte 

Rampling. Directed by Iain Softley. Written 

by Hossein Amini. Produced by Stephen 

Evans and David Parfitt. A Miramax 

release. Drama. Rated R for sexuality. 

Running time: 108 min. Opens 11/7 wide. 

This is a handsome adaptation of Henry 

James's 1902 novel, which (like "The Bostonians," 

"Daisy Miller" and "The Portrait 

of a Lady") deals with the emergence of the 

modem woman in a world bound by tradition, 

corruption and hypocrisy. But what the 

movie lacks is the excitement and friction 

of the new clashing with the old. Iain 

Softley ("Backbeat," "Hackers") doesn't 

generate his usual impudent energy. 

In "The Wings of a Dove," Kate Croy 

(Helena Bonham Carter) finds a place in 

high society thanks to her Aunt Maud 

(Charlotte Rampling), who also keeps her 

desperately poor father alive providing she 

abides by her wishes to marry respectably. 

But Kate is in love with a young and penniless 

journalist, Merton Densher ("Priest's" 

Linus Roache). When Milly Theale ("The 

Spitfire Grill's" Alison Elliott), an attractive 

and wealthy young American heiress 

who also happens to be dying—arrives in 

England, Kate launches a plot that she 

hopes will allow her to marry Merton without 

having to defy her aunt. 

Part of what's wrong with "The Wings of 

a Dove" is Bonham Carter, who has played 

this kind of role too often. Her Kate comes 

across as too fractious rather than someone 

torn by her ambitions. Roache, however, is 

quite convincing as a man whose deeper 

emotional yearnings get the better of him. 

And Elliott is able to bring out Milly's 

dignified search for happiness and friendship 

without it seeming mawkish. As for 

Softley, a director who tries to pay reverence 

to a classic novel often can't make the 

material his own. "The Wings of a Dove" is 

not a terrible adaptation (like Jane 

Campion's "The Portrait of a Lady"), it's 

just not an exciting one. Kevin Courrier 

BOOGIE NIGHTS ^•V^ 

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne 

Moore arid Burt Reynolds. Directed and 

written by Paul Thomas Anderson. Produced 

by Lloyd Levin, John Lyons, Paul 

Thomas Anderson, Joanne Sellar and 

Daniel Lupi. A New Line release. Comedy/drama. 

Rated Rfor strong sex scenes 

with explicit dialogue, nudity, drug use, 

language and violence. Run time: 150 min. 

Opens 11/7 wide after mid-Oct. ltd bow. 

A lengthy look at the world of pornographic 

filmmakers, circa the late '70s and 

'80s, "Boogie Nights" is a well-crafted, 

well-acted entertainment but one that 

doesn't dig too deep into its subject. Seen 

mostly through the eyes of Eddie Adams 

("Traveller's" Mark Wahlberg), a naive, 

aimless California youth who lucks into a 

new career as a pom star, "Boogie Nights" 

covers a trajectory that could be called The 

Rise and Fall of a Pom Star. At the outset, 

Eddie, who's renamed himself Dirk 

Diggler, is riding high, embraced by a 

happy, oblivious family of outsiders, including 

amiable Jack Homer (Burt Reynolds), 

a director with delusions of grandeur, 

his sweet wife, actress Amber Waves ("The 

(800) 726-2609 

Ifi^ 

Equ.pmeni 

AiMKtotJon 

17S4 

INSTALLATION 

AUDIO RACKING 

THX RECERTIFICATIONS 

TECHNICAL CONSULTING 

24 HOUR ANSWERING SERVICE 

VIDEO PROJECTION 

INTERMITTENT REPAIR 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS 

INCLUDING 

EQUIPMENT 

PROJECTION SERVICE* 

SOUND SERVICE* 

PARTS 

BOOTH SUPPLIES 

*Annual Contracts or Demand Service 

XENON BULBS 

SOUND SYSTEMS 

CONCESSION EQUIPMENT 

LOBBY FIXTURES 

FRONT ENDS 

LENSES 

USED EQUIPMENT 

P.O. Box 10799 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70181 

GOOD SIGHT, GOOD SOUND 

THE KEY TO GREAT CONCESSIONS 

Response No. 169

a murder threatens 

standing at Gattaca. The whot)'} 

iv.tfjw n, 

— 

— 

^^j^jjj' 

WYflNDOI 

Theater Style 

Tortilla Chips 

Choose from White, Yellow, Bi 

A- ' or Regular Tortilla Chips. 

V^:!^' Made with 100% Premium S 

/^^ Ground White or Yellow Co; 

/. 

n-- 

fc-^!^^/ 

ijt!^^' 

L^^5/i 

' 

Wyandot is the Manufactuifer 

Customized Programs.\ (^^ 

Reel in your Movie Goer's with 

Wyandot Nacho Tortiiia Chips. 


"YOU PROVIDE THE POPCORN, 

WE PROVIDE THE CLEAN... 

365 DAYS PER YEAR!" 

• Imagine A Clean Environment 

• Reliabue Detailed Service 

• On Site Supervision 

• Always Consistent 

Maa N€ith« Inc. 

Ttieater Cleaning 

Specialists! 

ize 

VISIT OUR Web Page at: 

htrp://members.aolcom/maonorth/home.html 

Or, e-mail us at: MaoNorth@aoucom 

RMpontaNo. 236 

Serving... 

New York City, 

borouohs 

a ALL OF LONG ISLANOl 

1 -800-773-5852 

1 -6 1 6-732-4577 FAX 

FEST REVIEWS 

Lost World: Jurassic Park's" 

Julianne Moore); Buck ("Devil 

in a Blue Dress'" Don Cheadle), 

an actor who really wants 

to operate a stereo store; 

Rollergirl ("Swingers'" 

Heather Graham), who takes 

off everything but her skates; 

and Little Biir("Fargo's" William 

H. Macy), a behind-thescenes 

organizer who' s always 

catching his wife in compromising 

positions. 

Their shenanigans are 

bracketed by the awful but 

catchy disco music and horrendous 

fashions of the time, and 

"Boogie Nights" doesn't delve 

much deeper than that. It too 

neatly divides the "innocent" 

'70s from the "bad" '80s, with 

everything falling apart for the 

film's mamly superficial characters. 

AIDS is not mentioned 

and, although video is referred 

to as "the wave of the future," 

its impetus in bringing porn out 

of disreputable theatres into 

the average American's home, 

and making it more popular 

than ever, is flagrantly ignored. 

Paul Thomas Anderson 

("Hard 8") is a very talented 

filmmaker, effectively going 

in a blink of the eye from comedy 

to Tarantino-inspired violence, 

but he doesn t have a 

brain in his head. "Boogie 

Nights" could have been a filmic 

version of Terry Southern's 

brilliant satirical pom 

novel "Candy," but the film, if 

enjoyable, says nothing about 

America. Like most pom, it's 

as superficial as they come. 

Shlomo Schwartzberg 

SiCK •• 

Starring Bob Flanagan and 

Sheree Rose. Directed and 

produced by Kirby Dick. A 

Documentary. 

CFP release. 

Unrated. Running time: 89 

min. Opens 11/8 NY/LA. 

This documentary—subtitled 

"The Life and Death of 

Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist"—directed 

by Kirby Dick 

concerns an underground masochistic 

performance artist 

who died of cystic fibrosis. 

"Sick" is the shockingly 

graphic story of the fast life and 

slow death of Bob Flanagan, a 

hero of sorts to those in the 

sexual underground who find 

an evening ofpiercing, poking 

and prodding more interesting 

than, well, an evening in front 

of the tube with the dog. Rising 

to notoriety on the success of 

several explicit short films he 

completed with his wife and 

dominant master, Sheree m 

Rose, in the late 1980s, Plana- 1 

gan succumbed to congenital 

CF, which he incorporated, 

quite ironically, into performances 

until his 1996 death. 

This is a film that in no uncertain 

terms is for mature audiences 

only. It contains 

language and depicts sexual 

acts that most will find appalling 

and intolerable, and this 

fact overshadows any enticing 

human element the film tries to 

extend. Nevertheless, a select 

group will surely find it challengmg 

and, dare we say it, 

informative. Jon Alon Walz 

GATTACA ^^ 

Starring Ethan Hawke, 

Uma Thurman and Jude 

Law. Directed and written by 

Andrew Niccol. Produced by 

Danny DeVito, Michael 

Shamberg and Stacey Sher. A 

Columbia release. SF. Rated 

PG-13for brief violent images, 

language and some sexuality. 

Running time: 112 min. 

Set in the 21st century, 

"Gattaca" tackles the high scifi 

concept of genetic manipulation 

in a future in which m 

potential for disease, defects || 

and aptitudes can be fully determined 

right at birth. Those 

deemed inferior—the invalids—are 

tossed on the lower 

mng of society, while the perfect 

specimens have the run of 

their world, their every dream 

and wish fulfilled. So what 

happens when one Vincent 

Freeman ("Before Sunrise's" 

Ethan Hawke), a sickly youth 

whose life span is limited, decides 

he wants to ascend the 

highest peaks and join a momentous 

manned mission to 

Titan? He switches identities 

with a paraplegic super-athlete 

("Midnight in the Garden of 

Good and Evil's" Jude Law) 

and goes to work at Gattaca 

Corp., where his dream seems 

about to come true. 

Begging the Question of 

why this medically superior 

future society can't heal a broken 

back, "Gattaca" betrays its 

lack of imagination at virtually 

every turn. It's one of those 

annoying SF movies that 

doesn't look futuristic and that 

doesn't really deal with its 

main idea, which is the meaning 

ofhumanitv and how it can 

^ 

be determinedf. Instead, wri- 

^ 

ter/director Andrew Niccol 

takes a side trip into mystery as 

Vincent's

i 

for 

I 

' 

I 

! tor 

— 

— 

November, 1997 (R-161) 123 

FEST REVIEWS 

dunit aspect is old hat and it 

takes up too muchi time before 

trickling to a flat resolution. 

In the lead, Hawke turns in a 

humorless performance, as 

does Uma Thurman as a fellow 

employee who discovers his 

secret. Even appearances by 

Gore Vidal as Gattaca's head 

and Alan Arkin as a sardonic 

detective investigating the 

murder don't add much to the 

proceedings. Niccol does have 

an eye for beauty and "Gattaca" 

is certainly well designed. 

But the movie, like 

Michael Nyman's excessively 

sentimental score, is underwhelming. 

It's SF on the 

surface but it doesn't stimulate 

the way the best science fiction 

does. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

SWEPT FROM THE SEA • 

Starring Vincent Perez, Rachel 

Weisz, Ian McKellen and 

Kathy Bates. Directed by 

Beeban Kidron. Written by 

Tim Willocks. Produced by 

Polly Tapson, Charles Steel 

and Beeban Kidron. A TriStar 

release. Drama. Rated PG-13 

elements of theme and 

some sensuality. Running 

time: 114 min. 

You can sweep this one right 

back where it came from. It's 

an embarrassingly florid romantic 

melodrama from direc- 

Beeban Kidron ("To Wong 

Foo, Thanks for Everything, 

Julie Newmar"). Based on a 

Joseph Conrad short story 

("Amy Foster"), it dredges up 

just about every cliche imaginable. 

Stormy seas, lovers 

perched on horizon's edge, repressed 

townfolk perched on 

the edge of madness, and fits of 

screaming passion: All are 

served on a platter of John 

Barry's crashing music, which 

makes one think the theatre's 

being bombed. 

Amy Foster ("Chain 

Reaction's" Rachel Weisz) is a 

simple girl who's considered 

an outsider in her small town 

of Colebrook. One day she 

falls in love with Yanko ("The 

Crow: City of Angels'" Vincent 

Perez), a Ukrainian survivor 

of a shipwreck. Initially 

he's thought by the town to be 

mad and dangerous, until he's 

befriended by Dr. Kennedy 

("Richard Ill's" Ian Mc- 

Kellen), who recognizes 

Yanko' s intelligence and starts 

to teach him English. When 

Yanko and Amy get married, 

the townsfolk become up.set 

and drive the couple to tragedy. 

This is basically the same 

kind of purple masochism that 

had some critics and audience 

members applauding "Breaking 

the Waves" last year. The 

difference is that this is a much 

more old-fashioned romantic 

weeper. Kevin Courrier 

SEVEN YEARS IN 

TIBET •*1/2 

Starring Brad Pitt and 

David Thewlis. Directed by 

Jean-Jacques Annaud. Written 

by Becky Johnston. Produced 

by Jean-Jacques 

Annaud, John H. Williams 

and lain Smith. A TriStar release. 

Drama. Rated PG-13 

for some violent sequences. 


Perhaps it's unfair to burden 

a simple movie with world concerns, 

but as an art form the 

cinema does deal with human 

concerns. Despite an intriguing 

story (adapting Austrian 

mountaineer Heinrich Harrer's 

book), a challenging mix of the 

ugly and the dashing in a lead 

performance by Brad Pitt, and 

a series of provocative locales, 

this Mandalay production fails 

to create an acceptable story of 

a man and his values even on 

the film's own terms. 

"I'm Austrian, I'm a climber, 

I have nothing to do with your 

silly war," Harrer (Pitt) tells a 

British officer as he is arrested in 

1939 during a Himalayan ascent. 

Although a voluntary 

member of the Nazi party since 

1 933 (a fact not made clear in the 

film) and an SS athletic trainer 

(ditto), Harrer wants to conquer 

peaks, not peoples. Portrayed as 

a relentlessly cruel man, Harrer 

has already made a disaster of 

his marriage, which has borne 

him a son he has yet to see. 

Escaping from internment, 

Harrer and fellow climber Peter 

Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis) 

head into Tibet where, although 

the movie also muffs this point, 

Harrer apparently has a change 

of heart after befriending the 

young Dalai Lama (Jamyang 

Wangchuk) and, witness to the 

Chinese invasion, seeing how 

evil is transgression. The movie 

ends in 1951 Austria with father 

and son and a Tibetan flag atop a 

mountain. The air virtually rings 

with a supfxjsed purity of heart. 

Although Harrer would 

have been present for Kristalnacht 

and the early concentration 

camp builds, he was 

virtually in another world 

when World War II and the 

I 

The Products You Need, 

Riglit When You Need Them 

your 

Nationwide Distribution 

to Theatre Concessions 

Many distributors don't understand 

the theatre industry. At 

Multifoods & VSA, we know that 

concession 

business is constantly 

changing. 

We accurately handle variability 

and seasonality. You'll get the 

products you need, right when you 

need them. 

Call today to discover 

what a difference the right 

distributor can make. 

(800) 880-9900 

Mike Bates ext 6369 

AVOID 

CONSTRUCTION 

PROBLEMS! 

II 

CALL A PROFESSIONAL" 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

25 + years theatre construction 

experience 

Design/Buiid 

Complete turnltey 

Financing available 

We will meet your deadlines 

Circuits, Independents, newcomers 

Licensed througliout the U.S. 

Stadium seating retrofits 

Pre-engineered steel buildings 

Free estimates/site visit 

• 

NEW CONSTRUCTION, ADDITIONS, 

RENOVATIONS, CONVERSIONS 

: I I 

^«a^ LARGO COnSTRUCTIOM inC. 

A' 

Kjrjm 555 STREET ROAD, BEIiSALEM, PA 19020 

-Ô^ 215-245-0300 • FAX 215-658-7933 

Response No. 1 62 

A

— 

— 


likes of Auschwitz were in full swing. Bui that 

world of his is also resolutely immoral; There 

is no mention made of an apology to his 

ruthlessly mistreated wife, and his eventual 

union with his son occurs not because the boy 

needs him, but because Harrer decides he 

needs his son. The work of director Jean- 

Jacques Annaud ("The Lover") is undone by 

an unfulfilling script by Becky Johnston 

("Prince of Tides"); m her telling, not even a 

wealth of time spent with one of the holiest 

humans on earth could remake Harrer into the 

good man "Seven Years in Tibet" wants us to 

believe him to be. Kim Williamson 

THE ASSIGNMENT ^^1/2 

Starring Aidaii Quinn, Donald Sutherland 

and Ben Kingsley. Directed by Christian 

Duguay. Written by Dan Gordon and 

Sabi H. Shabtai. Produced by Tom Berry 

and Franco Battista. A Triumph release. 

Drama. Rated Rfor strong violence, sexuality 

and language. Running time: 115 min. 

The turbulent life story of the notorious 

Venezuelan terrorist known as Carlos has 

been freely adapted to the screen in an 

occasionally intelligent but more often 

inept manner. Not only does the film inflate 

Carlos's "accomplishments," it resorts to the 

worst cliches and overacting in doing so. 

The film begins excitedfy enough, with 

Carlos throwing a grenade into the midst of 

a crowded Parisian cafe. A moment earlier. 

he had begged a light and revealed himself 

to a CIA operative (Donald Sutherland) 

who goes by the name of Jack Shaw. Shaw 

swears revenge and finds his chance when 

the Israeli Mossad, led by Amos (Ben 

Kingsley), picks up a man they think is 

Carlos. He's actually a U.S. Navy man 

named Annibal Ramirez (Aidan Quinn), 

which is Carlos's last name, and he's a dead 

ringer for the terrorist. Amos and Shaw 

decide that they will use the fake Carlos to 

get the real one killed. 

"The Assignment" does avoid political 

correctness by not equating the two sides or 

giving any justification for Carlos' murderous 

acts. Nor does it condemn the Western 

powers or Israel forgoing after Carlos in the 

first place. Eliminatmg him is simply a necessity. 

But if "The Assignment" shows 

some sophistication in its portrayal of the 

two sides, it's still burdened by some overblown 

dialogue and Sutherland's teethgnashing 

turn as the obsessive Shaw. 

Helmer Christian Duguay ("Screamers") is 

also not a suspense director; except for one 

Libyan chase scene, he fails to juice the film. 

But Quinn is a standout as Annibal, 

who's in over his head and against his will. 

But the subplot of his assumed identity 

turning him into a brutal replica of Carlos 

is dealt with too late in the film to have 

much impact. Despite core smarts, "The 

Assignment" makes the grade only as melodramatic 

pap. 

Lawrence posts and 

ropes win the award 

for best director. 

m ifi|kl*|ii 

Shlomo SchwartzJberg 

EVE'S BAYOU ••• 

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn 

Whitfield, Debbi Morgan and Diahann 

Carroll. Directed and written by Kasi 

Lemmons. Produced by Caldecott Chubb 

and Samuel L. Jackson. A Trimark release. 

Drama. Rated R for sexuality and 

language. Running time: 108 min. Opens 

11/7 wide after 10/24 NY/LA bow. 

"Eve's Bayou" is a very promising writing/directorial 

debut for Kasi Lemmons, till 

now an actress ("Fear of a Black Hat"). Eve 

(Jurnee Smollett) is 10 years old and lives 

in a prosperous Black Creole family in Louisiana 

in the early '60s. Eve's father, Louis 

("Pulp Fiction's" Samuel L. Jackson), is a 

popular and successful doctor. Eve begins 

to discover what is going on beneath the 

seemingly happy surface of her family life. 

She accidentally sees her charming father 

being unfaithful to her beautiful mother ("A 

Thin Line Between Love and Hate's" Lynn 

Whitfield). Her Aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), 

whose three husbands have each died 

unexpectedly, predicts the future. As Eve 

discovers more family secrets, she believes 

that to save her family she must make a pact 

with a voodoo woman (Diahann Carroll). 

The ensemble, from Smollett and the 

young actors playing Eve's brother and sis- 

Same unbeatable optics 

the Xenex II 

35.5" of std. rack space 

Large access doors and 

panels 

as 

When if comes to maintaining an orderly, positive environment 

for patrons, no onetielps you do it better — 

or with more style — than Lawrence. 

Our attractive and durable posts are available wiffi a 

variety of ropes, rods, chains and tapes providing an 

endless choice of stytes, finishes, color combinations 

and capabilities What's more, they're easy to set-up, 

adjust or move and can be stored in limited space. No 

wonder Lawrence wins the award for best director 

every year For a detailed catalog, contact your local 

dealer or Lawrence Metal Products. 

[M/RB

— 

— 


ter to the veteran Carroll, is very impressive. 

The actors bring out the subtle and 

complicated relationships. Jackson (who 

also produced) is charismatic as the father 

Eve comes to believe is a source of family 

problems; Whitfield and Morgan are very 

affecting as Eve's unhappy mother and 

aunt. Vondie Curtis Hall (the director' s husband, 

who helmed "Gridlock'd") plays 

Aunt Mozelle's latest lover, who is not 

afraid of the curse that Mozelle believes has 

tragically ended her three marriages. 

"Memory is a selection of images," Eve 

says. This also describes Lemmons' assured 

direction, which accumulates the 

daily details of growing in vibrant Louisiana 

as filtered through a child's perception. 

Lemmons skillfully shows the old superstitions 

that are mixed in with the family's 

modem lifestyle. 

EdScheid 

GUMMO ^^ 

Starring Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, 

Chloe Sevigny and Linda Manz. Directed 

and written by Harmony Korine. Produced 

by Cary Woods. A Fine Line release. 

Drama. Rated Rforpervasive depiction of 

anti-social behavior ofjuveniles, including 

violence, substance abuse, sexuality 

and language. Running time: 89 min. 

Opens 10/17 NY/LA/Tor. 

"Gummo" is the first directorial effort of 

23-year-old Harmony Korine, who wrote 

the screenplay for the controversial "Kids." 

This film, also written by Korine, is set in 

Xenia, Ohio, a small town that was devastated 

by a tornado a few years before and 

still reeks of poverty and emptiness. The 

residents live \n rundown houses with tattered 

furniture and high piles of unwashed 

clothes; cockroaches abound. 

Korine has shot "Gummo" in the 

straightforward style of a documentary. 

Grainy footage is intercut throughout, frequently 

giving the film a home-movie look. 

To maintain realism, Korine uses many 

nonprofessionals; he cast Nick Sutton in the 

leading part of Tummler after seeing him on 

a "Sally Jesse Raphael Show" about former 

troubled teenagers. "Gummo" contains 

many disturbing and realistic scenes of lives 

without values or guidance, and the young 

characters' obscenities add to the unsettling 

mood. But there's more unsettlement: To 

relieve their boredom, two teenage friends, 

Tummler and Solomon (Jacob Reynolds), 

kill stray cats to sell to a Chinese restaurant, 

and they use the money to get high from 

sniffing glue; a man pimps for a retarded 

girl; after a father loses an arm-wrestling 

match to his son, he demolishes the furniture 

in a room. 

The most bizarre scenes are of a silent 

boy with a sad face and wearing pink bunny 

ears who travels through the town. Chloe 

Sevigny (another "Kids" vet) designed the 

costumes for "Gummo" and plays a whitehaired 

girl searching for her missing cat. 

One of the few adult actors in the cast is 

Linda Manz ("Days of Heaven") as 

Solomon's mother, who unexpectedly tapdances 

in tribute to her dead husband. 

Korine' s screenplay for "Kids" used a suspense 

element to hold the film together. In 

contrast, the various stories in "Gummo" 

remain disconnected, making the film rambling 

and unfocused. The film also loses 

interest because Korine never penetrates his 

characters' troubled surfaces. 

EdScheid 

U-TURN icirir 

Starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, 

Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe and Billy Bob 

Thornton. Directed by Oliver Stone. Written 

by John Ridley. Produced by Dan Halsted 

and Clayton Townsend. A TriStar 

release. Drama. Rated R for strong violence, 

sexuality and language. Running 

time: 123 min. Opens 10/3 wide. 

In his latest film, Oliver Stone takes a 

"U-Tum" from his controversial histories 

of "Nixon" and "JFK" to the suspense of 

film noir. As vultures fly overhead, Bobby 

(Sean Penn) is driving through the Arizona 

desert to pay off a gambling debt in Las 

Vegas when his car breaks down and he is 

forced to stop in a rundown desert town. 

He's agitated because the gangsters to 

whom he owes the money have already 

disfigured his hand and are threatening 

ELECTRIC BACKPACK BLO-CLEANER 

This lightweight, twin motor, 3.4 horsepower electric 

backpack blower produces a concentrated blast of 

pressurized air from a unique jet-compression system, 

capable of moving even heavy objects. Constructed of 

durable, high impact ABS, it features low noise yield 

and comes with a full one year warranty. See your 

theatre supply dealer or call us at (800) 676-BLOW 

Manufactured by ill MANUTECH 

P.O. Box 51295 • Pacific Grove, CA 93950 

(408) 655-8794 

http://www.manutech.com 


'" 

nrcr/r/c sjf cjrfji cjr i^ji ci/i/»e 

This lightweight, 2 stage motor, 2.3 horsepower electric 

backpack vacuum produces a high volume, high lift 

suction, capable of inhaling even large debris. Constructed 

of high impact polymers, it comes with 2 'A" 

hose and accessories, reuseable 2 'A gallon cloth bag 

and quick release latches for easy emptying. See your 

theatre supply dealer or call us at (800)676-2569. 

Manufactured by ilt MANUTECH '" 

P.O. Box 51295 • Pacific Grove, CA 93950 

(408) 655-8794 

http://www.manutech.com 


November. 1997 (R-163) 125

— 

— 


more violence if they are not paid on time. 

In the seemingly quiet town, Bobby unexpectedly 

loses his money and becomes enmeshed 

in manipulation, murder and 

violence as his departing is delayed. 

The entire cast gives vivid performances, 

especially Billy Bob Thornton ("Sling 

Blade") as a seedy and devious mechanic 

who threatens not to repair Bobby's car 

without suitable payment. Penn effectively 

conveys Bobby's increasing 

desperation, 

while Jennifer Lopez ("Selena") does fine 

work as Grace, a sultry femme fatale with a 

much older, wealthy husband (Nick Nolte). 

Both husband and wife offer to pay Bobby 

to kill the other. Even as he becomes attracted 

to Grace, Bobby is so anxious to get 

out of town that he might be forced to 

consider taking up one of the offers to pay 

for his damaged car. Bobby is regularly 

beaten up by a young bully ("Inventing the 

Abbotts'" Joaquin Phoenix) whose flirtatious 

girlfriend ("William Shakespeare's 

Romeo & Juliet's" Claire Danes) sees 

Bobby as her way to get out of town. Powers 

Boothe ("Sudden Death") portrays a sheriff 

unable to keep his town in control. 

Even small parts are colorful, including 

Jon Voight as a blind Indian and Julie 

Hagerty as a "waitress named Flo." 

The 

script is based on screenwriter John 

Ridley's book "Stray Dogs," but what propels 

the familiar plot (reminiscent of "Red 

Rock West") is Stone's trademark intensity. 

As in previous efforts like "Natural Bom 

Killers," Stone combines different types of 

film stock, often giving "U-Tum" a gritty 

look with heightened colors and blazing 

sunlight; the look of the film and the expressionistic 

camera angles reflect the raw passions 

of the characters. "U-Turn" is 

fast-paced throughout, with unexpected 

bursts of twisted humor among the bloody 

closeups of beatings, shootings and mutilation.— 

Ed Scheid 

CAPITAINE CONAN •••• 

Starring Philippe Torreton, Samuel Le 

Bihan and Bernard Le Coq. Directed by 

Bertrand Tavernier. Written by Bertratid 

Tavemier and Jean Cosmos. Produced by 

Alain SardeandFredric Bourboulon. A Kino 

release. Drama. French-language; English 

subtitles. Unrated Running time: 130 min. 

French director Bertrand Tavemier's latest 

film, "Capilaine Conan," an epic tour-deforce 

set in the Balkans at the close of the 

First World War, hits with such intelligence, 

dramatic skill and brute cinematic force that 

it 

literally leaves moviegoers stunned as the 

lights come back up. An adaptation of Roger 

Vercel's.semi-autobiographical 1939 novel, 

this is one of the most cngmssing, morally 

complex and psychologically insightful war 

films in recent memory—reducing Hollywood 

claptrap like "G.I. Jane" to the level of 

a Three Stooges short. 

The gra.sp of Tavemier, who won the 

1996 best director Cesar, is masterful, 

plunging the viewer deep into the chilling 

ambiguities and By/antinc complexities of 

a secret war that continued long after Armistice 

Day. The movie deftly shuttles among 

126 (R-164) BoxoFncE 

the bureaucratic farce, military courtsmanship, 

violent thrill of the front, and cutting 

politics of the officers mess. The battle 

scenes are as visceral as those in "Glory" 

but work in a completely different, handheld 

way that bows to the neo-realist European 

cinema of the '40s. 

Philippe Torreton (winner of the 1996 

Cesar for best actor) stars as Conan, the 

leaderof a band of guerrillas who ruthlessly 

fight behind enemy lines and who are useful 

to the high command only to a point. Samuel 

Le Bihan gives an understated performance 

as Lt. Norbert, an educated teacher 

who makes for an unlikely recipient of 

Conan 's respect but who can go only so far 

in agreeing with his friend's methods. Although 

much of the theme and incident has 

been portrayed in countless war films, 

"Capitaine Conan" avoids cinematic and 

sentimental cliche. It is a finely wrought 

film—as hard, precise and heartbreaking as 

its title character. Alex Albanese 

The 

market was quiet, and not too 

many films in competition excited 

the crowds. Yet the 2 1st Montreal 

World Film Festival still had its share of 

standouts, including best-picture winner 

Majid Majidi's "The Children of Heaven," 

an Iranian entrant that was quickly 

snapped up by Miramax for North American 

distribution. In addition to receivinq 

the Grand Prix of the Americas, "The Children 

of Heaven" also won the Air Canada 

People's Choice Award for most popular 

film, a rare confluence of public and jury 

opinion. And, if that wasn't enough, 'The 

Children of Heaven" also garnered a special 

mention from the Fipresci jury. 

Other big winners were John Duigan's 

"Lawn Dogs, " a U.K. effort that brought 

a best actor award for Sam Rockwell; 

Bill Bennett's Australian drama "Kiss or 

Kill, " which saw Frances O'Conner pick 

up best actress and also garnered a best 

artistic contribution award (shared with 

Juraj Jakubisko's Czech film "An Ambiguous 

Report About the End of the 

World. " Carlos Saura's "Pajarico" from 

Spain and Juni Ichikawa's Japanese film 

"Tokyo Lullaby" shared the best director 

nod —Shiomo Sch^fartzberg, Canadian 

Correspondent 

AMERICAN PERFEKT •••1/2 

Starring Fairuza Balk, Robert Forsler, 

Amanda Plummer, Paul Sorvino, David 

Thewlis, Geoffrey l^wis, Chris Sarandon 

and Joanna Gleason. Directed and written 

by Paul Chart. Produced by Irvin Kershner. 

A New Image production; no stateside 

distributor set. Thriller. Rated R for grisly 

violence, strong sexuality/nudity and language. 

Running lime: 100 min. 

The wedded team of filmmaker Paul 

Chart and actress Amanda Plummer 

("Drunks") does not allow "American Perfekt" 

to languish in the hippcr-than-hip 

modern film-noir genre that has seized Hollywood 

by the throat in recent years. Cleverly 

conceived, the project benefits from the 

Bntish writer/director's unerring instinct 

for nimble plot twists and dialogue, as well 

as from his wife's singular acting skills. 

Set in a remorseless California desert 

landscape, the film unfolds with what are at 

first baffling snippets of action. The jittery, 

frazzled Sandra (Plummer) might or might 

not have been run off the road by Santini 

("Seven Years in Tibet's" David Thewlis), 

a slimy charlatan with a suitcase full of 

double-faced Kennedy half-dollars. Her 

savior in this dilemma is a handsome criminal 

psychiatrist named Jake (Robert Forster) 

with a penchant for flipping a coin to 

make all his decisions. "Worrying's my 

specialty," Sandra tells him. "That's what I 

do." Turns out there is more to worry about 

than she ever imagined, of course, as violence 

tightens its grip on events that hurtle 

toward surprising conclusions. These bizarre 

losers meet up in several locations en 

route to Pear Blossom, a misnomer for the 

barren-looking place where Sandra is to 

meet her sister Alice ("The Craft' s" Fairuza 

Balk) for a joint trip home to Utah. 

More than anything else, "American Perfekt" 

is reminiscent of John Dahl's "Red 

Rock West," a droll 1993 picture populated 

with similar denizens of a nightmarish hinterland. 

A documentarian from London, 

Chart gives his first fiction feature even 

higher stakes. The one really glaring problem 

in all this tightly wrapped suspense is 

Forster's performance, which is too creepy 

to fool seasoned moviegoers able to spot a 

psycho long before the spilling of blood. 

Yet, although Jake should be far more seductive 

and sympathetic, such mistakes do 

not significantly diminish the punch of this 

smart little thriller. Susan Green 

ANOTHER 9 1/2 WEEKS 1/2 

Starring Mickey Rourke, Angle Everhart 

and Steven Berkoff. Directed by Anne 

Goursaud. Written by Michael Davis. Produced 

by Staffan Ahrenberg and Yannick 

Bernard. A Cinevisions production; no 

stateside distributor set. Drama. Not yet 

rated. Running time: 101 min. 

Did someone advise Angie Everhart 

("Bordello of Blood") that making a movie 

with Mickey Rourke might spyeed her transition 

from supermodel to starlet? Time for 

a new agent, perhaps. Adrian Lyne's slick 

1986 spectacle of erotic obsession took 

place, as the title implied, over a period of 

9 1/2 weeks. This idiotic sequel might cover 

only a few days but plays like 9 1/2 years. 

There is less sadomasochism onscreen 

than in the act of actually sitting through the 

film, directed by Anne Goursaud ("Lilly") 

with little concern for making sense with 

logic or dialogue. Whereas its predecessor 

was set in Manhattan, "Another 9 1/2 

Weeks" has moved to Paris—surely a good 

idea, in that the French apparently perceive 

Rourke as some kind of god. God dwells in 

shadow during much ofthe action: When 

Rourke steps into the lijght, his face has odd 

bulges like one of sci-fi's shape-shifting

— 

FESTS 

creatures. The soft-core bondage is so dull 

that viewers can afford to spend a good deal 

of time pondering, "What's with this guy?" 

The half-baked plot sends John (Rourke 

as the wealthy Wall Street broker) abroad, 

trying to find Elizabeth (played by Kim 

Basinger 1 1 years ago) at an art auction. 

Instead, he meets and mates with her friend 

Lea (Everhart), a fashion designer with an 

appetite for kinky sex. The only stumbling 

block to their mutual fulfillment is John's 

decision to swear off cruelty, despite the 

fact that the opening scene has him using a 

straight razor to caress the breast of a prostitute. 

So much for New Year's resolutions. 

The decadence that "Another 9 1/2 Weeks" 

strives to achieve is best captured at a party, 

where the grim guests, all same-sex pairings, 

watch a naked woman tortured with 

hot candle wax. Susan Green 

THE ASSISTANT itiri^m 

Starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Joan 

Plowright, Gil Bellows and Kate Greenhouse. 

Directed and written by Daniel Petrie. 

Produced by Paul Brown, Jon Slan 

and Daniel Petrie. A HandMade/Paragon/Miracle 

production; no stateside distributor 

set. 

Drama. Not yet rated. 


In the process of moving from novel to 

screen, "The Assistant" has lost some complexity 

by gaining the rosy glow of mass 

appeal. The 1957 Bernard Malamud novel 

about a young drifter' s spiritual transformation 

exposed the darker side of Frank Alpine: 

writer/director Daniel Petrie's 

version, set in Depression-era New York 

but shot in Toronto with attention to period 

detail, swaps edginess for earnestness. 

From start to finish, the movie's Frank 

("The Shawshank Redemption's" Gil Bellows) 

remains an essentially nice Italian 

boy led astray by Ward Minogue (Jaimz 

Woolvet), a stock ne'er-do-well with violent 

anti-Semitic inclinations. Consequently, 

there's a less than compeUing arc 

of change when Frank tries to make amends 

to an elderly Jewish couple (Armin 

Mueller-Stahl and Joan Plowright, in a third 

onscreen teaming after "Avalon" and "A 

Pyromaniac's Love Story") he'd victimized. 

Although Petrie ("Resurrection," 

"Rocket Gibraltar") has had a three-decade 

flirtation with the idea of adapting 

Malamud' s work, he fails to sharpen the 

moral dilemmas that are so provocative in 

the book. But he demonstrates a kinship 

with the late author's thesis about the purpose 

of Judaism: to be a "mensch"—a person 

of integrity and honor. Mueller-Stahl 

creates this attribute with graceful aplomb 

for his character, the decent proprietor of a 

grocery store who has lost his own son. 

Plowright gives an even more nuanced performance 

as his wife, a guarded woman 

fiercely protective of their daughter Helen 

(Kate Greenhouse). Helen's romance with 

Frank hasn't established much chemistry 

by the time it hits plot-driven obstacles, 

many of them stemming from his falsehoods. 

The abbreviated story also insists we 

take it on faith that, in seeking forgiveness. 

READY THEATRE SYSTEMS 

SOFTWARE FOR TICKETING, CONCESSIONS & 

COMPLETE INVENTORY CONTROL 

complete line of . . . 

800 676-9303 616 463-8458 


Concession, Snacl< Bar and Janitorial Supplies 

plus Projection and theatre equipment also parts 

For The Best In Service. . 

.Give Us a Call 

CINEMA SUPPLY' COMPANY, INC. 

P.O. BOX 148, MILLERSBURG, PA. 17061 

TELEPHONE: (717) 692-4744 1-800-437-5505 


Pinkston Sales £ Service 

50+ lêM*S C-XpAlHAHCi 

Century and Simplex Projectors 

Century and Simplex Sound Heads 

& Intermittent Movements 

(903)523-4912 

Rt. 1 Box 72H, Sadler, TX 76264 


INSURING CLIENTS NATIONWIDE 

m: 

MAROEVICH, O'SHEA & COGHLAN 

San Francisco, CA 

(415) 957-0600 

TOLL FREE (800) 951-0600 

License No. 0589960 

SUPPLIERS • PRODUCERS 

www.maroevich.com 

Response No. 70

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 


Frank finds transcendence by embracing 

religion. Nonetheless, the essence of 

Malamud's vision seems blessed by a mitzvah 

giving "The Assistant" emotional power 

beyond its parts' sum. Susan Green 

BAD MANNERS •• 

Starring Saul Rubinek, David 

Strathairn and Bonnie Bedelia. Directed 

by Jonathan Kaufer. Written by David Gilman. 

Produced by J. Todd Harris. No 

stateside distributor set. Drama. Not yet 


Do we really need another spin on 

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' Obviously, 

scripter David Oilman (who here 

adapts his play, "Ohost in the Machine") 

and helmer Jonathan Kaufer think so. But 

"Bad Manners" is plain bad, with portentous 

dialogue and paper-thin characterizations. 

Bonnie Bedelia ("Needful Things") and 

David Strathairn ("Mother Night") play 

Nancy and Wes, an academic, conservative 

couple who host Nancy's old boyfriend. 

Matt (Saul Rubinek), a musicologist who 

has come to Boston to lecture at Harvard. 

Along for the ride is Kim (Caroleen 

Feeney), Matt's sexy girlfriend, who immediately 

stirs the sexual pot, with the predictable 

fireworks following. 

Although the women manage to imbue 

their characters with some depth, Rubinek 

and Strathairn aren't so lucky. The former 

is a mere sap and the latter a stereotypical 

stuffed shirt, and both are constrained by 

Oilman's hopelessly contrived script and 

Kaufer' s overemphatic direction. It's been 

15 years since Kaufer' s directorial debut, 

the charming romantic comedy "Soup for 

One," which also starred Rubinek. "Bad 

Manners" suggests he waited too long for a 

followup. 


A BROOKLYN STATE OF MIND • 

Starring Danny Aiello, Vincent Spano, 

Tony Danza, Abe Vigoda and Maria 

Grazia Cucinotta. Directed by Frank 

Rainone. Written by Frank Rainone and 

Frederick StroppeL Produced by Peter R. 

Simpson. A Norstar production: no stateside 

distributor set. Drama. Rated R for 

strong language and some violence. Running 

time: 90 min. 

With yet another Danny Aiello mobster 

role in tow. "A Brooklyn State of Mind" 

lumbers along, imitating every Italian thug 

movie ever made. Like Robert De Niro's "A 

Bronx Tale," this neichborhcxxl saga sets its 

sight.s on one New York City borough. Cowritcr/dircctor 

Frank Rainone studied 

under Lina Wcrtmuller and worked for 

Fcderico Fcllini before makinc his 1994 

first feature. "Mc and the Mob." But the 

only European sensibility he recreates 

comes care of Maria Ora/.ia Cucinotta, reprising 

her voluptuous poses from "II 

Posiino" as an unconvincing d(Kumcnlarv 

filmmaker with a hidden accnda and revealing 

costumes. Cast members don't seem 

embarrassed by the numbing material about 

a reluctant enforcer (Vincent Spano) for a 

local crime syndicate who m(X)nlighl» as a 

jazz drummer. Abe Vigoda, playing his 

uncle, has a few interesting moments; Tony 

Danza' s bartender does nothing memorable; 

and Aiello simply makes people offers 

they cannot refuse. Susan Green 

CALL OF THE WILD iriricir 

Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss. Starring 

Rutger Hauer, Bronwen Booth and 

Charles Powell. Directed by Peter Svatek. 

Written by Graham Ludlow. Produced by 

Pieter Kroonenburg and Julie Allan. A 

Greenlight production; no stateside distributor 

set. Adventure. Notyet rated. Running 

time: 90 min. 

More a bout of terrific storytelling on 

screen than a conventional movie, "Call of 

the Wild" respects the literary brilliance of 

Jack London. Adapted by Graham Ludlow 

from the novelist's 1903 book, the Peter 

Svatek film chronicles the life of Buck, a 

handsome St. Bernard played by pooches 

named Vasko, Oessa and Oustave. Richard 

Dreyfuss" intermittent narration gives the 

engrossing fable a canine-like POV. 

Abducted and transported to the Yukon 

during the Klondike Gold Rush, Buck endures 

much misery pulling sleds through 

the snow until rescued by John Thornton 

(Rutger Hauer, in his best performance 

since "Blade Runner"). The frozen-north 

vistas are stunning thanks to director of 

photography Sylvain Brault. Alan Reeves 

has composed the rare score that enhances 

rather than overwhelms the action. Also 

rare, if not entirely unique, is a disclaimer 

that comes before of)enmg credits to point 

out that no animals were harmed. Buck' s no 

Disney dog. 

Susan Green 

THE CHILDREN OF 

HEAVEN iririrVZ 

Starring Mohammad Amir Naii, Mir 

Farrokh Hashemian and Bahare Seddiqi. 

Directed and written by Majid Majidi. Produced 

by Seyed Sared Seyedzadeh. A 

Miramax release. Drama. Farsi-language; 

English subtitles. Not yet rated. 


Yet another fine film from Iran, "The 

Children of Heaven" deals with that 

country's favorite subject: children and 

their difficult, sometimes perilous path 

through an indifferent adult world. When a 

young man loses his sister's only—and recently 

mended — pair of shoes, the siblings 

have to share the boy's footwear, because 

they're scared to tell their father about the 

loss and can't afford to buy a replacement 

pair for the girl. Their plan soon becomes 

untenable, so it's up to the boy to find a way 

to get his sister a new pair oi shoes. 

From that unlikely premise, writer/director 

Majid Majidi fashions a fascinating film 

about the lower rungs of scKiety. where 

what you wear on your feet says much about 

your status. And never has owning a pair of 

shoes seemed so important. As the camera 

lingers on each individual's shoes, Majidi 

sneaks in potent criticism of an Iranian society 

populated with beggars, angry storekeepers 

and teachers who favor some 

students over others. It's a provocative portrait 

of modem Iran but one that doesn' t lose 

sight of its main characters: the youngsters 

who are more moral than the elders but are 

never unbearably or unbelievably nice. 

"The Children of Heaven" bears some 

similarities to Jafar Panahi's "The White 

Balloon," which dealt with an Iranian girl's 

attempts to retrieve money she lost with 

which she was to purchase some goldfish 

for the holidays. Majidi may be a more 

stolid director than the imaginative Panahi, 

but his script probes deeper, obliquely attacking 

the capitalist basis of Islamic Iran. 

Boasting Iranian cinema' s traditional virtues 

of superb acting and smart writing, 

"The Children of Heaven" is evidence that 

what seems to be a thin skein, children on 

quests, is still capable of resulting in rich 

moviemaking. The well has not yet come 


up dry. 

••** 

COLIN FITZ 

Starring William H. Macy, Matt 

McGrath, Andy Fowle, Martha Plimpton, 

Julianne Phillips, Mary McCormack and 

John C. McGinley. Directed by Robert 

Bella. Written by Tom Morrissey. Produced 

by Robert Bella and Thomas J. 

Morgan. A Baby Shark production: no 

stateside distributor set. Comedy. Not yet 


Robert Bella's assured first feature caps 

more than a decade of stage work with the 

Atlantic Theater Company. The New York 

troupe was founded by David Mamet and 

William H. Macy ("Fargo"), who shows up 

in "Colin Fitz" as the nincompoop boss of 

a private security firm that assigns two employees 

to guard a rock star's grave on the 

anniversary of his death. 

They might as well be waiting for Godot. 

The boisterous Grady (Andy Fowle) and the 

sensitive Paul (Matt McGrath, an Atlantic 

regular) are a delightful odd couple arguing 

about the notion that Neil Young's "Keep 

on Rockin' in the Free Worid" precipitated 

the fall of communism. They also encounter 

a steady stream of eccentrics, including a 

fan (Martha Plimpton), the dead idol's 

widow (Julianne Phillips), and a drunken 

cemetery groundskeeper (John C. 

McGinley) who adds a magic realism to this 

wonderfully ironic tale. 

Susan Green 

DOGTOWN •• 

Starring Trevor St. John, Mary Stuart 

Masterson andJon Favreau. Directed and 

written by George Hickenlooper. Produced 

by Donald Zuckerman, Michael 

Beugg and Bradford L Schlei. No stateside 

distributor set. Drama. Not yet rated. 


A 'Last Picture Show" wannabe, "Dogtown" 

brings little that is new to its saga of 

a young man returning to his small hometown 

and unearthing emotional ghosts from 

his youth. Philip Van Horn (Trevor St. 

John) tried to make it as an actor in Hollywood 

but succeeded only as an extra. To the 

residents of Cuba, Missouri, however, he's 

a star who's been on the same set as Jeff

— 

— 

s 

FESTS 

Bridges. On the basis of that perception, the 

troubled Van Horn is confident enough to 

set his sights on the popular girl ("Heaven's 

Prisoners'" Mary Stuart Masterson) he 

never got in high school, an action that 

brings him up against her white-trash boyfriend 

("Swingers'" Jon Favreau). Badly 

acted for the most part—St. John is inexpressive 

to a fault, and Favreau overdoes the 

redneck bit—and flatly directed by George 

Hickenlooper ("The Low Life"), the film 

leaves little impression. Like Masterson' 

alcoholic character, it's mired in memories 

of the past, when the movies were better 

than "Dogtown." Shlomo Schwartzberg 

EXPECTATIONS irit 

Starring Lena Endre, Hans Klinga and 

Gunnel Lindblom. Directed by Daniel 

Bergman. Written by Reidar Jonnson. 

Produced by Waldemar Gerendahl and 

Kerstin Bonnier. No stateside distributor 

set. Drama. Swedish-language; English 

subtitles. Notyet rated. Run time: 100 min. 

Daniel Bergman's foUowup to his acclaimed 

"Sunday's Children," which won 

best first feature at the 1 992 Montreal fest, 

is a banal series of vignettes of the lives of 

a diverse group of Swedes. The film, based 

on the short stories of scripter Reidar Jonnson, 

begins promisingly enough with footage 

of an American news reporter 

generalizing about the nature of Swedish 

women and feminism. But those expecting 

the film to either put the lie to or bolster the 

reporter's musings will be disappointed. 

Nothing that follows in the film has anything 

to do with that subject. 

Instead, Bergman desultorily juggles his 

cast of characters, including a bickering 

couple whose daughter is caught in the middle 

of their marital strife, a married man and 

the divorced woman with whom he begins 

an affair, and a young man reluctantly returning 

to his hometown for a visit with his 

parents. But the connections among them 

are tenuous at best, and their plights are 

dull. At best, "Expectations" is nicely shot 

and acted. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

GEORGE B. • 

Starring David Morse, Nina Siemaszko, 

Grace Zabriskie and Brad Gregg. Directed 

and written by Eric Lea. Produced by 

Wade W. Danielson and Gloria Pryor. A 

Tango West production; no stateside distributor 

set. Comedy/drama. Not yet rated. 


Audiences are likely to ask an important 

question after spending time with "George 

B.": What's the point? Self-consciously 

quirky when not downright annoying, Eric 

Lea's debut feature falters badly in following 

the fortunes of a dim-witted rube ("The 

Crossing Guard's" David Morse) undermined 

by the manipulative young woman 

("The Saint of Fort Washington's" Nina 

Siemaszko) he loves. Neither a low-budget 

"Forrest Gump" nor a contemporary "Of 

Mice and Men," the film has a narrative that 

doesn't bother with suggesting motivations 

for any of its characters. 

ROBERT L. POTTS ENTERPRISES 

I^^P^^ 

Over 25 Years 

^^^^^ 

Simple and Proven 

He Film Handling Equipment 

Platter Systems 

Self-Programming and 

Film-Feed Fail-Safe Available 

201 E. Sangamon, Ste. 110 

Rantoul, IL 61866 

217-893-0443 


PRESENTING THE FANTASTIC 4 

XR171 

ANTI-STATIC 

non-yellowing 

pearlescent surface 

Rte. 1, Box 1343 

Golden, MO 65658 

4I7-27M335

—— 

— s 

— 

— 

— 


Interest quickly wanes while watching 

the incomprehensible activities of the 

film's many oddball loners living in a particularly 

ugly California town. Lea, whose 

credits include editing on TV's "Seinfeld" 

and "Ink," also wrote this clunker. Much of 

the casting is atrocious. John Franklin goes 

higher than over the top as George's nervous 

pal, and Siemaszko never moves beyond 

a flirtatious smile. Grace Zabriskie, 

playing her mother, is wildly neurotic for 

the sake of neuroses. Susan Green 

A GIRL CALLED 

ROSEMARIE iriririf 

Starring Nina Hoss, Heiner Lauterbach, 

Matthieu Carriere and Til Schweifer. 

Directed by Bernd Eichinger. Written 

y Bernd Eichinger and Uwe Wilhelm. 

Produced by Bernd Eichinger and Uschi 

Reich. A Constantin production; no stateside 

distributor set. Drama. Not yet rated. 


Imagine Marilyn Monroe, Michael Rooker 

and Kevin Spacey together in a film 

reminiscent of both Mike Newell's "Dance 

With a Stranger" and Rainer Werner 

Fassbinder's "Lola." Similarly about a 

postwar-era prostitute with dark passions 

and foolhardy ambitions, "A Girl Called 

Rosemarie" features three primary cast 

members (Nina Hoss, Til Schweiger and 

Heiner Lauterbach) who often resemble, 

respectively, those American stars. 

First-time director Bernd Eichinger 

producer and distributor of the likes of 

Smilla's Sense of Snow," "Das Boot," 

"The Neverending Story" and "In the Name 

of the Rose" — presents a taut fictional account 

of a genuine unsolved crime from the 

1950s. In doing so, it employs Alex 

Bemer's precise editing and crisp, occasionally 

Expressionist images shot by cinematographer 

Gemot Roll to observe the 

exploits of a young woman (Hoss, a blonde 

bombshell with a bit of an overbite) who 

tries to sleep her way into Frankfurt's upper 

echelons. Obsession clouds Rosemarie's 

horizon when, having survived her willful 

teenage years spent in and out of reformatories, 

she leaves the perpetually impoverished 

Tony (Schweiger) for a wealthy 

Businessman (Lauterbach) engaged to 

someone of his own social status. After 

agreeing to participate in a blackmail 

scheme devised by a mysterious Frenchman 

(the sinuous Matthieu Carriere, a dead 

ringer for David CIcnnon of TV's "thirtysomething" 

fame), her downward spiral 

is hastened as the proceedings escalate into 

the realm of film noir. 

Rosemarie's stubborn self-centeredness, 

sometimes conveyed with ferocious 

intensity by Hoss, never fades, but it does 

make room for just a hint of vulnerability. 

As much a commcntar;^ on the bourgeois 

hypocrisy of Germany's industrial miracle 

as it is a romantic tragedy. Eichinger' 

maiden voyage at the helm traverses familiar 

territory with a fresh outlook. "A 

Girl Called Rosemarie" is bleakness in a 

da/zling facade. Susan Green 

THE GLAMOROUS WORLD 

OF THE ADLON HOTEL ••• 

Starring Felix Adlon and Eva Mattes. 

Directed and written by Percy Adlon. Produced 

by Eleonore Adlon. A Pelemele/ 

Leora production; no stateside distributor 

set. Documentary/docudrama. Not yet 


"Bagdad Cafe" became a cult favorite in 

1987 but, three years later, writer/director 

Percy Adlon fashioned the horrendous 

"Salmonberries." In "The Glamorous 

World of the Adlon Hotel," he salvages his 

reputation with a curious unearthing of family 

secrets. Adlon, who has made more than 

50 documentaries, uses historical records, 

archival photographs, cunning reenactments 

and talking heads to recall a state-ofthe-art 

Berlin establishment that once 

attracted the rich and famous. 

The hotel magnate's cross-dressing playboy 

son, Louis Adlon (Felix Adlon, an offspring 

of Percy), leaves his posh Hollywood 

exile when William Randolph 

Hearst sends him to postwar Germany as a 

correspondent. Shocked into temporary sobriety, 

the young man files nostalgic stories 

for the San Francisco Examiner. 

Although he has an ingenious method 

of investigating his roots, the elder Adlon 

marginalizes several key developments. 

Key among them is the unexplained death 

of Louis, who resumes his decadent lifestyle 

after he has a brief fling with meaningful 

work. Susan Green 

GOLD IN THE STREETS •••I/a 

Starring Ian Hart, Jared Harris and 

Jim Belushi. Directed by Elizabeth Gill. 

Written by Janet Pearson and Noel 

Pearson. Produced by Noel Pearson. A 

Ferndale production; no stateside distributor 

set. Drama. Not yet rated. Running 

time: 96 min. 

Many fans of Ian Hart ("Land and 

Freedom," "Backbeat") 

would gladly 

pay big bucks to watch him read the 

phone book. The acclaimed British actor, 

who regularly outshines the Brad Pitts 

and Tom Cruises of the world, once again 

radiates from the screen in a film about 

homesick Irish immigrants in New York 

City. "Gold in the Streets" puts Hart 

alongside some fine fellow thespians, especially 

Jared Harris ("Hurricane 

Streets"), in a cast that includes James 

Belushi as a pub owner. 

Hart, as the depressed Des, shares a flat 

with his industrious cousin Owen (Harris), 

the America-loving Paddy (Tom 

Hickey) and a naive newcomer named 

Liam (Karl Geary). Three colleens across 

the hall have also joined this community 

of sorrowful Emerald Isle emigres caught 

between cultures. With her first theatrical 

feature. Dublin-born Elizabeth Gill, once 

an apprentice to Martin Scorsese and assistant 

to Todd Haynes, makes an engaging 

directorial debut, although it's grace 

notes that outnumber missteps, one of 

which is the movie's tendency to drag 

from time to time.— Susan Green 

THE JAMES GANG •• 

Starring John Hannalt, Helen McCrory 

and Toni Collette. Directed by Mike Barker. 

Written by Stuart Hepburn. Produced by Andrew 

Eaton. No stateside distributor set. 

Comedy/drama. Rated R for language and 

brief sexuality. Running time: 98 min. 

Part of the rejuvenated slate of Hand- 

Made Films, "The James Gang" resembles 

Handmade' s quirky movies only on the surface. 

Actually, this film about a family of 

petty criminals whose capers become a 

British cause celebre is a soft concoction, 

redeemed only by the strong performances 

of newcomer McCrory as the highly competent 

James Gang matriarch, Bernadette, 

and of Jason Flemyng ("Alive and Kicking") 

as Spendlove Junior, a boy who narrates 

his family's adventures. 

Director Mike Barker, who's making his 

feature film debut, is tonally confused. The 

whimsy of Bill Forsyth coexists uneasily 

with the grit of Ken Loach. Not surprisingly, 

"The James Gang" never jells, preferring 

instead to loosely zigzag from one 

mood to another. The film's cleverest conceit, 

that it's the women who run the show, 

including a determined female cop 

("Cosi's" Toni Collette) who's after the 

gang, isn't utilized with any wit or imagination. 

And the copout happy ending is 

shameful. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

LEVELS ••• 

Starring Catherine Belkhodja. Directed 

and written by Chris Marker. Produced by 

Anatole Dauman. No stateside distributor 

set. Drama. French-language; English 

subtitles. Running time: 90 min. 

A Japanese woman, Laura, who lives in 

France, talks to the camera—and her dead 

lover—about her life, the World War II battle 

of Okinawa, and the nature of war and its 

cuirent representation on the Internet. 

Typically wide ranging as are all Chris 

Marker films ("Le Joli Mai," "Sans 

Soleil"), "Level 5" works on numerous levels. 

It's fiction, of course, because Laura is 

played by an actress. But it's also fact, as it 

analyzes cultural relations and racist 

attitudes between the Americans and Japanese 

during the war, including dramatic truelife 

testimony of atrocities committed by 

both sides. Laura also uses the 'Net to access 

video games based on the Okinawa 

battle, which shows how real events can be 

trivialized. But some of Laura's observations 

are trivial, too. Is Marker replicating 

triviality or actually being trivial him.self? 

"Level 5" poses conundrums like that 

throughout and, sometimes, that results in 

tedium; the Okinawa segues become increasingly 

tiresome. But the film is often 

hauntingfy poetic, never more so than 

when Laura tells the story of a man she 

contacted on the Internet who said he was 

going to commit suicide the next daj^ and 

of her desperate attempts to find out if his 

tale and intent were true. Marker's depiction 

of the computer as both a connecting 

and alienating device is layered and brilliant. 

Shlomo Schwartzberg

— 

— 

— 

— 

s 

FEST REVIEWS 

: Box Office '97 

', 

Ticketing & More... 

|) THE OPIUM WAR irir 

Starring Shao Xin, Bao Gu'an, Williams 

Semon, Gao Yuan, Etna Graphis 

and Su Min. Directed by Xie Jin. Written 

by Zhu Sujin, Ni Zhen, Zong Fuxian and 

Mai Tianshu. Produced by Wu Baowen. 

An Opium War Film and TV Co. production; 

no stateside distributor set. Drama. 

Chinese-language; English subtitles. Not 

yet rated. Running time: 153 min. 

Too much celluloid and dreadful performances 

betray "The Opium War," a tedious 

epic about British history in mid- 19th century 

China that looks sumptuous, courtesy 

of cinematographer Hou Jong. When 74- 

year-old director Xie Jin's action-packed 

melodrama was screened before the return 

of Hong Kong to the People's Republic, it 

became the cinematic centerpiece of that 

festive reversal of fortune. Yet, apart from 

an exhausting length, the film's greatest sin 

is casting, particularly English-speaking roles. 

Williams Semon offers archvillainy in 

his portrayal of a devious opium importer. 

Ema Graphis, as his daughter, will probably 

be best remembered for shrieking "Daddy !" 

upon seeing her papa in bed with a courtesan. 

The most illuminating issue—how the 

Brits forced opium on the Chinese—brings 

to mind contemporary allegations about the 

U.S. government's drug-pushing for financial 

and political gain. All sorts of other plot 

points go nowhere. Slowly. Susan Green 

POURRIRE •^••^ 

Starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Ornella 

Muti, Antoine Chappey and Tonie Marshall. 

Directed and written by Lucas 

Belvaux. Produced by Paulo Branco. A 

Gemini production; no distributor set. 

Comedy. French-language; English subtitles. 

Not yet rated. Running time: 100 min. 

Although the title ("Just for a Laugh") 

suggests lighthearted fun, this snappy Parisian 

love triangle written and directed by 

Lucas Belvaux is tres, tres bittersweet. That 

becomes evident upon seeing the wonderfully 

hangdog face of Jean-Pierre Leaud, 

star of several Francois Truffaut pictures 

beginning with a childhood debut in "The 

400 Blows" in 1959 and at least four by 

Jean-Luc Godard. It's a face—occasionally 

lined with age, incredibly boyish at other 

times and always reflecting melancholy eloquence—that 

almost eclipses the other talented 

actors on the screen. 

Leaud is cast as Nicolas, who becomes 

something of a stalker after discovering that 

his fetching wife, Alice (Ornella Muti), is 

having an affair with a handsome sports 

journalist named Gaspard (Antoine Chappey). 

Another couple with romantic woes, 

Juliette and Michel (Tonie Marshall and 

Bernard Fau), serve as comic counterpoint, 

their problems further complicating the 

tense situation that Nicolas hopes to resolve. 

Alice, an attorney, is seen in court 

defending a man who has killed his adulterous 

spouse and her boyfriend. The entire 

City of Light appears to swirl around the 

movie's many broken-hearted souls. 

"Pour Rire" is the second film made by 

Belvaux, previously a comic actor in work 

by Claude Chabrol and Jacques Rivette, 

among others. He finds just the right tone 

of sophisticated French je ne sais quois for 

this intricate web of prosperous professionals 

leading double lives, and every technical 

credit is sublime. With originality, Belvaux 

explores what commitment means in a 

world in which such things can be impossible 

to attain. He knows how to draw maximum 

laughter and tears from the human 

condition. Best of all, his black comedy 

presents a golden chance to watch Leaud' 

hilariously deadpan puss experience so 

much pleasure and pain. Susan Green 

PAJARICO •• 

Starring Alejandro Martinez, Paco 

Rabal and Juan Luis Galiardo. Directed 

and written by Carlos Saura. Produced by 

Javier Castro. No stateside distributor set. 

Drama. Spanish-language; English subtitles. 

Notyet rated. Running time: 105 min. 

Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura has 

fallen far since the filmic high of his superb, 

grippingly passionate "Carmen." His 30th 

film is a mundane coming-of-age film of a 

type seen many times before. Ten-year-old 

Manu (Alejandro Martinez) is sent to stay 

with his uncles and aunts in the country 

while his parents try to salvage their rocky 

marriage. Each week is spent with a different 

relative and, with each one, Manu becomes 

privy to a different aspect of their 

secret lives, including adultery, homosexuality 

and addiction. He also falls in love 

with a female cousin, who affects his future. 

Martinez is actually quite good as the somewhat 

naive Manu, but Saura fails to bring 

this young boy's adventures to life. Unlike 

classic films like "The 400 Blows" or "The 

Black Stallion," "Pajarico" lacks the indelible 

imagery that would make Manu's experiences 

special. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

SELF STORAGE ^^1/2 

Starring Ron Leibman, Arye Gross and 

Joe Pantoliano. Directed by Tony Spiridakis. 

Written by Tony Spiridakis and 

Shem Bitterman. 

Produced by Randy 

lippert. No stateside distributor set. Comedy. 

Not yet rated. Running time: 91 min. 

Another behind-the-scenes comedy 

about making it in Hollywood, "Self Storage" 

is enlivened by some very clever jokes 

and a robust performance by Ron Leibman 

as a failed actor who might also be a serial 

killer. But the film is decidedly uneven. 

Arye Gross ("Mother Night") and Tom 

Wood play a down-and-out producing/writing 

team who stumble across Leibman, whom 

they suspct of being the dreaded "Costume 

Killer." Instead of turning him in to the cops, 

they use him as the basis of their new script, 

which causes them all sorts of trouble. 

At its best, "Self Storage" skewers pretentious 

moguls who boast of casting key 

"talent" in silly shows. But the film is also 

overdone, and except for Leibman and Joe 

Pantoliano ("Bound"), who is very funny as 

a twitchy "producer," doesn't offer its cast 

much to do. A second or third draft would 

have helped. Shlomo Schwartzberg 

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 

I 


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 


cinemaVCconsultants 

& SERVICES') jINTERNATIONAL 

Consultants in 

• Management 

• Concessions 

• Construction 

• Multiplexing 

• Upgrading 

Services 

• Draperies 

• Decorative Sound Panels 

• Boxoffice - Concessions 

Counters 

• Houskeeping Supplies 

• Carpeting 

Used Equipment 

• Projection • Sound 

• Seating 

Installations 

• Projection • Sound 

• Draperies 

• Seating 

• Screens 

1250 Brookline Blvd. 

P.O. Box 9672 

Pittsburgh, PA 15226 

412-343-3900 

Fax 412-343-2992 

Response No. 109

— 

— 

— 

REVIEWS 

SOUL FOOD ^1/2 

Starring Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica 

A. Fox and Nia Long. Directed and written 

by George Tillman Jr. Produced by 

Tracey E. Edmonds and Robert Teitel. A 

Fox release. Drama. Rated R for some 

strong sexuality and language. Running 


Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, one of 

the most successful music producers and 

songwriters of the decade, has made his first 

foray into producing for the bigscreen 

and now has, unfortunately, a big, shiny dud 

to go alongside his shelves of Grammys. 

With young writer/director George Tillman 

Jr. at the helm, "Soul Food" is the bland 

and passionless story of Mother Joe and her 

huge, extended Chicago family, which is 

always in conflict but manages to stay together 

under the sheer weight of her personality—not 

to mention her cooking: huge 

Sunday brunches complete with combread, 

greens, black-eyed peas, fresh fruit pies.... 

"Soul Food's" disjointed narrative, 

which attempts to tell about eight stories 

simultaneously, resembles a season's worth 

of television more than a movie. It implodes 

under the weight of every family and race 

cliche in the book, and it lacks the focus and 

originality that made such African-American 

films as "Boyz in the Hood" and "love 

Jones" so appealing. Jon Alon Walz 

A THOUSAND ACRES ^^^1/2 

Starring Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, 

Jason Robards and Jennifer Jason 

Leigh. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse. 

Written by Laura Jones. Produced by 

Marc Abraham, Steve Golin, Lynn Arost, 

Kate GuinzJburg and Sigurjon Sighvatsson. 

A Buena Vista release. Drama. Rated 

Rfor some strong sexual language. Running 


With its focus on letting go of the past to 

embrace the future, this adaptation of Jane 

Smiley' s novel is thematically similar to 

director Jocelyn Moorhouse's last film, 

"How to Make an American Quilt." Both 

are chockful of characters with tragic histories 

who must release their anger and 

wistfulness if they are to move on. And 

some do with more success than others. 

"A Thousand Acres" additionally addresses 

the role of greed in tying people to 

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER FILMS 

In light of our continuing commitment to bring you reviews as early 

as possible, we now provide a reader guide to upcoming releases 

we've already critiqued. The alphabetical list below notes rfie issue 

oiFBOXOFFICE in which the review appeared, aives its star rating, and 

provides nev/ly updated distributor and release date information. 

"Bean" •••1/2: Gramercy, 11/7 wide: see Sept. 1997. 

"Beaumarchais the Scoundrel" ••••: New Yorker, 10/24 NY; see Oct. 1997. 

''Breaking Up" •••: Warner Bros., mid-Oct. ltd; see Sept. 1997. 

"Deep Crimson" ••••: New Yorker, 10/8; see April 1997. 

"FairyTale: A True Story" ••••: Paramount, 10/24; see Sept. 1997. 

"Fast, Cheap & Out of Control" •••: .S'o/i>' Classics, 

10/3 NY/LA; see April 1997. 

"Forgotten Silver" •••1/2: First Run, Oct. undated NY; see March 1997. 

"Happy Together" -k*: Kino, Oct. 12 NY, Oct. 31 LA, 11/14SF; see Sept. 1997. 

"The House of Yes" •••1/2: Miramax, 

10/10 NY/IA, exp 10/17 & 10/24; see April 1997. 

"Hurricane Streets" if-k-k: UA, 10/24 ltd; see April 1997. 

"The Ice Storm" -k -kin: Fox Searchlight, 10/17 exp; see July 1997. 

"I Was a Jewish Sex Worker" ••1/2: Greycat, 10/17 NY; see April 1997. 

"UUes"*: Turbulent Arts, 10/10 SF, 10/17 NY. 10/24 LA; see April 1997. 

"Love Always" • 1/2: legacy, 10/17 ltd; see April 1997. 

"Marian" •: Turbulent Arts, 10/3 Chi; see April 1997. 

"Ma Vie en Rose" {"My Life in Pink") ••••: Sony Classics, 

12/24 NY/IA; see Aug. 1997. 

"Nenette el Boni" •••: Strand, 10/3 NY, 10/10 1A; see April 1997. 

"Nick and Jane" ••: CFP, 10/10 ltd; see June 1996. 

"Parallel Sons" •••: Greycat, Nov. undated; see May 1997. 

"Shooting Porn" •: Horwitz, 10/3 1A; see May 1997. 

"Slaves to the Underground" • 1/2: First Utok. 1 1/14 NY; see April 1997. 

"The Sweet Hereafter" ••••: Fine Line, 12/24 NY/IA; see Aug. 1997. 

"Timeless" •••: Phaedra, Oct. undated; see April 1996. 

"The Twilight of the Golds" ••: CFP/Avalanclie, 10/24 ltd; see April 1997. 

"Underground" ••••1/2: New Yorker, Dec. undated; see Sept. 1995. 

"Washington Square" k*k 1/2: Buena Vista. 

10/5 NY, exp 10/12 & 10/17; see Oct. 1997. 

"Welcome to Sarajevo" • • • 1/2: Miramax. 1 1/14 NY/IA ; see July 1997. 

"Wide Awake" -kkk: Miramax. 10/17 NY/IA; see Sept. 1997. 

"Year of the Hone" ••1/2: Oclober Films, 10/8 NY, 10/15 LA; see Oct 1997. 

situations that uhimately make them more 

miserable than the material gain could possibly 

be worth. In this case, the prize in 

question is a thousand acres of fertile land, 

superfarmer 

owned by third-generation 

Larry Cook (Jason Robards), a man whose 

welt-respected position in the community 

belies his cruelty toward his family. 

Larry announces he will retire and split his 

beloved land among his three daughters, 

Ginny (Jessica Lange), Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer) 

and Caroline (Jennifer Jason Leigh). But 

he promptly shuts Caroline out of the deal 

when she inadvertently bruises the mercurial 

old man's feelings. And when Ginny, Rose 

and their husbands begin making plans as to 

how they will run the farm, the controlling 

Larry soon becomes resentfiil and bitter. He 

winds up teaming with Caroline to sue Ginny 

and Rose to get Ae farm back. 

This heavy drama draws realistically 

complex characters and effectively shows 

how detrimental it can be to cling to the past 

and spend your time hating and blaming. 

Realism is maintained by resisting the urge 

to indulge in pat comeuppances and epiphanal 

revelations. Instead of sewing everything 

up neatly, the film presents a lot of 

unresolved emotional conflict and no easy 

answers as to what's right. How do you let 

go of a lifetime's worth of pain and anguish 

when the perpetrator doesn't even believe 

he's done anything wrong? "A Thousand 

Acres" offers much to ponder and excellent, 

well-rounded performances by Lange, 

Pfeiffer and Robards. 

THE GAME ^^1/2 

Christine James 

Starring Michael Douglas, Sean 

Penn, James Rebhorn, Deborah Kara 

Unger and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Directed 

by David Fincher. Written by 

John Brancato and Michael Ferris. Produced 

by Steve Golin and Cean Chaffin. 

A Polygram release. Thriller. Rated R 

for language, andfor some violence and 

sexuality. Running time: 128 min. 

Making high-profile debuts this September, 

new major distributors DreamWorks 

("The Peacemaker") and Polygram ("The 

Game") have both done themselves proud. 

Right from their openings, each film boasts 

an electricity to its genre exercise unusual 

for audience programmers. As mainstream 

entertainments, each must be considered a 

success. In the film-as-art category, however, 

it's "The Game" that pretends to have 

the reach, and it's here that the Propaganda 

production falls short. 

Wealthy investment banker Nicholas 

Van Orton (Michael Douglas, in yet another 

someone's-out-to-get-me role) is not celebrating 

his 48th birthday. Although he's not 

a cruel man, he's estranged from virtually 

everyone in his life; so distant are his human 

contacts that most conversations he has are 

conducted by telephone. Into his memory, 

as he sits by himself in his San Francisco 

mansion, come recollections of the day of 

his father's 48th birthday—when the old 

man plunged from the home's high nwf to 

his death before the boy 's eyes. Into his life, 

at a lunch at a posh restaurant, returns youn-

— 

— 

— 

REVIEWS 

"er brother Conrad (Sean Penn). long a 

failure at anything except getting into trouble. 

Conrad gives Nicholas a present: a gift 

certificate for something called The Game. 

As Nicholas tries to find out more about 

how you play this Game, the world that was 

his own begins to play him dangerously. 

As with his "Seven," in "The Game" it's 

in his climax where director David Fincher 

fails. Both films build toward dynamic, 

even world-altering conclusions, but 

what's provided is just fizzle. In the end, 

"Seven" proved to be merely a hijacking of 

biblical precepts that made for script salability 

but only shallow execution. Fincher 

opens this film with truly affecting homemovie 

footage of the young Nicholas with 

his distant father. It's a well-done sequence 

that with surprisingly deep authenticity establishes 

the movie's question to be answered. 

But what 'The Game" does in 

providing its surprises, however engaging, 

is to not just avoid but even trash the lifeand-death 

importance of the emotional 

makeup of its lead. Once again, Fincher 

opts for artifice over art. Kim Williamson 

JULIAN PO irir 

Starring Christian Slater. Directed and 

written by Alan Wade. Produced by Jon 

Glascoe and Joseph Pierson. A Fine Line 

release. Drama. Rated PG-13 for thematic 

elements related to suicide, andfor language 

and some sensuality. Run time: 83 min. 

Nothing stirs up a cinematic small town 

like the arrival of a stranger. His very presence 

upsets the delicate balance of personalities 

and priorities that the local yokels 

have forged during years of isolation. In 

"Julian Po," a film set in one such crossroads 

of civilization, those citizens include 

a gruff mayor, a gun-mad sheriff and his 

good-cookin' wife, a kooky minister, an 

unstable landlord and his deaf/mute (or is 

she?) housekeeper, and the standard-issue 

wistful young maiden. They've all spent 

eons together without incident. 

So when 30-year-old Julian Po (Christian 

Slater) rents a room in this village without 

visitors, he attracts loads of suspicion-laden 

attention—until Julian informs his new 

neighbors why he's there: to kill himself In a 

flash, xenophobia turns to admiration for this 

man of conviction, someone who plans to put 

his gun where his mouth is. Julian, who 

moved into NowheresvUle to be left alone, 

receives a personal call ftr)m everyone in 

town; they confess their darkest secrets, give 

him haircuts and com muffins, request guidance, 

or simply bask in his notoriety. The idea 

behind this movie is that through Julian these 

poor sods can find their true selves. 

But, as trite as it sounds, we never get to 

know Julian's visitors beyond their broadly 

drawn dramatic roles. Perhaps if the film 

concentrated on just a few characters, rather 

than an entire townful, there'd be sufficient 

room to explore the chosen with appropriate 

depth. As it stands, the audience watches a 

while wondering, 

parade of personalities 

"Who are these people, and who cares?" 

The same goes for Julian, a man we learn 

almost nothing about. Ian Hodder 

FIRE DOWN BELOW ^^1/2 

Starring Steven Seagal, Marg 

Helgenberger and Harry Dean Stanton. 

Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala. Written 

by Jeb Stuart and Philip Morton. Pro 

duced by Steven Seagal and Julius R. 

Nasso. A Warner Bros, release. Action 

Rated Rfor violence and language. Run 

ning time: 99 minutes. 

There are two ways to view Steven 

Seagal's latest fist fest, "Fire Down 

Below." First is as a by-the-numbers actioner 

that hits most of its marks, including a 

juicy justification of a plot (scummy corporate 

type stores his chemical waste in abandoned 

mines, sickening an Appalachian 

town's children), strong supporting characters 

("Species'" Marg Helgenberger as the 

town outcast, Harry Dean Stanton as a sage 

bumpkin, and raisin-faced Kris Kristofferson 

doing his "Lone Star" villain, this time 

in pinstripes), and spectacular (if chaotic) 

scenes of destruction. 

The Seagal/Nasso production even gets 

country authenticity thanks to appearances 

by Travis Tritt and Randy Travis, among 

SUPER SPEEDWAY ••• 

Featuring Mario Andretti and 

Michael Andretti. Narrated by 

Paul Nev^man. Directed by Stephen 

Low. Produced by Pietro L 

Serapiglia. A Stephen Low Co. 

release. Documentary. Unrated. 


Format: IMAX. 

In the documentary-as-spectacle/ 

thrill ride subgenre, 

the IMAX format really 

can't be beat. 

From fish to civilization, 

all subjects receive 

a visceral 

swoop-and-dive 

camera treatment at 

some point. But 

"Super Speedv/oy" 

could just be the 

most perfect match 

of subject matter to 

aspect ratio since 

the debut of the 

eight-story screen. 

others. The second way is even more fun: 

"Fire Down Below" as a God vs. the Devil 

scenario in which Seagal casts himself as 

the ultimate justice-doer—a pursed-lipped, 

pony-tailed, leather-blazered version of the 

Almighty. When Seagal's undercover EPA 

agent Jack Taggart first arrives in Jackson, 

Ky., in the guise of a church handyman, he 

tells the townsfolk that he's doing "God's 

work." From there on, references to heaven 

and hell fall like frogs during the Apocalypse. 

("Fire down below," geddit?) 

The God comparison was inevitable. 

Seagal's action heroes aren't like those of 

other franchisees like Bruce Willis or Mel 

Gibson, who thrill by being regular guys 

who triumph against the odds, getting 

bruised in the process. With Seagal, there's 

no question he's going to kick ass without 

even breaking a sweat. The tension comes 

not from knowing whether he'll win, but 

how quickly and by what means, whether 

against 10 hillbilly bruisers at once or 

it's 

two thigh-sized rattlers—the latter of which 

he just grabs in each hand as they strike. 

If only Eve had had that kind of coordination. 

Melissa Morrison 

SPECIAL FORMATS 

SLPER DUPER: 

Indy race cars, in all 

their hard-turning, 

stomach-churning, z30 mph glory have 

now been captured on celluloid from a 

driver's-eye view. The result is a whiteknuckle 

film that feels like it ages the 

viewer the four years it took to produce. 

In an amazing technical and logistical 

accomplishment (attaching a big bulky 

camera to a light streamlined car and 

driving very fast on a racetrack full of 

competitors), "Super Speedway" follows 

the fortunes of racer Michael An- 

dretti and his newly designed 

through the 1 996 race season while his 

father, legend Mario Andretti, reflects on 

his career and the history of the sport and 

a midwestern race cor buff carefully restores 

an early '60s Indy roadster. Stock 

footage illustrates the evolution of racer 

design (along with fatal crashes of the 

end product) while 

time-lapse photography 

shows the 

computer-controlled 

design and fabrication 

of today's super 

machines. 

Director Stephen 

Low does a good 

job of keeping 

things interesting, 

although traditional 

IMAX shortcomings 

stilted dialogue 

passages 

and over-pretty 

staged reenactments— 

pop up 

"Super Speedway " 

here ond there. Al- 

takes viewers right onto the racetrack. 

though the historical 

and personal asides are nice enough, 

it's the race footage that is the film's 

roison d'etre and its main selling point. 

Here, "Super Speedway" is right on the 

money. Camera car driver/operator 

Mario Andretti captures some truly jawdropping 

scenes, which are effectively 

combined with an amplified stereophonic 

roar of the engines. The film oelivers 

what it promises: one hell of a thrill 

ride. Alex Albanese

— 

FLASHBACK: FEB. 27, 1961 

What BOXOFFICE said about... 

THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR 

[In May 1961, Walt Disney releaaed a live-action family marvel, "The Absent- 

Minded Professor, " which proved similar in style, setting and success to its "The 

Shaggy Dog" of two years previous. On 11/26, 

Disney (as with last year's "101 Dalmatians") 

delves into its rich canon for a remake, this time 

called "Flubber" and with Robin Williams 

riding in the Fred MacMurray role. Here's 

what BOXOFFICE said about tile original] 

Walt Disney follows up his 1959 blockbusting 

"The Shaggy Dog" with another modest-budget, 

black-and-white live-action comedy that bids 

fair to break records in 1%1. All the popular 

ingredients are present: Fred MacMurray is 

again starred, this time as a zany scientist who 

invents a rubbery substance, which he names 

"flubber"; the script by BiU "Shaggy" Walsh, 

based on a Samuel Taylor story, is another 

fantasy in a small-town setting; and Robert 

Stevenson has directed in a broad,Mack Sennettlike 

fashion that will have audiences howling as 

MacMurray's flubber has people and an old 

flivver bouncing sky-high. With Tommy Kirk, Disney's teenage regular, and both 

Keenan and Ed Wynn (in a guest appearance in his old role of a befuddled fire 

chief) for extra marquee draw, this is ideal family fare to delight youngsters and 

adults alike. There's even a few puzzled-looking dogs and the "Shaggy Dog" cops, 

James Westerfield and Forrest Lewis, for added laughs—what more could 

exhibitors want? MacMurray is well cast as the professor, and Nancy Olson 

registers charm and exasperation nicely as his waiting-at-the-altar fiancee. 

Keenan Wynn as a loan shark and Kirk as his fumbling son couldn't be better. 

EXPLOITIPS: 

Although dogs are in the minority in this film, stress the similarity to "The Shaggy 

Dog" by playing up Fred MacMurray and Tommy Kirk, who starred in it. Kirk 

is also currently starred in "Sw iss Family Robinson." Advertise for an old Model-T, 

such as is used in the film, and display it in the lobby to attract attention. Mention 

that Ed Wynn is seen in his familiar Fire Chief role. 

CATCHLINES: 

You'll be "Flubbergasted" at Fred MacMurray's New Adventures ... He Left 

His Fiancee Waiting at the Church But He Won Her Back With a "Flubber." 

KULL THE CONQUEROR ••• 

Starring Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, 

Harvey Fierstein and Karina Lombard. 

Directed by John Nicolella. Written by 

Charles Edward Pogue. Produced by 

Raffaella De iMurentiis. A Universal release. 

Adventure. Rated PG- 13 for fantasy 

action violence and sensuality. 


A fond and energetic return to the Italian 

muscle-hero epics of the 1960s. "Kull the 

Conqueror" is a guilty pleasure of rare quality. 

The spirit ratner than the letter of Robert 

E. Howard's short stories (mainly the 1929 

"By This Axe I Rule!") has been captured 

with a lively sense of old-fashioned mythical 

hokum in a script by Charles Edward 

Pogue ("Dragonhcart"). Naturally, the plot 

has as many nolcs and absurd contrivances 

as Howard's tali tales, but (he moviemakers' 

clear affection for its source keeps 

the film diverting in a corny way. 

With irreverent dash and charm. Kevin 

Sortx) (best known from TV's "Hercules: 

The Legendary Journeys") admirably fills 

out the muscular title role—an ancient warrior 

and progenitor of Conan the Barbarian 

who's deposed as king of Valusia by a 

treacherous evil sorceress ("High School 

High's" Tia Carrere, who truly seems to 

enjoy being bad). So Kull sets off on an 

ocean voyage with his lady love ("Legend 

of the Fall's" Karina Lombard, who nere 

proves enchanting) and a loyal fighting 

companion (a dignified Litefoot, last seen 

in "The Indian in the Cupboard") to find a 

supernatural power that will destroy the 

fiend and restore peace to his land. 

Loaded with brawny action, mysterious 

locales, hair-breadlh escapes and anachronistic 

tongue-in-cheek humor, this is one 

lusty adventure fantasy that docs not rely on 

computer effects. Even the suggestions of 

nudity, sexuality and violence arc handled 

with creative discretion. Colorful turns by 

Roy Brocksmith as an eccentric king's adviser 

and Harvey Fierstein ("Independence 

Day") as an old friend of Kull's who turns 

traitor further the film's myriad delights. 

REVIEWS 

The brisk pace and imaginative visual 

atmosphere created by debut feature director 

John Nicolella (TV's "Nash Bridges"), 

aided by Benjamin Fernandez's witty production 

design and Rodney 

Charters' lavish 

Panavision photography, 

help the silly fun to 

stay on its feet. Only 

those without a sense of 

wonder or appreciation 

of legendary nonsense 

should avoid crossing 

into this kingdom. 

Dale Winogura 

EXCESS 

BAGGAGE iîîc 

Starring Alicia Silverstone, 

Benicio Del 

Toro and Christopher 

Walk en. Directed by 

Marco Brambilla. Written 

by Max D. Adams 

and Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais. Produced 

by Bill Borden and Carolyn Kessler. 

A Columbia release. Action/drama. Rated 

PG-13 for violence, drinking and sex-related 

dialogue. Running time: 101 min. 

"Excess Baggage," the first film from the 

First Kiss production company of Alicia 

Silverstone (last seen in "Batman & 

Robin"), is packed with a clever premise 

and interesting characters played by fabulous 

actors, not to mention pleasantly 

quirky bits and an overall good feeling. So 

why—despite the great packing job—is the 

trip itself so oddly ill-focused, unfufilling 

and ultimately nowhere-bound? 

Silverstone stars as poor little rich girl 

Emily, who, in a desperately misguided 

attempt to win her shady businessman 

father s love, stages her own kidnapping. 

But her well-planned rescue and hoped-for 

tearful reconciliation with dear papa runs 

afoul when a bizarre, professional car thief, 

Vincent ("The Usual Suspects'" Benicio 

Del Toro), steals her car with a bound-andgagged 

Emily hiding in the trunk. Of 

course, the two initially dislike each other, 

but the distinct trouble they both find themselves 

in leads them to, of course, bond. 

Silverstone proves a savvy selector of 

very interesting material and she does good 

business here, finding and playing a teenage 

character who is both awkwardly bold and 

childishly capable, although her trademark 

pout is becoming quite tired. Del Toro is a 

wonder to behold as the hand-gesturing, 

simple-minded, in-way-over-his-head, 

well-meaning car thief. And any movie that 

casts the creative Christopher Walken 

("Last Man Standing") as a caring, albeit 

gun-toting, father figure is worth three stars 

on that action alone. 

Despite the cast's obvious charm, 

though, the script promises a film that never 

materializes. Payoffs for setups never appear 

and the movie stays on the surface, 

never delving deep enough into the heart of 

the matter to ever matter. The filmmakers 

have the right idea but the wrongcxecution. 

Director Marco Brambilla ('T)emoli-

— 

— 

— 

REVIEWS 

Review Digest 

tion Man") lacks the point of 

view necessary to invest the 

film with those ever-important, 

but always difficult, emotional 

stakes. Still, culpability 

for this charming failure is difficult 

to lay, particularly on a 

film that clearly screams out to 

be a low-budget, independent 

effort and yet has a studio 

stamp all over it. Regardless, 

Silverstone should pack her 

bags again because, at the tender 

age of 20, she's responsible for 

the most frustrating and intriguing 

film to come out of Sony 

all year. Susan Lambert 

HOODLUM ^1/2 

Starring iMurence Fishburne, 

Tim Roth, Andy Garcia, 

Vanessa Williams and 

Cicely Tyson. Directed by Bill 

Duke. Written by Chris 

Brancato. Produced by Frank 

Mancuso Jr. A UA release. 

Drama. Rated R for graphic 

gangster violence, strong language, 

a scene of sexuality 

and some nudity. Running 


Filmmakers love gangsters, 

and none with more affection 

than those legendary Depression-era 

dukes of debauchery 

Lucky Luciano, Dutch 

Schultz, Bugsy Siegel and 

Meyer Lansky. Unfortunately, 

such efforts as "Bugsy," "The 

Cotton Club," "Mobsters" and 

"Billy Bathgate" have so overexposed 

the characters and 

their milieu that separating 

truth from myth might well be 

a long-lost cause. AH of that 

helps explain why the makers 

of "Hoodlum" chose to shift 

their focus onto Harlem's own 

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, a 

lesser-known, though no less 

instrumental, figure of the era. 

Laurence Fishbume's Johnson 

does indeed cut a compelling 

figure, but overlong and lackluster 

writing and uninspired 

direction relegate "Hoodlum" 

to the bottom rung of American 

gangster epics. 

Essentially a flat-out gang 

warfare picture with Johnson 

and Schultz (Tim Roth) battling 

for control of the lucrative 

Harlem numbers racket, 

"Hoodlum" is an ambitious 

film that seeks to educate as 

much as entertain, weaving 

broad socio-political statements 

among intermittent gunplay. 

But the messages are as 

simplistic as the film's history 

is revisionist, painting Johnson 

as a hometown hero of the 

Robin Hood variety, despite 

proclamations by friends and 

associates to the contrary. 

Despite the pitfalls of Chris 

Brancato's convention-laden 

script, most of the performers 

manage to extract relatively 

persuasive portrayals, with 

Chi McBride a noteworthy 

standout as Johnson's cousin 

niinois Gordon. Roth's 

campy, slobbish take on 

Schultz, on the other hand, 

ranges from amusing to embarrassing, 

while Vanessa 

Williams is wasted in a pointless 

romantic subplot. 

Having successfully dealt 

with similar material on "A 

Rage in Harlem," it's surprising 

that director Bill Duke fails 

to ignite even the flavor of the 

period. Instead, Duke's direction 

is frustratingly forced, relying 

on booming Elmer 

Bernstein crescendos and 

sweeping crane shots to inject 

emotion where there is none. 

Even hoodlums deserve better. 

Wade Major 

STEEL ••1/2 

Starring Shaquille O'Neal, 

Annabeth Gish, Richard 

Roundtree and Judd Nelson. 

Directed and written by Kenneth 

Johnson. Produced by 

Quincy Jones, David Salzman 

and Joel Simon. A 

Warner Bros, release. Action. 

Rated PG-13 for some superhero 

action violence. Running 


With the help of a couple of 

friends, an ex-military metallurgist, 

John Henry Irons 

("Kazaam's" Shaquille 

O'Neal), sets out to clean up 

his neighborhood and stop the 

sale of high-tech weapons to 

terrorists. Armed with a 

tricked-out sledgehammer and 

bulletproof armor. Irons is 

about to let the crime element 

know that Los Angeles is now 

under the protection of Steel. 

This action-filled special effects-induced 

movie is loosely 

based on a character from a DC 

Comics Suf)erman story. Steel 

is a combination of Robocop 

and Meteor Man. Child audiences 

are given a hero who 

blunders enough to show that 

he is human while appearing to 

be strong enough to get the job 

done with comic-book armaments. 

As the smoke clears, 

though, this film closely resembles 

an elaborate pilot for 

a possible TV series, meaning 

that's it's just the young ones, 

especially males, who'll enjoy 

this film. Dwayne E. Leslie 

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; 

AirBudPG(BV) 

(Th) Thriller; (W) Western. 

I " 

Z Z 

a n I "= ?? 5 

£: 

h 

N 

? 

5 

i 

5 

S 2 o 

is o - « 

>SS X 

^ a H H H 

:£ 

M 

s 

^ O < _. < >. ^ 

ct^ a > si U Z 5 

U 

< 

X 

>

136 BOXOFTICE 

NATIONAL 

NEWS 

NEWS CORP. GETS NEW REGENCY 

In September, News Corp.'s Fox Filmed 

Entertainment acquired an estimated $200 

million stake in Arnon Milchan's New Regency 

Prods., which has been under Warner 

Bros.' wing for the last six years. When talks 

between New Regency and Warner Bros, 

broke down last July over Time Warner refusing 

to take a larger equity stake in Milchan's 

expanded entertainment company, New Regency 

went looking for a new home. New 

Regency is just the latest of significant production 

companies recently acquired by Fox, 

who also brought over producer Arnold 

Kopelson from Warner Bros. 

New Regency has produced 31 films over 

the past five years, including "L.A. Confidential," 

"Devil's Advocate" and "Goodbye, 

Lover." Other Warner Bros./New Regency 

productions include "A Time to Kill," "The 

Client," "Free Willy" and "Natural Born Killers." 

There are still approximately 1 projects 

coming down the pipeline that the production 

company and Warner Bros, will co-own 

along with any sequels to previous films. New 

Regency will officially relocate to the Fox lot 

on June 1, 1998. Under the new agreement. 

Fox Filmed Entertainment will distribute all 

New Regency product worldwide, including 

theatrical, video, licensing, merchandising 

and domestic television, although international 

television is excluded. 

New Regency president and CEO David 

Matalon can now turn his attention to filling 

the void left when chairman and CEO Michael 

Nathanson left this past February to 

become president of MGM Pictures. Matalon 

has said he would not bring in a new CEO but 

that the company would instead hire a president 

of production. 

UNIVERSAL SHARES THE COST 

Universal Pictures looks like it's about to 

make good on its announcement this May that 

it hoped to co-finance future pictures. In what 

would be the first such arrangement for a 

formalized package of pictures, the studio is 

in deep negotiations on a co-financing deal 

with Gary Levlnsohn and Mark Gordon's Mutual 

Film Co. The deal reportedly involves five 

pictures valued at a total of $350 million. 

Insiders say the deal could include upcoming 

films "Age of Aquarius" from filmmaker Phil 

Alden Robinson to star Harrison Ford; the 

sci-fic thriller "Virus"; and "Black Dog," an 

action film for Kevin Sorbo. 

Universal has had success with co-financing 

deals on single pictures, such as "1 2 Monkeys," 

"The Relic" and "Hard Rain." 

Mutual, which used to be known as Cloud 

Nine Entertainment, has four overseas partners: 

England's BBC, Japan's Toho-Towa/ 

Maubeni, Germany's TeleMunchen and 

France's UCC. As part of the agreement, the 

partners would acquire the foreign rights for 

iheir own territories. 

VOGEL TAKES ON HOLLYWOOD 

David Vogel, who has presided over Walt 

Disney Pictures for the past four years, has 

added the title of president of the revived 

Hollywood Pictures. Under the new arrangement, 

Vogel and the Walt Disney staff will 

produce up to four adult-targeted films per 

year for distribution under the Hollywood 

Pictures banner, while still producing six family 

films under the Disney label each year. 

Walt Disney Studios in 1996 said it was 

closing Hollywood Pictures as a development 

and production entity. The banner was kept 

open to distribute Simpson/Bruckheimer and 

Scott Free films. Hollywood Pictures will now 

also be used to distribute films produced by 

Walt Disney Pictures that aren't appropriate 

for release under that nameplate. 

To begin production shortly and fall under 

this new arrangement is "A Small Miracle" 

(based on John Irving's novel, "A Prayer for 

Owen Meany"), from writer/director Mark 

Steven Johnson (writer for "Grumpy Old 

Men") and producers Roger Birnbaum, Laurence 

Mark and John Baldecchi. Vogel also 

signed his first exclusive deal for Hollywood 

Pictures with Johnson and producer Gary Foster 

("Tin Cup") and their production company. 

Horseshoe Bay. 

EAST VS. WEST: THE WGA WAR 

After a bitter debate, the Writers Guild of 

America West voted to ratify a new film and 

television contract in mid-September. Late 

that month, the 2,435-member East Coast unit 

shouted "cut," with a resounding 490 votes 

against the pact and only 99 in favor. 

The three-year pact had won approval by 

only 375 votes from the WGA's much-larger 

West Coast unit. In one of the highest turnouts 

in history, 34 percent of the WGA West's 

7,913 members cast ballots, with 1,530 in 

favor of ratification and 1,155 opposed. The 

final combined tally thus stands at 1 ,645 con 

and 1,629 pro. TV/film producers and the 

WGA have seven months to reach an agreement 

(the guild's current contract expires May 

2, 1998), but some members believe that a 

strike is not only possible but likely. 

Detractors of the new contract say the 

agreement does not add ress i mportant foreign 

and cable residuals and the possessory credit 

issue and threatens to decimate the guild's 

health fund. Daniel Petrie Jr., who has been 

voted in as guild president and is a fierce 

advocate of the new contract, claims the provisions 

of the pact are strong enough; he is 

one voice forecasting a strike. Writer Petrie 

("Beverly Hills Cop") has said his first goal is 

to reunify the guild, which has been sorely 

split over the contract issue. His goal might 

be difficult to achieve: The president of the 

WGA East and five former presidents have all 

come out against the contract. 

Many guild members are unhappy with 

WGA West executive director and chief negotiator 

Brian Walton. WGA West board 

member Larry Gelbart and former WGA West 

president Frank Pierson said Walton sold out 

the writers on the terms and then misused his 

power to mail postcards, using guild funds, 

that told members to ratify the contract. But 

former WGA West president George Kirgo 

defends Walton, who has served as executive 

director for 1 2 years, a term that includes the 

1988 writers' strike. 

THE LION'S LOST FIVE YEARS 

In 

preparation for Metro-Coldwyn-Mayer 

Inc.'s long-anticipated initial public offering, 

the corporation filed a $250 million stock 

offering prospectus with the Securities and 

Exchange Commission that showed the studio 

has lost $1.7 billion over the past five years. 

MGM has not shown an operating profit since 

1988, the filing says, and the studio doesn't 

expect to show one "for at least several years." 

The French government agency, Consortium 

de Realisation (CDR), sold the studio last 

year to Kirk Kerkorian, Australia's Seven Network 

and MGM management led by chairman 

Frank Mancuso. Despite the perception 

that Kerkorian and Seven were equal partners 

on the deal, the prospectus shows Kerkorian 

holds control over MGM. Kerkorian, who first 

purchased MGM in 1969, proceeded to sell 

off many assets and then sold the studio to 

Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti in 1990, 

holds 68 percent of the MGM stock in the 

aftermath of the reacquisition. But, according 

to the filing, Kerkorian, Seven and Mancuso 

have a joint voting arrangement that restricts 

Kerkorian's ability to act alone. The filing did 

not reveal how many shares will be sold and 

at what price, but MGM hopes to raise a net 

amount of $232 million from the offering and 

use that money to repay existing debt, which 

stands at more than $800 million. 

The prospectus outlines MCM's future production 

plans and financial strategy. It plans 

to produce and distribute 10-12 pictures per 

year and release an additional four to six 

specialty films through Goldwyn, which was 

acquired with Orion Pictures in July. Additionally, 

the filing says MGM, unlike many 

other studios, does not plan to sign many 

first-look deals with producers and will make 

fewer large-budget event pictures than other 

major studios. MGM also does not plan to 

pre-sell foreign rights to most of its movies. 

The filing showed annual losses ranging 

from $241 million in 1 992 to $345 million in 

1993. In 1996, despite such successes as 

"Leaving Las Vegas," "The Birdcage" and 

"Goldeneye," MGM posted a $90.5 million 

loss. In the first half of this year, MGM released 

only three new features domestically, 

compared with 1 2 films released in the same 

period for 1 996. MGM's underwriters, Merrill 

Lynch and j.P. Morgan, plan to take the offering 

to the market in late October. Some Wall 

Street insiders say the brand name alone will 

sell, but others say investors are likely to be 

wary, due to the financial profile. 

MO' MIRAMAX SHUFFLE 

Miramax Films co-chairmen Harvey and 

Bob Weinstein have promoted Gary Granat to 

president of Dimension Films, the genre banner 

started up fouryears ago. Granat, who was 

previously head of production for Dimension, 

will continue to report to Bob Weinstein and 

oversee all films released under the Dimension 

label. 

Granat is currently overseeing such upcoming 

Dimension projects as "Senseless," a 

comedy directed by Penelope Spheeris, and 

both a prequel and sequel to "From Dusk Till 

Dawn." Dimension also bought the sequel 

and remake rights to "Rambo" and "Total 

Recall." Before joining Miramax, Granat 

served as director of development at Universal 

Pictures.

138 BoxomcE 

EXHIBITION 

BRIEFINGS 

SHOWMANDSBtPROMOmNOF WEMOfTH 

AMC SELLS 17 MEGAPLEXES, 

LEASES THEM BACK 

In a strategy to generate income to pay off 

debt and build more theatres, AMC Entertainment 

Inc. is selling 17 of its largest 

megaplexes for a total of $384 million, and 

then leasing them back. The buyer is Entertainment 

Properties Trust, a publicly traded 

real estate trust currently being formed. The 

trust will lease the theatres back to AMC 

immediately after the purchase, so operations 

will remain the same, without interruption. 

Among the theatres involved in the sale are 

the Grand 24 in Dallas and the Ontario Mills 

30-plex, both of which grabbed headlines for 

being the largest of their size in North America 

at the time of their openings. 

GO WESTWOOD, YOUNG MANN 

iVIann Theatres, which operates all the 

theatres in L.A.'s trendy Westwood Village, 

is close to closing a deal with Regent Properties 

to build a multiplex in the Beverly 

Hills-based developer's planned retail center 

to be located in the northwest end of 

Westwood Village. Regent and Mann recently 

teamed on the Glendale Marketplace 

in Glendale, Calif., due to open in March 

1998, in which Mann will have a four-plex. 

Mann is also in talks to build a multiplex in 

developer Ira Smedra's proposed Westwood 

Village complex, to the consternation of 

local residents, who cite parking and overcrowding 

concerns as the reasons for their 

opposition to the project. A Westwood Village 

mandate restricts the total number of 

movie theatre seats to 6,030; Mann will be 

closing some of its other theatres in the area 

to comply with this regulation. 

DICKINSON REACHES SUMMIT 

The Lee's Summit City Council has approved 

plans for Dickinson Theatres to build 

a 1 6-screen theatre and entertainment center 

in 

Lee's Summit, Mo., according to Wood 

Dickinson, president and CEO of Dickinson 

Operating Co. The 52,000-square-foof center 

will feature a centrally located computerized 

boxoffice and a variety of auditorium sizes 

ranging from 120 to 450 seats, for a total of 

3,000 seats. All auditoriums will have 

Dickinson's RockerStadium seating, as well 

as DTS, Dolby SR-D and Sony SDDS digital 

stereo systems and Lucasfilm's THX sound 

system. 

IMAX ANNOUNCES 20-PICTURE 

PRODUCTION SLATE 

Toronto-based Imax Corp., provider of 

large-format film technology and titles, has 

announced a staggering slate of 20 films the 

company will be producing over the next 

several years. In addition to the high-profile 

projects the company has recently embarked 

upon, such as the "Mission to Mir" NASA 

For 

"shear" creativity, you can't top Michigan's Star Cjiatiut TluMtie ijiomotions 

manager Bill McDaniel. Also featured in our September Showmandiser, McDaniel is 

back in our pages for his razor-sharp promotion of "G.I. )ane" that generated a lot of 

buzz. Buzz cuts, that is. McDaniel offered six-month VIP passes to any woman who would 

volunteer to have her head shaved a la "jane" star Demi Moore in the Star Gratiot's lobby on 

the night of the movie's opening. Five bold women soon became five bald women as they 

dared to doff their hair, with the proceedings aired live on local FM dance station WDRQ. 

The event became a "media circus," says McDaniel, with "wall-to-wall people gawking at 

the shavees," as well as all four TV networks in the Detroit area in attendance to tape the 

event for their 10 and 11 o'clock news. As a showman, it's obvious that Bill McDaniel is 

simply a cut above the rest. 

documentary and the collaboration with Paramount 

on a 3-D "Star Trek" short, coming up 

for Imax will be such films as "The Imax 

Nutcracker," "Africa's Elephant Kingdom," 

"J. Rex: Back to the Cretaceous," "Extreme" 

(about extreme sports), and "Island of the 

Sharks." Some of Imax's most successful titles 

have been the Val Kilmer starrer "Wings of 

Courage" and "Across the Sea of Time," 

which explores the fourth dimension in the 

third dimension. Please see Boxoffice's feature 

story, "The Big Time," on page 54 for an 

in-depth look at Imax. 

REGAL BUYS 78 R/C SCREENS 

Continuing the rapid expansion of its theatrical 

kingdom. Regal Cinemas has announced 

the signing of a definitive asset 

purchase agreement with R/C Theatres for the 

purchase of 10 theatres with 78 screens in 

Virginia. "The concentration of these theatres 

in Virginia complements our 1 995 acquisition 

of 76 screens in the state from Neighborhood 

Entertainment Inc.," said Regal president and 

CEO MikeCampbell. Among thechains Regal 

has most recently acquired are Cobb Theatres, 

Magic Cinemas and Krikorian Premiere 

Theatres. Regal, one of the country's fastestgrowing 

theatre chains, currently has 2,082 

screens in operation at 235 locations, ranking 

it as the third-largest theatre circuit in North 

America. 

PMG TEAMS WITH APPLAUSE 

In-thealre promotional product distributor 

Promotional Management Group (PMC) has 

entered into an agreement with toy merchandiser 

Applause Inc. Under the joint venture, 

the two companies will provide theatres with 

movie-lhemed toy premiums that will be exclusive 

to the exhibition market. PMC's current 

product line includes movie graphic 

collectible drinking cups, popcorn bags, popcorn 

tubs and kids' trays. 

MEET USL IN SAN LUIS... 

USL, Inc. (formerly Ultra*Stereo Labs) is 

relocating its corporate headquarters to San 

Luis Obispo, Calif. The new locale includes 

larger manufacturing and warehousing facilities 

and an enhanced R&D lab. USL engineers 

sound equipment for the motion picture industry, 

and was the recipient of the International 

Theatre Equipment Association's Manufacturer 

of the Year Award in 1991 and 1996. 

ON THE MOVE 

Hoyts Cinemas Ltd. announces the promotion 

of Harold Blank, formerly senior VP, real 

estate, to managing director of the new Hoyts 

Latin America office. ..The THX division of 

Lucasfilm Ltd. has promoted Pascal Sijen to 

technical services supervisor for the THX Theatre 

Program. ..Alan Davy has been appointed 

to the post of senior VP and head film buyer at 

Mann Theatres. He was previously VP of film 

at the company.. .Mann's senior VP of film and 

marketing Denise Gurin is moving to Regal 

Cinemas, where she'll take the title of VP of 

film and head film buyer.. .Dolby Laboratories 

has hired Bobby Pinkston as vice president, 

exhibitor relations. Pinkston was previously 

VP, projection and sound with UATC.Mark 

Mayifield has moved from director of cinema 

marketing for )BL to director of cinema products 

for Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). 

SHOWMINDER CALENDAR 

Remember to save the following dates: 

CineAsia, Dec. 3-5, Singapore International 

Convention and Exhibition Centre. Call 212- 

246-6460... ShoWest, March 9-12, 1998, 

Rally's, Las Vegas, Nev. Call 310-657-7724 

...ShowCanada, May 10-14, Victoria, B.C. 

Call 41 6-969-7057. ..Cinema Expo, June 15- 

19, 1998, Amsterdam. Call 212-246-6460 

...Australian Movie Convention, Aug. 1 8-22, 

Gold Coast. Call 01 1-61 7-33-56-5671 ...NAG 

Expo, Sept. 15-18, Orlando. Call 3 1 2-236-3858.

can 

— 

probably 

I N D Li' S T R I 

Mnvomhor 1 0Q7 

1 'Ô 

Q&A: 

With 

THE LOEW-DOWN 

ON LOEWS 

their five-year contract set to expire Dec. 1, Loews 

co-chairs Jim andBarrie Lawsort Loeks have decided not 

to renew the agreement, opting instead to focus their 

attentions on the circuit they founded, the Michigan-based Loeks- 

Star. Loeks-Star, which currently has 1 18 screens, all in Michigan, 

is owned and operated by the Loeks in a joint venture with Loews 

parent Sony, though the circuit retains its separate identity. Expansion 

plans for Loeks-Star call for nearly doubling the circuit's size, 

requiring the Loeks' full-time energies to 

be devoted to its development. Loewspresident 

Tra vis Reid lauds the contributions of 

the Loeks and tells Boxoffice ofLoews'plans 

to expand upon the innovations they implemented 

during their tenure. 

f^^LJ 

^^ ^ down as co-chairs? 

^^M^'^^^^^^^ TRAVIS REID: I 

Boxoffice: How will your responsibilities 

change now that the Loeks have stepped 

won't know 

until we've done it for a while exactly how 

^^^^ 

^^^H 

J^^^^^ 

,^^ ^^^^^H different it Is. Theatre design has always been 

^^^H JL ^^^^^H something that Jim and Barrie, particularly 

^^^^K_Â_^^HHHIIi Jim, have been really strong in. There's some 

basic things about [the theatres Jim designed] that lend themselves 

toward efficient operation in customer service. For instance, most of 

the buildings have entrances front and back, of basically equal size. 

That's just a small, basic thing that right off the bat gets the customer 

into your building easier. And then Jim's adaptation of [the previous 

prototype] design when wewent to thestadiumseatingand the larger 

screen counts, the bigger buildings, has been greatly successful for 

us in our newer theatres. That's one area that I'll really be needing 

to step up my own involvement. We've worked very much as a team, 

but everybody had their strengths. And we're trying to fill the gaps. 

Boxoffice: What were the Loeks' other innovations? 

REID: The two major areas that changed under the Loeks are the 

physical buildings that we were constructing—they've gotten much 

larger, much more state-of-the-art, much more operation- and customer-friendly—and 

then the customer service programs that were 

installed. And we're absolutely committed to retaining those, and we'll 

hopefully continue to tlnd innovative ways to even expand upon them. 

Boxoffice: Are there some new innovations that you have in mind 

to improve the theatregoing experience? 

REID: We are all working together right now on a new prototype 

theatre. And within that prototype we want to continue to expand 

our food services. Perhaps form some strategic alliances with other 

compatible businesses— restaurants, game companies, book stores, 

other retail tenants that we think add to a theatre environment. 

Boxoffice: What is the status of the merger with Cineplex? 

REID: I only tell you that it's still in negotiations. [The deal was 

subsequently announced Sept. 30; see our next issue tor coverage— Ed.I 

Boxoffice: Can you talk about some of the challenges that would 

come with running the world's largest theatre circuit? 

REID: We'd have a lot more territory to become conversant with, 

a lot more buildings to evaluate and make sure that we feel that we're 

managing them properly, keeping them as up to date as we can. 

More territory to be aggressive regarding our expansion. I think there 

are a lot of challenges to blend the two philosophies as efficiently as 

we can and keep what each company is doing best and blend It. 

Boxoffice: Where is exhibition headed in the future? 

REID: We're into the era where you need to differentiate yourself. And 

the best forms of differentiation in most markets are to make sure that 

you've got the largest number of screens possible to be able to accommodate 

a wide variety of both product type and showtimes. Premium 

presentation—you need to provide stadium seating, very large screens, 

the best sound available, and extraordinary customer service. 

Boxoffice: What is most exciting to you about exhibition? 

REID: It's the rapid growth curve that we're all in. The fact that we've 

discovered the exponential attendance that you get from these megacomplexes 

has really changed the expansion plan to where you can 

look at a market differently. A market that two years ago you would 

have considered to be fully built out now looks like an opportunity, if 

it's reallyfilled with less-than-superiorfacilities. The most exciting thing 

right now is the expansion opportunities. Christine James 

nN^n 

CY YOUNG 

XI I 

E 

Your friends at: 

CITY 

CINEMAS 

ANGELIKA FILM CENTERS 

THEATRES OF 

PUERTO RICO 

READING ENTERTAINMENT 

ON-SITE 

RE-UPHOLSTERY 

& CUP HOLDER INSTALLATION 

We Install 

While Your 

Facility 

Sleeps .... 

STARTING AT $28.50 EA. 

1-800-729-2610 

Response No, 67

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS 

EUROVIEWS 

European News Notes by Melissa Morrison 

PIRATES OF THE VOLGA 

MOSCOW—The Russian government appears to be succeeding in reining in 

piracy. And Hollywood, whose products are the prime targets for unauthorized 

use in Russia, seems satisfied with the success. Major studios sent representatives 

to the Moscow Film Festival in July, ending a six-year boycott prompted by an 

unofficial television broadcast of "Die Hard 2." 

Meanwhile, Hollywood's crusader in Washington, Motion Picture Association 

head Jack Valenti, put his stamp of approval on Russian efforts after visiting with 

Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during the festival. The meeting was followed 

by Chernomyrdin's announcement of the establishment of a Foreign Ministry 

department aimed specifically at diminishing piracy of films, videos and television 

programs. The new department will accelerate Russia's strategy to combat piracy, 

sucn as the strengthening of copyright laws. 

Following the collapse of communism in 1989, Western products flooded a 

market that didn't have the legal and economic mechanisms in place to regulate 

it. The thirst for previously forbidden films and the country's massive size (300 

million people) quickly made Russia a hotbed of piracy. Video pirates were 

estimated to control 99 percent of the market, and it was not uncommon for a 

video release to follow a theatrical release by mere days, causing legitimate 

boxoffice to suffer. New laws as well as the establishment last autumn of Moscow's 

first multiplex, the Kodak Kino Mir, are credited with cutting into pirates' share 

and improving admissions. 

TAX CUTS FOR LOW BUDGETS 

LONDON—Already experiencing a high, the British film industry 

was further boosted by the new Labour government' s announcement 

of tax incentives for filmmakers and the creation of a culture 

task force. The tax incentives, which were announced in July, are 

estimated to be worth a total of $50 million annually. They will 

allow films with budgets less than $25 million to take a 100 percent 

write-off on their production and acquisition costs. The films must 

also meet requirements set under the 1985 Films Act, which define 

what constitutes a "British" movie. As a result, the break is expected 

to encourage more films by British filmmakers to be shot on British 

soil rather than abroad. The industry had long sought the changes, 

which are modeled on the tax laws of other European countries. 

The changes come as U.K. production is exceptionally strong, with 

53 films made in the first half of the year, an ei^ht percent increa.se 

over the same period last year, as well as vigorous activity by 

American productions filming in Britain. 

The government also introduced a task force of eight members 

from creative industries, including fashion, publishing and music. 

The film sector is represented by Sir David Pultnam, filmmaker and 

former HollywcKxl studio head; and Richard Branson, the man 

behind the Virgin Group, owner of Virgin cinemas and a partner in 

the Film Co., one of the country's innovative new studio franchises. 

The panel will discuss ways to improve the financial prospects of 

the country's entertainment and leisure industries. 

ANTONIA'S WHINE 

AMSTKRDAM—Shamed by the dismal local boxoffice for 

1996 Oscar winner "Antonia's Line," a home-grown film, the 

Dutch government is initiating a scries of supports for the IcKal film 

industry. Among them is an IK percent increase in annual funding 

forproduction to $16.8 million; the establishment of a new cultural 

bureau that will coordinate private funds with needy project.s; and 

140 Boxun-icE 

tax breaks for private investors 

through the creation of new mutual 

funds. "Antonio's Line," despite the 

international attention it got when it 

won the Academy Award for Best Foreign 

Film, was seen by only 120,000 

people in the Netherlands. 

Ironically, the Dutch cultural representative 

to the European Union was 

among those who rejected plans for a 

subsidy fund for film production that 

would have allotted $67.7 million to 

pan-European productions. The Dutch 

rep joined the German and Swedish 

representatives in saying that such a 

fund would not make a significant difference. 

The project was intended to be 

a counterpart to the European Union's 

MEDIA program—intended to promote 

European fillmmaking—which 

funds training for film-industry personnel 

and such elements as a film's distribution 

and screening. MEDIA'S latest 

project is a just-announced $4 million in 

loans to 135 independent production 

companies. 

KIELBASA AND A COKE, PLEASE 

POZNAN, POLAND—As the multiplex boom continues to 

reverberate across Eastern Europe, United Cinemas International 

has announced it will invest $100 million to build 10 multiplexes 

across Poland by 1999, beginning with a high-tech eight-screener 

in Poznan. It will be the country's first large multiplex (eight 

screens or more), although the four-screen Kino Femina opened in 

Warsaw in July 1996 to encouraging boxoffice. The Poznan site 

will be built on 54,000 square feet and will feature up-to-the-minute 

sound and visual technology, parking, stadium seating and wheelchair 

accessibility. 

UCI, a joint venture between Universal and Paramount, will 

collaborate with the Polish media §roup ITI in the building spree, 

which UCI Vice President Ray Smith expects will dramatically up 

admissions in Poland from 24 million in 1995 to 60 million by the 

year 2000. "Poland is a prime growth market and is still massively 

underdeveloped," he said, citing the nation's average of one screen 

per 50,(XX) people. "With a population of 38 million, the possibilities 

for UCI in Poland are vast. The experience we gain in Poland 

will prove invaluable to UCI, as we move into other Eastern 

European countries over the coming years." 

Other sites targeted for cinemas include Warsaw, Gdansk and 

Krakow. UCI's Polish venture follows the company's announced 

plans to open 20 sites in Germany over the next 1 6 months, as well 

as a total of 35 sites in Brazil and Japan. 

Next door in the Czech Republic, the company that built that 

country's first multiplex announced plans for three more. The 

B' riton media group's eight-screen Galaxie cinema (See 

B« .«)i->i(K story. July 1996) on the outskirts of Prague in spring 

1996 is credited with one-third of Prague's current admissions. 

Bonton is planning a second multiplex in the Czech capital, as well 

as two regional ones.

AlCPCongratulafcj 

1997 SHOWfAST Award Winners 

[ 

Salah M. Ha$san£in Humanitarian Award 

; 

Lcc Roy and Tandy Mitchc 

; 

Distinguished 

Service Award 

]amcs Murray 

AICP 

American Intemalional Concession Producfs, Corp. 20 Dubon Court, Farmingdale, NY 11735 

(516)420-1868 fax (516) 420-4042 

Warmest coKaratiAlaiioyu to 

Ltey Koy oma TokcU/ MitckM 

for tke^ SalaM/ M, HassoKeifiy Hcupumxtaruui/ Aamrd 

froiM/yourfriends at Ultra/*Stereo 

ÛSL,Inc. 

Quality Cinema Products 

Utora*Stereo, Labs, Inc. • 1S1 BoneCti Drive • San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

Telephone [SOS] 5^S-01S1 • l=ax [SOS] S^S-OIBS • E-mail feliciausl@aol.com

— 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS 

PACIFIC OVERTURES 

WRAP-UP FROM DOWN UNDER by Susan Lambert 

GOLD COAST—The 1997 Australian Movie Convention, 

which ran August 12-16, was by all accounts considered a great 

success. Organized by the Motion Picture Exhibitors Association 

of Queensland (MPEAQ), this year's AMC saw a record number 

of attendees—800—and trade booths—85—making it the largest 

industry gathering in Australia. Highlights of the convention included 

screenings of 20th Century Fox International's "The Full 

Monty" and United International Pictures' (UIP) presentation of 

"The Peacemaker," the Hoyts-sponsored awards night, Columbia/TriStar 

International's "My Best Friend's Wedding" weddingstyle 

luncheon reception, and the final evening's party, "Night at 

the Big Top," sponsored by Coca-Cola. 

Eight films screened over the course of the convention, including 

a still-being-completed "The Borrowers" (Polygram Filmed Entertainment 

International), "Mimic" (REP Distribution), "Ulee's 

Gold" (New Vision), Columbia/TriStar's "My Best Friend's Wedding," 

Roadshow Films' "Air 

Force One" and Dendy Films' 

"Doing Time for Patsy Cline." 

Fox screened an eight-minute 

trailer for "Titanic' that left 

many exhibitors excited about 

the upcoming film. The buzz 

also seemed good for an extended 

sequence from UIP's 

next James Bond film, "Tomorrow 

Never Dies." 

At the awards night, Ronin 

Films' "Shine" took home the 

Australian Film of the Year 

Award and the movie's star, 

Geoffrey Rush, was nairied 

Australian Star of the Year. 

Australian Boxoffice Achievement 

Awards were handed out 

for films that broke the AUS$ 1 

million (USS7.5 million) mark. 

Fox's "Independence Day," 

which took in almost AUS$30 million ($22.2 million), also won 

the gold award for highest-grossing film. In accepting the honor. 

Fox International president Jim Gianopolus promised that, if "The 

Full Monty" crossed the AUSSIO million mark by next year's 

show, he'ci accept the award while performing the "full monty." 

Boxoffice Achievement Awards also went to UIP for 'The Nutty 

Professor," 'The First Wives Club," "Liar Liar" and "The Lost 

World: Jurassic Park"; Buena Vista International (BVI) for "The 

Rock," "Ransom" and "101 Dalmatians"; Roadshow for 

Miramax's "The English Patient"; Polygram for "Bean"; Warner 

Bros. International for "Space Jam" and "Batman and Robin"; and 

Columbia/TriStar for "Jerry Maguire." 

Kodak won the National Film and Sound Archive's Ken G. Hall 

Award for its contribution to the preservation of Australian film. 

Greater Union's theatre at Canberra captured first place in the 

marketing awards for its promotion of Roadshow's "The Castle." 

Second place also went to a Greater Union theatre, this at Brisbane, 

for its "Paradise Road" campaign. And third place went to Valhalla 

Theatre in Sydney for "Rats — in the Ranks." 

The show's main seminar "Is Hollywood Paying Lip Service to 

International Distribution?"— prompted lively discussion among 

the keynote speakers, who included Anthony Marcoly, BVI's vice 

president of distribution; Scott Necson, Fox executive vice president 

of international marketing; and Polygram president Stewart Till. 

The London-based Till said the major studios remain prc(Kcupied 

with the domestic market. "Their brains say, 'Ltx)k international, '" 

Till said, "but their heads and 70 years of experience say, 'Just worry 

142 BOXOi'TICE 

"WEDDING" PARTY: Directors P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friend's Wedding") and 

Jocelyn Moorhouse ("A Thousand Acres") at Columbia/TriStar's lunch reception. 

about the U.S. and let the rest of the world worry about itself.'" 

Fox's Neeson, in stressing how important international boxoffice 

is to the bottom line in Hollywood, said, "International is helping 

to pay the bills. For that, Hollywood will always pay attention." 

Exhibitors expressed complaints about Amencan films being 

first released in the United States and the lack of subsequent star 

support for overseas releases. But Neeson said he believes there is 

a valuable "downflow" of international publicity based on the 

domestic openings, and BVI's Marcoly noted it was often difficult 

to persuade major stars to support offshore releases because of their 

hectic and changing schedules. Marcoly also said that BVI sees 

"great potential for local co-productions." As evidence, he mentioned 

the company's first German co-production, "Knockin' on 

Heaven's Door," and "Ashes From Paradise," an Argentinean 

co-production. Polygram's Till warned that it was bad business to 

see the American trend of wider releases and skyrocketing marketing 

costs being played out on an 

international front. "If we cut 

costs by 50 percent," Till said, 

"that doesn't mean fewer customers 

would come to the cinemas. 

But it would certainly 

improve profitability." 

Another forum entitled 

"Are Australian Films Becoming 

More Commercial?"—discussed 

the growing 

commercial potential and history 

of the Australian film industry. 

Panelist Kim Williams, 

chief executive of Fox Studios 

Australia, called the current expanding 

production market 

"the most exciting commercial 

period of Australian cinema." 

Well-known Australian film 

critic 

Peter Thompson moderated 

the event, which also included 

P.J. Hogan, Aussie director of "My Best Friend's Wedding"; 

Tim White, chief executive of Sydney-based Fox/Icon Productions; 

Chris Kennedy, director of "Doing Time for Patsy Cline"; 

and Andrew Mackie, director and head of marketing for the Globe 

Film Co. Hogan and Fox/Icon's White discussed the release of 

Hogan's "Muriel's Wedding" on the heels of fellow Aussie Stephan 

Elliott's "The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," 

a double success that indicated Down Under audiences would be 

willing and able to support more than one Australian film at a time. 

Said White, 'This is an industry that does have a commercial 

history and does have a long-established relationship—in that 

special way—between filmmaker and audience." 

Fox Australia's Williams noted that the industry was beginning 

to develop a body of performers who have real star positioning 

offering the kinds of promotional ' possibilities that are sorely 

needed for the industry." He mentioned Miranda Otto, Cate 

Blanchard, Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and Toni Collette as the 

type of rising stars who give exhibitors of Au.stralian films prominent 

selling points. Williams added that the industry was starting 

DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION-RELATED NEWS 

ITEM ABOUT THE ASIA-PACIFIC MARKET? 

E-MAIL SUSAN LAMBERT IN CARE OF 

boxofflce@earthlink.net

to see international companies (liice Fox Studios) moving into the 

Australian marketplace that are dedicated to "developing a body of 

original Australian work for production in Australia intended for 

international audiences." 

At the Thursday "independent" day, specialized film distributors 

announced the formation of the Australian Independent Distributors 

Association (AIDA). Richard Becker, managing director of the Becker 

Group, which owns REP and recently bought Dendy's arthouse 

distribution and theatre circuit, said the independent distributors had 

joined forces in order to have a stronger voice in the industry. By the 

end of the convention, 15 companies had joined the new trade group, 

including REP. Dendy, New Vision, Potential Films, Ronin, the 

Australian Film Institute, Reid and Puskar, Sharmill, Globe, Total 

Film and Television, the Other Film Co. and Palace Films. Some of 

the issues the association hopes to address will concern censorship, 

rental terms and classification fees. In January 1996, the Office of 

Film and Literature Classification upped the per-film fee to 

AUS$500 (US$373) from AUS$245 (US$182), and insiders say the 

fee will rise again near the end of 1997 due to a government edict 

that says the office must fully recover its costs by year-end 1999. 

Independent distributors claim that another hike will keep many 

smaller films from being distributed in Australia. Before the AMC 

began, some independent exhibitors and distributors questioned the 

convention's ability to accommodate the independents, but by the 

end of the convention—which included the independents' halfday—many 

of those distributor indies appeared to be won over. In 

fact, the only complaints regarding this year's convention concerned 

what many saw as limited time for the trade show. MPEAQ head 

Richard Parton noted that the trade show was open an amount of time 

that equaled last year's (under six hours), but he acknowledged that 

TVP 

THEATRE & VIDEO PRODUCTS 

CINEMA SOUND SYSTEMS 

CUSTOM AUDIO CABINETS 

DIGITAL AND ANALOG 

8-6-4-2 CHANNEL SYSTEMS 

ALL MAJOR SOUND PROCESSORS 

QSC AMPLIFIERS 

220 VOLT SYSTEMS 

ALSO AVAILABLE 

LITERATURE ON REQUEST 

305-754-9136 

921 n.e. 79th ST. 

305-759-0863 FAX miami. fl 33138 

RICHARD FOWLER 


JOHN GAMBLE 

POWER PLAYERS: MPEAQ president Richard Parton with Bob Wallis of 

Wallis Theatres at the 1997 Australian Movie Convention. 

the growth in the number of booths made it difficult for delegates to 

see everything. "I suppose it's the price you pay for getting bigger," 

he said. "It's difficult. But we try to accommodate everybody." 

Parton added, "We're aware of [the problem] and we'll address it, 

and I'm sure we'll come up with the answers." 

Parton felt this year's convention was "terrific," noting that the 

distributors had been especially cooperative. "UIP made the effort to 

get 'The Peacemaker,' which hadn't been shown even to the American 

critics," Parton said. "And the effort that Polygram made to get 

a print of 'The Borrowers' is providing us the type of film that people 

like to see [at the convention]. They want to see a film that's two or 

three months away, rather than one that's one or two weeks away." 

Parton also said the media response made this year's convention 

really stand out. "We proved we can launch the media coverage of a 

film from here as Columbia did with 'My Best Friend's Wedding.' 

I think we've gotten to the stage where we can get those people—the 

executives as well as our own Australian directors—here to support 

their films and give them the media release [they deserve]." 

And it wasn't only film product being successfully showcased at the 

AMC. Said Jim Murray, international business development manager 

of Digital Theater Systems, "There is no other conference quite 

like the MPEAQ' s Australian Movie Convention. I find it valuable, 

not only in developing the local markets but also in the international 

markets." Murray noted that business was brisk at the trade show. 

"DTS has received substantial orders," Murray said, "and we are 

working toward Australian films being produced in the DTS format." 

Murray added that, given the excitement and growth in the Australian 

industry, "next year's convention can only be bigger and better." HH 

B[ 

or 

over thirteen years Ultratech has meant quality 

theatre service, supply and equipment installations. 

Now we are proud to offer that level of service with equipment 

design specification, drapes, front ends and seating. 

Whether you operate one screen or a hundred, we can 

help. From competitive pricing on equipment, parts and 

supplies to affordable, reliable service by experienced, factory 

trained technicians. Call our toll free number or send 

us a message on the Internet and our friendly, efficient 

staff will place your order, or put you in touch with our 

nearest sales or technical representatives. 

ASK ABOUT OUR LOW COST 

PORTABLE DIGITAL SYSTEMS. 

ULTRATECH, INC. 

RO. Box 436 

Homestead, Pennsylvania 15120 

1-800-647-4795 

Fax: 1-412-469-9351 

E-mail: ultratech@ibm.net 


lf£M

BOXOFFICE 

August September October 

NOVEMBER 

(Current)

FEATURE CHART — NOVEMBER 1997 

December January '98 Forthcoming 

i'.Majoo, 12/19. ConVL 

11. 1«V Lynch. Nick Chin 

Ijfcolm McDowell. Dir: S 

êHon8Wilspeicr.l2/; 

d. Kristin Scott Thomas, 

est. Scartett Johansson. 

ndun. 12/25 ltd. Dra.Tet 

urme Tethong. Kunga J. 

.^h Martin Scorsese.

BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart NOVEMBER 1997 

OCTOBER 

Avalanche/CFP Division 

212-265-9119 

Nick and jane, Rom/Com. Dana 

Wheeler-Nicholson, James 

McCaffrey. Dir: Richard Mauro. 

10/10 

I Love You, I Love You Not, Dra. 

Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau. 

Dir; Billy Hopkins. 10/24 

Banner 

213-848-7500 

Telling Lies in America, Dra. 

Kevin Bacon, Brad Renfro. Dir: Guy 

Ferland. Oct ltd, mid-Nov. exp 

Castle Hill 

212-888-0080 

Eye of Cod, Dra, 84 min. Martha 

Plimpton, Nick Stahl. Dir: Tim 

Blake. 10/17 

CFP 

212-995-9662 

The Twilight of the Colds, Dra. 

Jennifer Beals, Brendan Fraser. 

Dir: Ross Marks. 10/24 

Filmopolis 

310-914-1776 

Son of Cascogne (France), Com. 

Jean-Claude Dreyfus. Dir: Pascal 

Aubier. 10/24 

Fine Line 

212-649-4800 

Gummo, Dra. Chloe Sevigny, 

Max Perlich. Dir: Harmony Kor- 

Ine. 10/17 NY/LA/For 

First Run 

212-243-0600 

Forgotten Silver. Mock Doc, 54 

min. Dirs: Peter Jackson, Costa 

Botes, w/1 5 min short. Signing Off. 

Gramercy 

310-385-4400 

Matchmaker (formerly The 

Strangest Places), Com. Janeane 

Carofalo, David O'Hara. Dir: 

Markjoffe. 10/3 

Greycat 

702-737-0670 

Was a lewish Sex Worker, Doc, 

I 

74 min. Dir: Phillip B. Roth. 

10/17 NY 

David Searching, Com/Dra, 1 03 

min. Anthony Rapp. Dir: Leslie 

Smith, LA/SF 

A Cun for Jennifer, Thr. 

Kino 

212-629-6880 

Happy Together, Rom/Dra, 94 

min. Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung. 

Dir: Wong Kar-Wai. 10/12 NY, 

10/31 LA, 11/14 exp 

Kit Parker 

800-538-5838 

Nueba Vol II, Com/Dra, 95 min. 

Lulsito Marti, Dir: Angel Muniz. 

213-467-3700 

Love Always, Dra/Com. Marisa 

Ryan, Moon Zappa. Dir: Jude 

Pauline Eberhard. 10/1 7 ltd (tent.) 

Grizzly Mountain, Adv. Dan 

Haggerty. 

Live 

818-778-3174 

Critical Care, Dra/Thr. James 

Spader, Albert Brooks, Kyra 

Sedgwick. Dir: Sidney Lumet. 

Island Digital Media 

(formerly Manga) 

415-275-5405 

Dancehall Queen (Jamaica), Dra. 

Dirs: Don Letts, Rick Elgood. 

10/24 Miami 

Tokyo Fist, Act, 84 min. Dir/Star: 

Shinya Tsukamoto, 

New Yorker 

212-247-6110 

Deep Crimson, Dra, 114 min. 

Daniel Gimenez, Marisa Parades. 

Dir: Arturo Ripstein. 10/8 

Beaumarchais (France), Com, 

100 min. Fabrice Luchini. Dir: 

Edouardo Molinaro. 10/24 NY 

October 

212-539-4000 

Year of the Horse, Doc, 108 min. 

Neil Young. Dir: Jim Jarmusch. 

10/8 NY, 10/15 LA 

Phaedra 

310-478-3308 

Timeless, Dra, 90 min. Peter 

Byrne, Melissa Duge. Dir: Chris 

Hart. 

Seventh Art 

213-845-1455 

Things I Never Told You, 

Rom/Com, 91 min. Lili Taylor, 

Andrew McCarthy. Dir: Isabel 

Coixet. 

Showcase Entertainment 

818-715-7005 

Cries of Silence, Dra/Thr. Karen 

Black, Kathleen York. Dir: Avery 

Crounse. 1 0/3 LA 

Sony Classics 

212-833-8851 

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, Doc, 

82 min. Dir: Errol Morris, 10/3 

NY/LA 

Strand 

310-395-5002 

Nenette et Boni (France), Dra, 

Cregoire Colin, Alice Houri. Dir: 

Claire Denis. 10/3 NY, 10/10 LA 

Trimark 

310-314-3040 

Chairman of the Board, Com. 

Carrol Top, Courtney Thorne- 

Sniilh, 10/24 

Eve's Bayou, Dra. Samuel L. Jackson, 

Lynn Whitfield. Dir: Kasi 

Lemmons. 10/24 NY, LA, 11/7 

exp 

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, 10/17 NY, 10/24 LA 

NOVEMBER 

Artistic License 

212-265-9119 

Other Voices, Other Rooms, Dra. 

Dir: David Rocksavage. 1 1/7 NY 

Capitol Entertainment 

301-564-9700 

Autumn Sun (Argentina), 

Rom/Dra, 103 min. Norma Aleandro, 

Federico Luppi. Dir: 

Eduardo Mignogna, 

Castle Hill 

A Further Gesture, Dra, -96 min. 

Stephen Rea. 11/14 ltd 

CFP 

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob 

Flanagan, Supermasochist, Doc. 

Dir: Kirby Dick. 11/8 NY/LA 

Fine Line 

The Sweet Hereafter, Dra. Ian 

Holm. Dir: Atom Egoyan. 11/21 NY, 

1 1/26 LA 

First Look 

310-855-1199 

Slaves to the Underground, Dra. 

Molly Gross, Marisa Ryan. Dir: 

Kristine Petersen. 1 1/14 NY (tent.) 

First Run 

Didn't Do It for Love, Doc, 80 

min. Dir: Monika Treut. 

Fox Searchlight 

310-369-4402 

Oscar and Lucinda, Dra, R, ~131 

min. Ralph Fiennes, Cate 

Blanchett. Dir:Gillian Armstrong. 

11/21 ltd 

Gramercy 

Bean, Com, 87 min. Rowan Atkinson. 

Dir: Mel Smith. 1 1/7 

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 Reirhley, 11/5 NY 

Northern Arts 

413-268-9301 

Hugo Pool, Com, 93 min. Robert 

Downey Jr., Sean Penn. Dir: Robert 

Downey Sr. 1 1/7 NY/LA 

Midaq Alley (Mexico), Dra. 

Salma Hayek, Dir: Jorge Fons. 

Withnail and I (U.K., 1987), 

Com, 105 min. Richard E. Grant. 

Dir: Bruce Robinson. 

October 

Kiss or Kill (Australia), Dra/Thr, 

96 min. Matt Day, Frances 

O'Conner, Chris Haywood, Dir: 

Bill Bennett. 

Phaedra 

Bollywood Cinema Series (India). 

Collection of five films. 

Sony Classics 

The Tango Lesson, Dra, Dir: Sally 

Potter. 11/14 NY/LA 

Spats Films 

213-469-6660 

III Gotten Gains, Dra, Djimon 

Hounsou, Akosua Busia, Dir: Joel 

Marsden, 1 1/14 LA/NY/Chi/SF 

Strand 

Full Speed (aka Toute Vitesse) 

(France), Dra, 85 min. Elodie 

Bouchez. Dir: Gael Morel. 

The Mouse, Dra. John Savage, 

Angelica Torn, Dir: Dan Adams. 

Turbulent Arts 

Never Met Picasso, Dra, Dir: Stephen 

Kijak. 11/28 

DECEMBER 

Artificial Eye 

212-255-1922 

The Mother and the Whore 

(France, ;97J| Dra,210min.Jean- 

Pien-e Leaud. Dir: Jean Eustache. 

12/12 NY 

Dreamworks SKG 

818-733-7000 

Amistad (formerly Mutiny), Dra. 

Matthew McConaughey, Morgan 

Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne. Dir: 

Steven Spielberg, 12/12 ltd, 

12/25 exp 

Mousehunt, Com/Ani. Voices: 

Nathan Lane, Lee Evans. Dir: 

Gore Verbinski. 1 2/25 

Fine Line 

Deconstructing Harry, Com. 

Star/Dir: Woody Allen. 12/12 

NY/LA/Tor, 1 2/24 exp, 2/6 wide 

The Winter Guest, Dra. Emma 

Thompson, Phyllida Law. Dir: 

Alan Rickman. 12/19 NY/LA/Tor 

First Run 

O Amor Natural, Doc, 76 min. 

Dir: Heddy Honigmann, 12/31 


Cousin Belle, Dra, Jessica Lange, 

Elisabeth Shwe, Bob Hoskins. Dir: 

Des McAnuff 

Gramercy 

The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges, 

John Goodman. Dirs: Joel & 

Ethan Coen. 12/25 NYAA, 1/16 

exp 

New Yorker 

Underground, Dra, -128 min. 

MIki Manojiovic, Lazar Ristouski. 

Dir: Emir Kusturica.

BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart NOVEMBER 1997 

Sony Classics 

Ma Vie en Rose, Com, 89 min. 

Michele Laroque, Jean-Philippe 

Ecoffey. Dir: Alain Berliner. 12/25 

NY/LA 

Strand 

Office Killer, Hor. Carol Kane, 

Molly Ringwald. Dir: Cindy Sherman. 

1 2/3 NY, 1 2/5 LA, 1 2/1 2 SF 

Zeitgeist 

212-274-1989 

Will It Snow for Christmas? 

Dominique Reymond, Daniel 

Duval. Dir: Sandrine Veysset 

1 2/1 7 NY 

JANUARY '98 

First Run 

Arguing the World, Doc, 107 

min. Dir: Joseph Dorman. 


Hard Men [U.K.), Dra. Vincent 

Regan, Ross Boatman. Dir: J.K. 

Amalou. 

Gramercy 

Tempting Fate (formerly Shakespeare's 

Sister), Dra. Kenneth 

Branagh, Madeleine Stowe, 

William Hurt. Dir: Leslie Linka 

Clatter. 1/30 

Kino 

Fallen Angels, Thr. Leon Lai, 

Karen Mong, Michele Reis. Dir: 

Wong Kar-Wai. 

Live 

The Real, Dra. LL Cool ), Snoop 

Doggy Dog, Bokeem Woodbine. 

Dir: Darin Scott. 1/6 (tent.) 

Suicide Kings (formerly Boys 

Night Out), Dra/Thr, 107 min. 

Christopher Walken, Henry 

Thomas. Dir: Peter O'Fallow. 

Island Digital Media 

General Chaos: Uncensored Arn 

imation, Ani. Various dirs. 

October 

Still Breathing, Rom, 109 min. 

Brendan Fraser, Joanna Going, 

Ann Magnuson. Dir: James F. 

Robinson. 

Phaedra 

Gonin (Japan), Act, 104 min. 

Takeshi Kitano. Dir: Takashi Ishii. 

Sony Classics 

Afterglow, Rom/Dra. Nick Nolle, 

Julie Christie. Dir: Alan Rudolph. 

Strand 

La Sentinelle (France), Thr, 144 

min. Emmanuel Salinger. Dir: 

Arnaud Desplechin. 

Trimark 

The Blackout. Matthew Modine, 

Dennis Hopper. Dir: Abel Fen-ara. 

Star Kid (formerly Warrior of 

Waverly Street), SF. Joseph 

Mazzello. Dir: Manny Goto. 

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, Dra, 97 min. 

Vanessa Redgrave, Rupert Graves. 

Dir: Madeen Gorris. 


Polish Wedding, Dra. Claire 

Danes, Gabriel Byrne, Lena Olin. 

Dir: Theresa Connelly. 

International Film Circuit 

212-691-0770 

Mother and Son (Germany/Russia), 

Dra, 73 min. Dir: Alexander 

Sokurov. 2/4 

Live 

Tarzan & jane. Casper Van Dien. 

Dir: Carl Schenkel. 2/27 (tent.) 

Polygram 

310-385-4000 

The Borrowers, Fam. John Goodman. 

Dir: Peter Hewitt. 

The Gingerbread Man, Thr. Kenneth 

Branagh, Embeth Davidtz. 

Dir: Robert Altman. 

Sony Classics 

Nil by Mouth. Kathy Burke, Edna 

Dore. Dir: Gary Oldman. 

Strand 

The Mummy. Alison Elliot. Dir: 

Michael Almereyda. 2/13 

Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life, Doc. 

Dir: Michael Paxton. 

Nights of Cabiria (Italy, 1957 reissue), 

Dra. Dir: Federico Fellini. 

MARCH '98 


Slums of Beverly Hills. Alan 

Arkin, Marisa Tomei. Dir: Tamara 

Jenkins 

Sony Classics 

A Friend of the Deceased 

(Ukraine), Dra/Thr. Alexandre Lazarev. 

Dir: Vyacheslav Krishtofovich. 

Men With Guns, Dra. Frederico 

Luppi. Dir: John Sayles. 

APRIL '98 


Ship of Fools (aka Shooting Fish), 

Dra/Com. Tony Shalhoub. Dir/ 

Star: Stanley Tucci. 

Polygram 

Bame/s Great Adventures, Fam. 

Trevor Morgan, Diana Rice. Dir: 

Steve Gomer. 

Live 

The Substitute 2. Treat Williams, 

B.D. Wong. Dir: Steven Pearl. 

2 

FORTHCOMING 

Cinema Village 

212-431-5119 

Cartoon Noir, Ani, 85 min. '97 

Dir: Steven Spielberg. 6/1 

Blue Vision. Annette Bening. Dir: 

Neil Jordan. Fall '98 

The Prince of Egypt, Ani. Voices: 

Val Kilmer, Steve Martin. Dirs: 

Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, 

Simon Wells. Nov '98 

Antz, Ani. Voices: Woody Allen, 

Danny Glover, Sylvester Stallone. 

Dirs: Eric Darnell, Larry Guterman, 

Tim Johnson. '99 

Artificial Eye 

Beyond the Clouds, Dra. Dir: Michelangelo 

Antonioni. 

A Summer's Tale, Rom/Com. Dir: 

Eric Rohmer. 

Artistic License 

Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, 

Dra. Dir: Christopher Munch. '97 

Dove 

310-786-1600 

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 

Com/SF. Douglas Adams. 

Dreamworks SKG 

Paulie: A Parrot's Tale. Tony 

Shalhoub, Gena Rowlands. Dir- 

John Roberts. 3/20 

Saving Private Ryan, Dra. Tom 

Hanks, Ed Burns, Tom Sizemore. 

El Dorado: City of Gold, Ani. 

Voices: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, 

Rosie Perez. Dir: Will Finn 

'99 

Fine Line 

Passion in the Desert. Dir: Lavinia 

Currier. May '98 

Pecker. Edward Furlong. Dir: 

John Waters. Aug '98 

The Legend of the Pianist on the 

Ocean, Dra. Tim Roth. Dir: 

Giuseppe Tornatore. Sep '98 

Didier (France). D/S: Alain Chabat. 

Esmeralda Comes By Night (Mexico), 

Com. Maria Rojo. Sir: Jamie 

Hymberto Hermosillo. 

Girl Talk, Dra/Com. Troy Beyer, 

Randi Ingerman. Dir: Troy Beyer. 

Red Violin. Samuel L. Jackson. 

Dir: Francois Girard. 

When I Close My Eyes Oapan) 

(formerly Letters of Love, Love 

Letter), Dra. Dir: Shunji Iwai. '98 

First Look 

The Other Side of Sunday (Norway), 

Dra, 104 min. Dir: Berit 

Nesheim. 

This Isthe Sea, Dra. Richard Harris, 

Gabriel Byrne, John Lynch. 

Gramercy 

Vrng Rhames, 

Body Count, Act. 

Forest Whitaker, David Caruso. 

Dir: Robert Patton Spruill. 

Clay Pigeons. Janeane Garofalo, 

Vince Vaughn. Dir: David Dobkin. 

Elizabeth I, Dra. Geoffrey Rush, 

Gate Blanchett. Dir: Shekhar 

Kapur. 

The Hi-Lo Country. Woody 

Harrelson. Dir: Stephen Frears. 

i Want You, Rom/Dra. Rachel 

Weisz, Alessandro Nivola. Dir: 

Michael Winterbottom. 

Land Girls, Dra. Gwyneth Paltrow, 

Rachael Weisz. Dir: David 

Leiand. 

Photographing Fairies. 

Plunkett and MacLeane. Robert 

Carlyle, Liv Tyler. Dir: Jake Scott. 

What Rats Won't Do (LJ.K.), 

Rom/Com. Natascha McElhone, 

James Frain. Dir: Alaistair Reid. 

Gurney 

212-838-2929 

Follow the Bitch, Com. 

Legacy 

The Leading Man. Jon 

Dir: John Duigan. '97 

Bon Jovi. 

Live 

The Second Arrival, SF. Patrick 

Muldoon, Jane Sibbett. Dir: Kevin 

Tenny. 

The Breakup. Bridget Fonda. 

Joyride. Benecio Del Toro. 

October 

Condo Painting, Doc. Dir: John 

McNaughton. '98 

Hearts and Minds, Thr, R, 105 

min. Dir: Ralph Ziman. '98 

The Naked Man, Com. Michael 

Rapaport, Rachael Leigh Cook. 

Dir: J. Todd Anderson. 

The Apostle, Dra. Robert Duvall, 

Miranda Richardson, Farrah 

Fawcett. Dir: Robert Duvall. 

Three Seasons, Dra. Harvey Keitel. 

Dir: Tony Bui. '98 

24/7. Bob Hoskins. Dir: Shane 

Meadows. 

Untitled Todd Solondz. '98 

Polygram 

What Dreams May Come. Robin 

Williams, Annabella Sciorra, 

Cuba Gooding Jr. 

Shooting Gallery 

212-431-6759 

illtown, Dra. Michael Rapaport, 

Lili Taylor. Eady '98 

Shadow 

207-872-5111 

La Petite Apocalypse (France), 

Com/Dra, 110 min. Pierre Arditi. 

Dir: Constantin Costa-Gavras. 

Trimark 

Bombshell. Henry Thomas, Frank 

Whaiey. Dir: Paul Wayne. 

Triumph 

310-244-8059 

Baby Geniuses. Kathleen Turner, 

Kim Cattrall. Dir: Bob Clark. 

Zeitgeist 

Murders and Murders. Yvonne 

Rainers.

HOME RELEASE CHART 

NOVEMBER 1997 

HOME VIDEO 

RELEASE

Boxoffice Magazine 

presents 

NovieFbne's Moviegoer Act liki 

Fbr the Month of August 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. Ttw following infonnation represents the most reijuested theatres and exhibitors on MovieFone. 

Top 10 Exhibitors & Tlieatres 

tank 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Most Requested Exhibitors 

EihlbHor 

United Artists 

AMC 

Cineplex Odeon 

Sony 

General Cinema 

Century 

Cinemark 

National Amusements 

Regal 

Act III 

Total Requests 

921,007 

767,198 

719.156 

652,106 

420.959 

274,046 

216,528 

181.299 

180,967 

153,810 

Last Month's 

Rank 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

10 

8 

12 

Most Requested Tiieatres 

, .„ ... 

Last Month s 

Rank Market Theatre Total Requests Rank 

1 NY Sony Lincoln Square 56,879 1 

2 LA AMC Century 14 43,695 8 

3 PH UA Riverview Plaza 43,380 6 

4 PH UA Cheltenham 40.063 5 

5 PH UA 69th Street 38,120 11 

6 Ml Regal Palace 18 32,147 9 

7 BO Sony Assembly Square 31 ,472 7 

8 BO Sony Copley Place 29.731 33 

9 NY SonyOrpheum 28,258 2 

10 SF AMCKabukiS 27,858 93 

Total 

Requests 

New York 

1,395,777 

Los Angeles 1 

Dallas 

586,472 

tank 

1 

2 

3 

690,663 2 

San Francisco 1 

3 

1 

2 

3 

410,410 2 

Philadelphia 1 

3 

410,406 2 

Miami 1 

3 

408,790 2 

Boston 1 

3 

277,752 2 

Phoenix 1 

3 

261,703 2 

Chicago 1 

3 

237,391 2 

Toronto 1 

3 

221,900 2 

Houston 1 

3 

200,246 2 

San Diego 1 

3 

136,916 2 

3 

Theatre (# soeens) 

Most Requested Tlieatres Per Screen 

Total 

SonyAstor(l) 8,885 

CO Coronet 1 & 2 (2) 1 5,876 

COBeekman(l) 7,195 

Mann National (1) 4,580 

GCCAvco(3) 12,928 

Landmk Nu-Wilshire (2) 6,861 

AMC Highland Pk. (4) 8,022 

AMC Forum (6) 10,579 

Granada Movie Grill (1) 1,704 

UA Coronet (1) 8,371 

Century Presidio (1) 5,774 

BIm Royal (1) 4,530 

UASameric(4) 21,319 

UA Cheltenham (8) 40,063 

Cinemagic 3 at Penn (3) 13,306 

AMC Kendall T&C (10) 25.904 

Blockbuster Imax (1) 1 ,923 

UA Movies at the Falls (12) 22,881 

Sony Cheri (4) 27,388 

FEI Somerville(l) 41,357 

NA Circle Cinema (7) 21 ,261 

Century Glendale 9 D-l (9) 20,420 

UA Christown Mall (6) 1 2,258 

Hark Cine Capri (1) 1,999 

Village North (1) 2,329 

CO Biograph (3) 6,246 

Sony Webster Place (8) 14,341 

Famous Uptown (3) 9,194 

Famous Eglinton (1) 2,329 

CO Erin Mills (5) 2,311 

CO River Oaks Plaza (12) 1 4,733 

GCC West Oaks Central (6) 5,448 

Sony Southpoint (5) 4,464 

Mann Valley Circle (1) 1,239 

Mann Cinema (1) 1,180 

The Vogue Theatre (1) 750 

Top 3 Actively* Requested Theatres: 

'Caller specifically requested theatre 

Key to AMC 

Act III 

AMC Theatres. IrK. 

Ad III Theatres 

ExtiJbitors BIm Blumenfeld Theatres 

Carmike Carmike Cinemas. Inc- 

Cenlury Century Theatres 

Cf^Cin City C'nemas 

CO Cif>eplex Odeon Cmp. 

Famous 

Fei 

Kings 

GCC 

General 

Famous Players 

Fei Theatres 

Kings Ciriema 

General Cinema Theatres 

Genera! Theatres 

Last Month's 

Rank 

1 

7 

75 

3 

5 

61 

1 

2 

22 

3 

2 

8 

1 

3 

2 

7 

1 

5 

1 

4 

3 

2 

4 

1 

6 

10 

1 

1 

3 

4 

1 

9 

10 

4 

2 

21 

Total 

Requesb 

Kansas City 

132,269 

Seattle 

118,881 

Atlanta 

113,926 

Denver 

113,823 

Nashville 

98,056 

Minneapolis 

91,145 

Cleveland 

84,696 

San Antonio 

76,432 

Las Vegas 

72,200 

Washington, DC 1 

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 

67,324 2 

Sacramento 

60,190 

Detroit 1 

3 

1 

2 

3 

49,908 2 

CO Worldwide 2, 

New York, NY 

iiJUT 

3 

Theatre (# screens) 

63rd St. D-l (2) 

Dksn Glenwood (4) 

Dksn Westglen (12) 

CO Cinerama (1) 

Act III Crossroads (8) 

Act III Mountlake (9) 

AMC Galleria (8) 

Let Garden Hills (1) 

Kings Cobb Center (6) 

Cinderella Twin D-l (2) 

AMC Buckingham (6) 

AMC Tiffany Plaza (6) 

Carmike Springfield (1) 

Camlike Hickory (8) 

Carmike Bell Forge (10) 

GCC Shelard Park (5) 

CO Skyway (6) 

UA Pavilion at Crossroads 

(7)4,134 

Regal Severance Movies (8) 8,176 

General Southgate (3) 

GCC Ridge Park Sq. (8) 

Act 111 Galaxy (14) 

Act III Bandera (6) 

Act III Rolling Oaks (6) 

UA Showcase (8) 

Gold Coast Twin (2) 

Century Las Vegas 6 D-l 

CO Cinema (1) 

CO Uptown (1) 

CO Embassy (1) 

Century Century (21) 

Century Sacramento 6 D-l 

Century 49'er D-l (6) 

Star Taylor (10) 

AMC Southland (4) 

AMC Eastland (2) 

Total 

Requests 

2,637 

4,526 

12,802 

1,226 

8,714 

9,503 

4,774 

517 

2,877 

1,829 

5,158 

3,207 

1,450 

9,046 

9,914 

3.247 

3,583 

2,914 

6,517 

12,376 

5,065 

4,677 

7,742 

1,521 

(6) 4,415 

(6) 

1,345 

1,210 

725 

2.4b3 

5,021 

5,007 

3,920 

1,321 

636 

last Month's 

Rank 

Sony Lincoln Sq. 3. Famous CkDiiseum 10 

New York, NY Toronto, Canada 

Hark Harltins Theatres 

Landmk Landma* Theatre Corp. 

Laemmw Laemmte Theatres 

Lef Lefont Theatres 

Mann Mann Theatres 

Mann yH Mann Minneapolis 

Mel Metropolitan Theatres Corp. 

MJR 

NA 

Pacific 

Regal 

Sony 

Slar 

UA 

MJR "Rieatre Senîce 

National Amus^nents 

14 

1 

4 

1 

7 

6 

8 

51 

Pacific Theatres 

Regal Cinemas 

Sony Theatres 

LoeKS-Star Theatres 

United Artists Theatre CiiOirt 

16 

16 

4 

12 

1 

3 

8 

4 

10 

6 

2 

5 

3 

7 

3 

2 

3 

7 

1 

1 

2 

3 

1 

5 

2 

6 

2 

4

— 

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 

RATES: $1 .00 per word, minimum $25, $15 extra 

for box number assignment. Send copy with check 

to BoxoFFiCE, P.O. Box 25485, Chicago, IL 60625, 

at least 60 days prior to publication. 

BOX NUMBER ADS: Reply to ads with box numbers 

by writing to Boxoffice, P.O. Box 25485, 

Chicago, IL 60625; put ad box number on letter 

and in lower-left comer of your envelope. 

HELP WANTED 

HEAD PROJECTIONIST: A dynamic, growing theatre 

chain is seeking a management leader to manage, instmct 

and develop its projection team. Complete, competitive 

compensation and tienefit package. Submit resume 

and salary requirements in confidence to: Warren Theatre 

Holding Inc.. P.O. Box 782560, Wichita, KS 67205. 

LET THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE your new or existing 

small business. Grants/loans to $500,000. Free recorded 

message: (707) 448-0270. (RN7) 

MANAGER AND MANAGEMENT TRAINEE positions 

are available. We are people-oriented and believe that 

excellent customer service and state-of-the-art technology 

are the keys to success in the movie theatre/swap 

meet industry. We offer a wide variety of benefits, competitive 

salaries and opportunities for professional growth. 

Join our team as we expand in California, Nevada, Arizona. 

New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Colorado and beyond. If 

you are looking for growth and opportunity and have the 

enthusiasm and the ability to manage/motivate people, 

now is the time to let us hear from you! Theatre/Swap or 

other management experience required and some college 

helpful. Send your resume and salary requirements to 

Century Theatres and Swaps, Attn: Human Resources 

Job Code fk1GR0897, 150 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco. 

CA 94102. No faxes or phone calls please. 

THEATRE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY: Wallace 

Theatres, a nationally recognized regional theatre circuit, 

is seeking outstanding theatre management professionals 

to join our rapidly-growing organization as General 

Managers. If you are a team player, enjoy working with 

the public and are seeking a career and a future in the 

motion picture exhibition industry, send your resume to: 

Personnel Director, Wallace Theatre Corp., 3375 

Koapaka St., Suite 345, Honolulu, HI 96819. 

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 

ACOUSTIC SOUND PANELS & CUSTOM WALL DRA- 

PERIES available in flameproofed colors and fabrics, 

artistic or plain. CINEMA CONSULTANTS & SERVICES 

INTERNATIONAL INC.. P.O. Box 9672, Pittsburgh, PA 

15226. Phone (412) 343-3900; Fax (412) 343-2992. 

BURLAP WALL COVERING DRAPES: $2.05 per yard, 

flame retardant. Quantity discounts. Nurse & Co., Millbury 

Rd., Oxford, MA 01540 (508) 832-4295. 

l

FAX 

. 

. 

. 

. 

November, 1997 151 

ADVERTISER INDEX 

AICP 87 

Action Lighting 151 

American Licorice Co 51 

. 116 

Automaticket/Hurley Screen Corp. 

137 

Berg, Harvey Allen & Associates . 

C. Cretors & Co 48 

CFS/Rentec 53 

Caddy Products 66 

Christie Inc C-2 

Cinema Cleaning Systems 46 

Cinema Consultants & Services ... 131 

Cinema Equipment Inc 44 

Cinema Products IntI 109 

Cinema Supply Co. Inc 127 

Cinema Technologies 151 

Cinevision Corp 101 

Grain/Atlanta Inc 117 

Crystal Visions Technology 45 

Cy Young Industries Inc 139 

DTS (Digital Theater Systems) 15 

Deep Vision 3-D 1 53 

Dolby Laboratories Inc 3 

EIMS Inc 33 

Eastman Kodak Co 79 

Electronic Creations Inc 131 

Equipment, Etc 153 

Filmack Studios 52 

Flavor Wear 83 

Funacho 81 

Glassform 114 

Go Card Pik:Nik 97 

Gold Medal Products Co 34 

Goldberg Bros. Inc 119 

Great Western Products Co 65 

Hadden Theatre Supply Co 83 

Hafler Professional 63 

High Performance Stereo 89 

International Cinema Equipment Co. 103 

JBL Professional 7 

Kelmar Systems Inc 

Ill 

Kinetronics Corp. USA 110 

Kneisley Electric Corp 124 

Largo Construction Inc 123 

Lavi Industries 77 

Lawrence Metal Products 124 

Lucasfilm Ltd 11 

Mag North 122 

Manutech 125 

ALLSTATE SEATING is a company that is specializing 

in refurtiishing, complete painting, molded foam, tailormade 

seat covers, installations, removals. Please call for 

pricing and spare parts for all types of ttieatre seating. 

Boston, MA. Phone (61 7) 268-2221 , (617) 268-701 1 

AUDITORIUM SEATING SPECIALIST. New installations, 

rebuilds, repairs and reasonable rates. Bob, (970) 

224-1147. Perfection Seating Inc., 295 Lone Pine 

Creek Drive, Red Feather Lakes. CO 80545. 

"BOOSTER B. 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 onsite 

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: p$eating@aol.com. 

400 Inwin Comet theatre chairs, recently reconditioned. 

S30 each. Other makes available. Also, four ADC masking 

motors, $400 each. Dominion Theatre Equipment 

Co., Fax: (604)682-1848. 

Marble Co 112 

Maroevich, O'Shea & Coghlan .... 127 

Mars Theatre Management Systems 93 

Multifoods 123 

NCSCorp 105, 115 

National Cinema Network 85 

National Cinema Service Corp. ... 121 

National Ticket Co 110 

New England Theatre Service Inc. . 117 

Nick Mulone & Son Inc 116 

ORC Lighting Products 29 

OSRAM SYLVANIA 41 

Odell's 16 

Odyssey Products Inc 75 

Pacer/Cats 71 

Peavey Electronics Corp 35 

PepsiCo. Inc 27 

Permlight Technology 113 

Pike Productions Inc 50 

Pinkston Sales & Service 127 

Pot O'Gold Productions Inc 117 

Potts, Robert L. Enterprises 129 

Proctor Companies 36 

Promotion in Motion Co 49 

QSC Audio Products Inc C-3 

RDS Data Group Inc 120 

Ready Theatre Systems 127 

Ricos Manufacturing Co 57 

SPECO (Sys. & Prod. Eng. Co.) ... 47 

Sega GameWorks L.L.C 39 

Smart Theatre Systems 17, 73 

Sony Cinema Products Corp 21, 23 

Stein Industries Inc C-4 

Strong International 37 

System Operating Solutions 131 

TSM Trade Show Marketing 91 

TVP Theatre & Video Products 143 

Technikote Corp 129 

Theatre Sen/ice Network Inc 114 

Theatre Services Corp 69 

Tootsie Roll Industhes Inc 9 

USL Inc 67 

Ultratech 143 

Unique Screen Ad Productions .... 43 

Wagner Zip-Change Inc 84 

Willming Reams Animation Inc. ... 116 

Wolk, Edw. H. Inc 129 

Worrell Sound & Projection 112 

Wyandot 122 

Yumex ILC Ltd 68 

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 tum-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; W/akefield 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. 

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 

ACTI^ 

DIRECT IMPORTERS MA.NUFACTURERS 

TOLL FRLE 

CANADA & U 

800-248-0076 

Response No. 

CINEMA 

TECHNOLOGIES 

use dye faded prints with 

Kinotech projection filters 

www.cinematechnologies.com 


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 Iradn 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) 

595-881 1 

FRONT END INSTALLATION with frames, motors and 

masking tracks. Call Cy Voung Industries Inc. 800-729- 

2610. 

MY 50TH YEAR with M.P.M.O., Local 249, Dallas, TX!I 

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- 

2610. 

SOUNDFOLDS & CURTAINS cleaned and fireproofed 

on site $.20-$.40 per hung sq. ft. (coast to coast). Call 

(800) 879-23 1 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 brightness. 

Call your dealer or ULTRAFLAT, 20306 Sherman 

Way, Winnetka, CA 91306. (818) 884-0184. 

http://www.cris.com~Ultraflt 

"WHILE THE THEATRE SLEEPS" On-site reupholstery. 

Top fabrics, molded seat cushions and "State of the Art" 

Cy Young cupholders. Call Cy Young Industries Inc., 

800-729-2610. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

MOVIE POSTERS WANTED; HIGHEST PRICES PAID 

FOR LOBBY CARDS, 1-, 3- AND 6-SHEETS, WINDOW 

CARDS, BANNERS, GLASS SLIDES. Dwight Cleveland, 

P.O. Box 10922, Chicago, IL60610-0922. (312)525-9152 

or fax (312) 525-2969. 

MOVIE POSTERS WANTED! I pay '.op dollar for vintage 

material. John Hazelton. 235 Morton Highway, Mineola, 

NY 11501. Call toll-free 1-800-CAGNEY4. 

WE NEED YOUR HELP!! TOP. (Theatre Operating 

Procedures) newsletter. Our goal is to unite, inform, 

entertain and educate all theatre management woridwide. 

Only with your help can we make this happen! We 

need your input on operation tips, good and bad customer 

experiences, inspiring stories, funny stories, why 

you are proud of your theatre, or any stories related to 

our profession. Fax it all to our special 24-hour fax idea 

hotline: (248) 738-1672. For subscription information, 

please fax your name and address to the number 

above, or write to T.O.P. Entertainment, 421 7 Highland 

Rd., Suite 188, Waterford, Ml 48238-2165.

1 52 BoxnmrT 

irtie lOia IPicture 

tempting to view the current boom in the production of science 

It's 

fiction films as almost wholly driven by baby boom nostalgia for 

old movie formats, coupled with the impact of computer technology 

on movie imagery. By coincidence, this very issue of 

BOXOFTICE reflects that duality. On page 1 8, we report on "Starship 

Troopers," a film about a futuristic war between human space 

soldiers and a vast army of insect-like aliens that would have been 

impossible to mount believably without the ever-evolving pictorial 

capabilities of Computer Graphics Imaging (CGI). On page 70, 

meanwhile, you'll find an article by the legendary Sam Arkoff, 

founder with the late Jim Nicholson of American Intemational 

Pictures, whose low-budget science fiction films ofthe '50s and '60s 

are demonstrable 

. 

influences on everything 

ftom "Independence 

Day" 

to "Event Horizon" 

to "Men In Black." 

In a sense, 

though, it's still surprising 

that we're 

coming to the close 

of a moviegoing 

year in which a 

cheeky sci-fi throwback 

will almost 

surely be the topgrossing 

film. Pundits 

with a 

sociological bent 

have long contended 

that the science 

fiction cycle of 

the '50s was driven 

by subterranean 

cuments in the post- 

WWII American 

psyche— the A- 

bomb made manifest 

as the giant 

radioactive critters 

of "Them," 'The 

Deadly Mantis" 

and "The Amazing 

Colossal Man;" fear 

of a Russian invasion 

transmuted 

into the alien attacks 

of "Earth vs 

The Flying Saucers," 

"Invaders 

From Mars" or "War of the Worlds." 

Though limiting, such observations arc valid enough. Which 

raises an interesting question: In an era when America is the world's 

sole superpower, when fears of nuclear attack are stilled by the lack 

of a worthy global adversary, why are millions of moviegoers being 

drawn to films which arc ultimately trading on genre formulas 

created and popularized in respoasc to the peculiar stxrial predicament 

of the Cold War? 

Spectacle surely plays a part in our new sci-fi boom; the CGI 

technologies driving these films arc nothing if not capable of 

spectacular effects. Some believe millennial anxiety is another 

influence on our contemporary angst about the world of the future, 

and perhaps there's uiith in that as well. Tlic year 2(XK) d(x», after 

all, have a terrifyingly round, anything-can-hiijipcn sort of gruvilas 

about it During the first millennium of the Roman calendar, it has 

been said, so many of Europe's farmers and laborers became 

convinced a Biblical apocalypse wasjust around the comerthatthere 

was a marked negative effect on Europe's economy as workers 

didn't bother with planting crops or shoeing horses that they 

wouldn't need anyhow come the end of the world. Still, it's hard to 

believe all that many people of today (other than conspiracy buffs 

and the religiously obsessed) are currently thinking too hard about 

numerological symbolism as they go about their daily lives. 

The answer to the riddle posed by our revived interest in sci-fi 

may lie somewhat closer to the eternal verities of the science fiction 

form, as opposed to the metaphoric filigree the Cold War era hung 

on it. The great theme of science fiction is, after all, man and his 

relationship to technology— 

to the 

things we create 

that may ultimately 

prove too powerful 

for us to control. In 

that sense, the myth 

whose 

of Icarus, 

wings melted because 

he flew too 

close to the sun, is a 

work of science fiction—despite 

— a 

the 

fact that it dates 

from a time when 

the nearest thing to 

a Cold War was between 

Athens and 

Sparta. Mary 

Shelley's "Frankenstein" 

is surely science 

fiction 

arguably the "Ur" 

myth underlying 

the entire genre. Yet 

"Frankenstein" was 

written in 1818— 

century and more 

before Yalta, Potsdam, 

Sputnik and 

the Beriin Wall. 

TT f 

hat 

usually 

gets 

forgotten 

about '50s America 

is that there was a lot 

more than just geopolitical 

tension 

going on. Across all sectors of society, a traasforming technological 

paradigm shift was under way, with the TV, the satellite, the rocket 

booster, the guided missile, the freeway, the commercial jet plane 

and a thousand other "space age" wonders .staggering to life simultaneously. 

Any one of these creations would have had a major etfect 

on the citizenry. In combination, their impact was almost immeasurable. 

For with new convenience came massive social dislocation. The 

superhighway allowed city dwellers to move to the suburbs, where 

the solitude of a 40 minute commute, plus isolation from the easy 

interaction of the urban neighborlxxxl enclaves that had nurtured 

generations, were the price of increased security and material comfort. 

The hydrogen bomb and the guided missile made Americans 

feci safe from any enemy—until the enemy got them ttx), ;uid there 

was suddenly nowhere on the entire planet to hide. TV entertained

cheaply, but it also cut deeply into hours traditionally spent on "quality time" 

among family members. By the mid-'50s, the dysfunctional family was edging 

toward becoming an American norm,juvenile delinquency was agrowing social 

fttoblem, and divorce rates were starting to cUmb. 

More 

than StaMn, the bomb, and the horrors of creeping, TV broadcastinduced 

American conformity, technology itself can therefore be said 

to have haunted the sci-fi screens of the '50s, just as it more subtly 

haunts our own sci-fi renaissance today. For once again, we live in a time of 

rapid technological change, as "www" prefixes and ".com" suffixes and the 

Microsoft Corporation intrude ftjrther each day into those subliminal spaces in 

our collective unconscious where we try to define ourselves and our place in the 

world. That enticing, fetishized monstrosity, the personal computer, and its 

endlessly replicating offshoot, the World Wide Web, give us ever more intricate 

excuses to boot up, jack in, and cut ourselves off from simpler forms of human 

contact like speech and touch—simpler forms which are the very things the 

psychologists and sociologists say we already lack most in our overly compartmentalized 

world, and which we need now more than ever before. 

Think of it: the personal computer has become almost as common as the 

television, the radio, the VCR. Statistics show that high school students have 

suddenly found a new interest in math—not out of a love for the complex 

wonders of Euclid and the square root of pi but because they fear for their 

professional futures if the PC revolution, with its emphasis on hard data, should 

leave them behind. Simulated realities—a sci-fi pipedream as recendy as three 

years ago—are becoming as commonplace as the closest theatre lobby, the latest 

press release from GameWorks or DisneyQuest. And so the struggle of the Men 

In Black, the fijturistic Starship Trooper, may in fact be as much a metaphoric 

struggle to humanize unfathomable technologies through pluck or humor as it 

is a struggle against weird extraterrestrial forces. The alien beings who gather 

in the dark spaces outside the framelines of our movie screens waiting to rush 

in and destroy us or bend us to their will may at least in part be emissaries of the 

unknowable, potentially dehumanizing effects ofan enemy whose language and 

customs are rooted not in Latin, Greek and Old Middle English but in Fortran, 

Basic and DOS. 

That the computers themselves are largely the technological authors of the 

images that speak to our unease about them is an irony of potentially historic 

proportions. Or maybe not an irony, but a throughline fix)m the Cold War genre 

formulas which live again in our moviehouses. For one distinctive aspect of the 

science fiction movies that '50s and '60s filmmakers like Jack Arnold, Roger 

Corman, Sam Arkoif and a hundred journeyman screenwriters and directors 

bequeathed to us was a relendess sense of paranoia about what's going on just 

outside of our field of vision, and the scale of the enemy's victory. The invaders 

are here, their movies so often seem to say, but they have come to us unannounced; 

the battle may be already lost before we realize it has even begun. Our 

foe hasn't shown his face yet, or else he looks like something familiar, even 

desirable. We may meet the enemy, only to find that he is us. 

DEEPER 3D 

p§E^mms% 

Red - 

o Anaglyph Glasses 

-LOW PRICES, 

FAST SERVICE 

-24 HR HOTLINE 

o DEEP VISION 3-D 


that must ha saan to ba baUand. 

• Top quality 

• Inexpensive price 

• All metal — no plastic 

— Ray Greene 

P O BOX 38386 

O HOLLYWOOD. CA 90038 

o 

° 213-465-5819 

o 

°Oo o o o o o o o oooooqc 

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 

ONLY $149.95 

A flaw coneaptton in 38 flun spUcan 

• 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 


November, 1997 153

Accessing exhibition's premier 

online resource just got even easier. 

WWW .hoxofficexom 

brings you the website THE NET 

Magazine calls "the BEST FILM 

WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET... 

A great read and a great resource 

for film buffs—intelligent, useful, 

and on top of things all at 

the same time." 

Now available with our 

own INFOSCOUT(TM) "instant 

updater" technology! 

BOXOFFICE ONLINE 

from your friends at 

WKSSSS^^ 

KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN USE

Scieen 

QSC Professional Amplifiers supply power 

to the hottest screens in the country, 

In fact, QSC /Aucf/o Is the largest supplier of professional 

amplifiers and accessories to the cinenna 

industry, Legendary reliability, awesome performance, 

versatile features and outstanding value have made 

QSC the industry standard. Fourteen amplifier models 

are currently approved for THX® cinema installations, 

with more on the way! Each model carries a commercial 

UL listing, as well as TUV and CSA approval for 

safety. Optional QSC 

plug-in accessories ore 

available to meet ttie 

specific signal processing 

requirements of digtol 

cinema sound systems. 

OpHanlaaesspry capability optimiiei amps 

for bi-amplication alscreeo (hannels, proiKh 

smoimlspeakenanilequcbesiheresponse 

ofpopular cinema subwoofm. 

Audiences demand the most powerful 

presentation of everything that digital soundtracks 

have to offer. Because power amplifiers are critical 

to the digital sound chain, QSC powers todays biggest 

Screen Stars, Stars demand the best. Shouldn't you? 

Call 714-754-6175 for valuable details. 

A tew of the otiier ttieoter chains teoftring QSC Power Amplifiers: iUlen Theatres, Assodoted Theotres, 

Budget Cnetnos, Central States Theatres, Qnema World, Gneplex Odeon Theatres, Qassic Onemas, Dickinson 

Theatres, Douglas Theotres, Edwords Cinemos, Generol Cinemos, GKC Theotres, GTI Theotres, Horkness 

Qnemos, Loews Theotres, Molto Theotres, Mora Theotres, Monos Theotres, Mortus Theaters, Mulone Theotres, 

MuYico Theotres, Notional Theatres, Neighborhood Cinemos, Pncifir Theatres, Plilt Theatres, Rhyon Theotres, 

SoCol Onemos, U.CI. Theotres, Womer Internotionol Theotres, Western HTS Qnemos, end mony, mony more... 

The Power Behind The Rctures, 

Lucasfilm and THX are trademarks o( Lucasfihi. Ud. 

The Power Behind The Pictufes' is a irademarV of QSC Audio Products. Inc., 

"OSC and the QSC logo are registered with the U S. Patent Office, 

QSC Audio Products. Inc. 1675 MscArlhur Blvd.. Costa Mesa. CA 92626-1468 

PH (714) 754-6175 FAX f71 4) 754-6174 E-mail: in(o©q8caudto.com 

QSC WortdGroup BBS: (800) 856-6003 or (714) G68-7S69

HnoonMNo. 101 

'J 

:.xM^ 

 

x^ 

c3 

^ 

ui m- 

\ê will custom design and build your concession stand to your special requirements. 

We combine state-of-the-art technology with professional craftmanship, incorporating all 

the clearly received ideas of the clients. Every feature is designed with a concept towards 

practical performance... controls devised for easy, fast operation. 

Concession Stands, Box Offices, Popcorn Poppers, Butter Dispensers, Popcorn Warmers, 

Nacho Warmers, and any related theatre lobby fixtures. 

;\ms 

CALL: 516-789-2222 • FAX: 516-789-8888 

ynJ^lllMlllwlPMSiiBBillf

Boxoffice-November.1997

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?