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DEPARTMENTS 

MAY, 1997 VOL. 133 NO. 5 

UNQUOTE: / want to write movie scripts, but I like directing iibiwe all. All I know for sure is 

I've gone too far to hack out now .—STEVEN SPIELBERG at age 17 

SPECIAL REPORT: SHOWCANADA '97 

Our annual salute to the Canadian market celebrates exhibition in the Great 

White North! PL US: Get ready for ShowCanada '97 with our special introductory 

contents. SHOWCANADA: May 6 - 10, 1997. Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, Ontario. 

SECTION I: SHOWCANADA 1997 

36 SHOWCANADA '97: A VIEW FROM THE CAPITAL 

ShowCanada Co-Chair Dina Lebo touts the exciting agenda for 

ShowCanada 1 997. By Dina Lebo 

38 SHOWCANADA '97: ENTERTAINMENT, INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION 

Cathy Watson of the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of 

Canada celebrates Canada's show of shows. By Cathy Watson 

40 SHOWCANADA '97: RAISING CANADA'S PROFILE 

Words of wisdom from Dan Johnson of the Canadian Association 

of Film Distributors and Exporters. By Dan Johnson 

42 SHOWCANADA '97: A "CAPITAL" IDEA 

ShowCanada comes to Ottawa, the Canadian capital and one of 

the most beautiful cities in the hemisphere. By Christine James 

44 SPECIAL REPORT: CANADA'S FILM FUNDING CRISIS 

As government cutbacks change Canadian funding, Boxoffice 

examines the impact on film production. By Shiomo Schwartzberg 

46 CANADIAN EXTRA: A MOVABLE FEST 

The Ontario Northern and Southern Film Circuits bring art-house 

product to off-market Canada. By Shiomo Schwartzberg 

50 SHOWCANADA INDIE SHOWCASE: THE HOUSE THAT KEITH BUILT 

Keith Stata takes the term "movie house" to its logical extreme with 

a five-plex built right into his home. By Susan Lambert 

52 EXHIBITION EXTRA: THE FIFTH ELEMENT 

Canada's Fifth Avenue Cinemas offers the latest address for the 

burgeoning Canadian art-film market. By Shiomo Schwartzberg 

SECTION 11: 

MAY FEATURES 

6 SHOWEST UPDATE: NATO/MPAA 1 997 TOTALS 

Final totals and demographic statistics for 1996. By Ray Greene 

1 COVER : SPIELBERG—A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN 

Behind the scenes on "Firelight," the "lost" feature debut of the 

most successful filmmaker in movie history. By Joseph McBride 

16 SNEAK PREVIEW: FffffZf FRAME 

Director Joel Schumacher makes "Batman" his own with "Batman 

& Robin", starring Ah-nuld as Mr. Freeze. By Wade Major 

20 SNEAK PREVIEW: AIR POWER 

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer on life after Don Simpson and his 

new big-screen actioner "Con Air." By Lea Russo 

24 SHOWEST '97: PICTURE THIS 

Pictorial memories of ShoWest '97. 

26 BOXOFFICE AND OSCAR: REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD 

Behind the scenes at Oscar '97. By Ray Greene 

34 SPECIAL REPORT: THE 6,000-FOOT REEL 

EXCLUSIVE! Exhibition's first comprehensive look at a new 

technology that has projection reelin' and rockin'. By Pat Kramer 

70 INTERNATIONAL EXTRA: ANATOMY OF A MERGER 

Boxoffice is a witness to history as Holland's A.J. Weststrate and 

Belgium's Joost Bert make it legal. A special eyewitness report. 

By Ray Greene and Kim Williamson. Photos: Frank Smit 

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

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

$80. Overseas subscriptions fall airmail): $80. Periodical postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional 

mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Boxoffice, 725 South Wells St., 4th Floor, 

Chicago, IL 60607. 

O Copyright 1997 RLD Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction In whole or part 

wittK>ut permissk>n is prohibited.

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6 

SHOWEST 

WRAP-UP 

As ever, ShoWest '97 was the place to be 

for the exhibition community during the first 

week of March, 1 997. The sheer spectacle of 

the studio-sponsored dining events (which 

reportedly priced out at over $2 million in 

some instances), the amazing array of starpower 

marshalled to pitch upcoming product, 

and the glimpses of such eagerly 

anticipated titles as "Batman and Robin," 

"Titanic" and "Men in Black" were event 

highpoints, with ShoWest presenting exhibition 

with that rare opportunity to form early 

impressions about entire slates of product. 

The final night awards event, simulcast live 

over Turner Network Television, struck most 

in attendance as more entertaining (and even 

better TV) than ever before. 

Among the many important and informative 

networking opportunities at this year's 

ShoWest was an annual chance for a face-toface 

talk with MPAA president jack Valenti 

and NATO president Bill Kartozian. These 

industry giants preceded Valenti's annual 

ShoWest address with a detailed analysis of 

the 1996 NATO/MPAA survey statistics 

which Valenti presented to the convention. 

As reported in our March BAROMETER 

issue, 1 996 saw a record 

boxoffice take 

of over $5.9 billion, 

with the final "admissions 

sold" tally 

coming in at 1 .34 billion. 

The '96 audience 

breakdown 

included interesting 

stats when analyzed 

by age and ethnicity. 

The largest block of 

tickets (502.8 million) 

was sold to 

moviegoers between 

the ages of 21 to 39. 

But the fastest growing 

sector of the 

market (on a ticketby-ticket 

basis) was 

again, as in 1995, the 

over-40 audience— 

fact Kartozian and Valenti attributed to the 

strong tradition of moviegoing as a social 

activity which members of the "baby boom" 

generation have carried over into middle 

age. Over-40 admissions accounted for 409 

million tickets In 1996—a 12.5 percent increase. 

Twelve- to 20-year-olds also were up 

dramatically, racking up some 347.8 million 

trips to the moviehouse for a 25 percent rise 

over that group's 1 995 attendance figures. 

By ethnicclassification, the increasingsigniflcance 

of the Hispanic market gathered 

strength in 1996. White audience members 

still accounted for the largest portion of admissions, 

with 70 percent of tickets sold. But 

Hispanics accounted for 1 3 percent of the 

overall tally, a slight rise compared to the 

third-ranked African-American community, 

MATO/MPAA NUMBERS. '96 

DOMESTIC GROSS: $5,912 BILLION 

ADMISSIONS: 1.34 BILLION 

AVERAGE TICKET PRICE: $4.41 

COMBINED AVERAGE PRODUCTION 

AND MARKETING COST FOR MPAA 

MEMBER FEATURE FILM: 

$59.7 MILLION 

which has remained at or near 1 1 percent of 

the tally for the last several years. All other 

ethnic groups combined made up the remaining 

6 percent of tickets sold. 

The average price of a domestic movie 

ticket rose a very modest 1 .5 percent from 

1 995's $4.34 to $4.41 in 1 996. NATO president 

Kartozian noted the increase was less 

than the U.S. rate of inflation before adding 

that he was concerned that the return on 

investment for exhibitors— particularly those 

involved in massive re-screening and building 

efforts—has reached a point where it is 

decreasing relative to the rise in the cost of 

doing business. The NATO president hinted 

that the issue of audience concerns over 

ticket prices has been more than addressed 

over the past few years; "I think we have 

come to the point where people no longer 

view Imoviegoing as overly expensive]," he 

said, adding that "we need to begin stressing 

the value" of moviegoing as opposed to 

price. What this change of emphasis may 

portend for ticket prices in the future remains 

an open question. 

Valenti was reluctant to criticize the continuing 

inflationary spiral which MPAA 

member product appears to be caught up in; 

asked directly if he thought rising costs were 

a problem, Valenti said that costs could afford 

to rise until the movie industry started 

losing money. But there was a pervasive 

sense among many ShoWest attendees that 

controlling production and marketing costs 

would have to become a major studio priority 

in the near future. While self-described 

"pathological optimist" Valenti may not have 

shared in such dark mutterings, he did present 

the numbers 

which could be used 

to back them up: In 

1996, there were 21 

MPAA titles released 

in North America, 

four more films than 

in 1995. The average 

negative cost for 

MPAA member titles 

was $39.8 million, a 

jump of 9.5 percent, 

while per-title marketing 

costs hit $19.8 

million, also up 9.5 

percent. Where in 

1 995 the average studio 

feature cost $54.1 

million to make and 

promote, in 1 996 that 

same film cost $59.7 

million. Such figures 

are even more startling when one looks back 

to the beginning of the decade, when MPAA 

member titles cost $50 million to bring to the 

screen. What this means is not only that 

marketing and production costs have risen 

by 20 percent in the past seven years, but that 

more than half the increase occurred in 

1 996, the most recent year surveyed. 

In a characteristically memorable turn of 

phrase, Valenti referred to the costs issue as 

"a grouchy, grungy rhino, hunkered down in 

the middle of the road." It's probable many 

on the supply side of the movie industry 

would not only agree with him, they might 

have a rather vivid description for which part 

of their anatomy the horn on Valenti's rhino 

has lodged itself in. 

And that was the ShoWest that was. 

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 

Jotin Allen 

George T. Chronis 

Pat Kramer 

Ann Kwinn 

Wade Major 

Joseph McBride 

Jean Oppenheimer 

Lea Russo 

Shiomo Schwartzberg 

R.B. Whitter 

EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT 

Melissa Morrison 

e-mail: tomelis @ bohem-net.cz 

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Ben Shlyen 

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WEST COAST ADVERTISING REP. 

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BUSINESS MANAGER 

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CIRCULATION DIRECTOR 

Chuck Taylor (312)922-9326 

OFFICES 

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8 Bf)xr)KFiCE 

HOLLYWOOD 

REPORT 

EDWARD NORTON 

All "American" 

MADONNA 

"Tina" Turn 

PATRICK SWAYZE 

"Killer" Role 

"AMERICAN HISTORY X" 

young man (Edward Norton, 

"The People vs. Larry Flynt") 

tries to overcome his violent, 

racist tendencies and help his 

brother (Edward Furlong, 

A 

"Before 

and After") do the same in 

this drama. Fairuza Balk ("The 

Craft") plays his girlfriend. Tony 

Kaye directs from a script by 

David McKenna. (New Line) 

UNTITLED TINA MODOTTI 

BIOPIC Having finally established 

herself as a legitimate 

thesplan in "Evita," Madonna 

has signed to star in this biopic 

of Italian-born Tina Modotti, 

who emigrated to the U.S. in 

1913 and initially pursued a career 

as a silent film actress in 

Hollywood. During the '30s, 

Modotti was renowned in Mexico 

and Europe as a photographer 

and political activist. She 

died under mysterious circumstances 

at age 45 in 1942. Gabriel 

Byrne ("Smilla's Sense of 

Snow") will play Vittorio 

Vidale, one of Modotti's lovers. 

(Distribution is to be set) 

"AVON LADIES OF THE AMA- 

ZON" "First Wives Club" trio 

Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and 

Diane Keaton are in talks to reteam 

in this comedy about three 

women who get stranded in the 

amazon. (UA) 

"HOPE FLOATS" Sandra Bullock 

("In Love and War") will 

star in this drama as a mother 

who, after a difficult divorce, 

goes back to her family home 

with her young daughter. Forest 

Whitaker ("Waiting to Exhale") 

directs. (Fox) 

"ONE FREE MURDER" Sylvester 

Stallone ("CopLand") will 

play a mobster loosely based on 

Michael Franzese, who was imprisoned 

in 1966 for bank robbery 

but claimed he was 

framed. New York Post columnist 

Jack Newfield wrote articles 

asserting that the evidence 

against Franzese was shaky. 

Franzese was eventually freed 

from jail, and out of gratitude 

told Newfield he had "one free 

murder" coming to him. Newfield 

will co-write the script. 

(Universal) 

"I AM LEGEND" Arnold 

Schwarzenegger ("Eraser") is 

considering a starring role in 

this adaption of Richard 

Matheson's cult novel, which 

was adapted twice before as 

1 964's "The Last Man On Earth" 

and 1 971'$ "The Omega Man." 

Schwarzenegger would play 

one of the last healthy survivors 

of a bacterial plague. (Warner) 

"PATCH ADAMS" Robin Williams 

("Jack") will star for director 

Tom Shadyac ("The Nutty 

Professor") in this true story 

about a man who runs a free 

medical clinic in Virginia. Steve 

Oedekerk ("Ace Ventura; When 

Nature Calls") wrote the script. 

(Universal) 

"DUETS" Real-life romantic 

duet Brad Pitt ("The Devil's 

Own") and Gwyneth Paltrow 

("Emma") will star in this comedy 

which centers around the 

karaoke bar phenomenon. 

Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth's father) 

will helm. (Columbia) 

"ISHMAEL" Mel Gibson is attached 

to star in this film as an 

anthropologist in Africa who 

takes extreme measures to protect 

gorillas from poachers and 

ends up in an insane asylum. 

Jon Turteltaub ("Phenomenon") 

directs. (Buena Vista) 

"SAVIOR" This true story of a 

French-American mercenary 

who rescues a baby orphaned in 

a war will star Dennis Quaid 

("Dragonheart"), Nastassja 

Kinski ("Father's Day"), and 

"Breaking the Waves'" Stellan 

Skarsgard and Jean-Marc Barr. 

The film, an Oliver Stone-Janet 

Yang Ixtlan production, will be 

directed by Peter Antonijevic. 


"SPHERE" This adaptation of 

Michael Crichton's sci-fi novel 

about a team sent under water 

to examine a mysterious spacecraft 

and its even more mysterious 

contents will star Dustin 

Hoffman ("American Buffalo"), 

Sharon Stone ("Diabolique"), 

Samuel L. Jackson ("A Time To 

Kill") and Queen Latifah ("Set It 

Off"). Barry Levinson ("Sleepers") 

will direct. (Warner) 

"PLEASANTVILLE" In this comedy, 

two teenage siblings ("Ice 

Storm's" Tobey Maguire and 

"Fear's" Reese Witherspoon) 

find themselves trapped in the 

world of a wholesome "Leave It 

to Beaver"-esque '50s sitcom 

family. Jeff Daniels ("101 Dalmatians"), 

Joan Allen ("The Crucible") 

and William H. Macy 

("Fargo") also star for first-time 

director Gary Ross, who also 

wrote the screenplay. Ross is a 

two-time Academy Award 

nominee for scripting "Big" and 

"Dave." (New Line) 

"THE WATER BOY" Adam 

Sandler ("Happy Gilmore") will 

co-script and star in this comedy 

about an inept waterboy who's 

discovered to have an innate 

talent for football. (Buena Vista) 

FROM A KILLER" 

"LETTERS 

Patrick Swayze ("To Wong Foo, 

Thanks for Everything, Julie 

Newmar") stars in this thriller 

about a prison inmate on Death 

Row who has been exchanging 

love letters with four different 

women, each thinking herself 

his only amour. When he's unexpectedly 

released from jail, 

he finds he may not have eluded 

his death sentence after all 

when one of the women becomes 

violent. David Carson 

("Star Trek Generations") will 

direct. (Distribution is to be set) 

"THE BIG LEBOWSKI" Next up 

fortheCoen Bros., the filmmaking 

siblings who brought us 

"Fargo," is this black comedy 

about a man named Dude 

Lebowski who is confronted by 

gangsters demanding repayment 

of a loan. Lebowski thinks 

it's 

a case of mistaken identity, 

but soon finds himself entangled 

in a kidnapping plot. Jeff 

Bridges ("The Mirror Has Two 

Faces"), "Barton Fink's" John 

Goodman and John Turturro, 

and "Fargo's" Steve Buscemi and 

Peter Stormare star. (Gramercy) 

"THE POSTMAN" Larenz Tate 

("Dead Presidents") and newcomer 

Olivia Williams have 

joined Kevin Costner ("Tin 

Cup") in this sci-fi film in which 

a postman risks his life to continue 

delivering mail after an 

apocalyptic disaster. (Warner) 

"HELLCAB" John Cusack 

("Grosse Pointe Blank"), Laurie 

Metcalf ("Dear God"), Julianne 

Moore ("Lost World") and Gillian 

Anderson (TV's "The X 

Files") have signed on to 

"Hellcab," an adaptation of the 

play of the same name, which is 

about a day in the life of a cab 

driver during the mayhem of the 

Christmas holiday. Paul Dillon 

will re-create the role he originated 

onstage as the cabbie. 


ETCETERA: Uma Thurman and 

Ralph Fiennes are in talks to star 

in Warner's bigscreen adaption 

of the '60s action adventure TV 

show "The Avengers". ..Drew 

Barrymorc has signed on to take 

the title role in Fox's 

"Cinderella".. .Edward Burns 

will star opposite Tom Hanks in 

DreamWorks' "Saving Private 

Ryan". ..Vincent D'Onofrio and 

Skeet Ulrich have joined Matthew 

McConaughey and Ethan 

Hawke in Fox's Richard Linklafer-di 

reeled "Newton Boys," 

the true story of four bank-rol> 

bing brothers. Juliana Margulies 

has also signed on, and will play 

McConaughey's love interest.

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Cover 

rait of th6

; 

IVrtist as a Young Man 

An EXCLUSIVE Look at "FIRELIGHT," the Lost Feature 

Film Debut of STEVEN SPIELBERG by Joseph McBride 

I 

Oi 

ne of the great pleasures of recent 

\ times here at BOXOFFICE has 

been our opportunity to publish 

articles under the byline ofJoseph McBride. 

Joe McBride is something ofa legend 

in the annals of movie scholarship: his 

book-length studies of everyone from 

Orson Welles to Frank Capra to John 

Ford to Howard Hawks set new standards 

for both criticism and biography. 

With "Steven Spielberg: A Biography," 

Joe has set his sights on a contemporary 

legend, and come through with 

characteristically flying colors. Unlike 

virtually every other biographer who has 

attempted to chart the alnwst unbelievably successful careerofourmost 

eminent director-producer, Joe has grounded his 

epic study in extensive first-hand research, and 

wedded that research to a comprehensive re-examination 

ofSpielberg 's career which, it already 

seems certain, will form the basis for a fresh 

evaluation of Spielberg the artist, as well as 

Spielberg the man. Such prestigious publications 

as Kirkus Reviews have already pronounced 

McBride 's "Spielberg" the definitive work on its 

subject— a verdict with which we heartily agree. 

We couldn 't let Joe 's achievement pass unnoticed 

in these pages, but at the same time, owing 

to Joe's professional relationship with 

BOXOFFICE, we were a bit uncomfortable with 

the concept ofusing our reviews pages to ladle the 

superlatives on McBride 's 

"Spielberg " which it 

nevertheless so richly deserves. Fortunately, publication 

of "Steven Spielberg: A Biography" has 

been timed to coincide with the release of 

Spielberg's eagerly-anticipated "Jurassic Park" 

.sequel "The Lost World, " making the ideal solution 

this article-length excerpt about a "lost" 

project ofa different sort: Spielberg 'sfirstfeature 

length effort, completed when he wasjust 1 7years 

old, a sort offirst draft version of "Close Encounters" 

entitled "Firelight. " Among the many signs 

offuture greamess which Joe has unearthed was 

one particular detail wefeh BOXOFFICE readers 

would enjoy: to get his movie screened, 

Spielberg had to take on the role of theatrical 

exhibitor which explains in part his uncanny kinship 

with with both audiences and exhibitiors all 

over the world. 

And so, for your reading pleasure, by special 

arrangement with Simon and Schuster, 

BOXOFFICE MAGAZINfE proudly presents 

this teaser-trailerforan epicproduction by Joseph 

"People in 

McBride: "Steven Spielberg: A Biography. " From all of us here, 

congratulations, Joe, on a job well done. 

-^tay Greene, Editor-in-Chief, BOXOFFICE 

A" 

Phoenix Still 

speak in awestruck 

tones of how 

Spielberg talked his 

way into shooting 

scenes for 'Firelight' 

at Baptist Hospital and 

Sky Harbor Airport." 

searchlight swept the night sky of downtown Phoenix as a 

limousine puUed up under the theatre marquee. The director and 

his stars stepped out, bedazzled by the glare of strobes and 

exploding flashbulbs. Inside, a packed house awaited the world premiere 

of a science-fiction epic from American Artist Productions. For 

the next two hours and 15 minutes, the audience watched enrapt at the 

spectacle of mysterious colored lights emerging irom the heavens to 

abduct humans for an extraterrestrial zoo. At the night's end, the 

boxoffice take from that screening at the Phoenix Little Theatre, at 

seventy-five cents a head, was enough to put the movie into profit. 

The date was March 24, 1964. The movie was "FireUght." Its 

production cost was under $600, and it was the first feature-length film 

written and directed by a high school junior named Steven Spielbei^. 

After becoming a professional filmmaker, Spielberg publicly disparaged 

"Firelight" 

as "one of the five worst films ever made anywhere." 

But his extraordinary promise was obvious to everyone who attended 

the Phoenix premiere of the 8mm production. 

"'Firelight' is just as good, although this may be 

construed as criticism, as some of the sciencefiction 

movies seen by the late-late television 

viewers," wrote A rizona Journal reviewer Larry 

Jarrett. "The plot, the action, the basic material 

of the movie, is sound and not as far out as some 

oi\{o\\Yôod''ifantasies-de-sciencey 

Allen Daviau, the cinematographer who has 

shot such Spielberg films as "E.T. —^The Extraterrestrial," 

"The Color Purple," and "Empire of the 

Sun," was shown "Firelighf ' by Spielbei^ in the 

late 1960s. "It's what you expect with a kid's film, 

CO 

the acting and so on, but oh, God! Some of it was § 

so audacious,' ' Daviau say s. 'The effects were what 

5" 

was really amazing—that's what his heart was in. 

& 

What he did with crumpled aluminum foil and bits 

c3 

of Jello on a kitchen table was pretty amazing." 

1: 

The stimulus for "Firelight" was an unidentified 

flying object Spielberg did not see when he 

was growing up in Phoenix. Fascinated by heavenly 

lights ever since the night in 1957 when he 

and his father saw a meteor shower in the desert, 

Steve, like virtually every American boy growing 

up in the '50s, was intrigued by reports of 

flying saucers and other UFO's. He longed for 

the real thing—the chance to see a UFO with his 

own eyes. So he was devastated when he missed 

a Boy Scout outing, "the only overnight I missed 

the entire year. Wouldn't you know," and his 

fellow Scouts came back and told him how, at 

midnight in the desert, they all saw "something 

they couldn't explain...a blood-red orb rising up 

behind some sagebrush, shooting off" into space. 

I felt so left out not being there." Patrol leader 

Bill Holfman says, "One overnight Spielberg 

was absent out in the desert. I don't recall who 

did it, but the story was told to Spielbei^ that someone had seen a flying 

saucer. Spielberg was very interested. It wasn't true at all. As far as I can 

tell, it was a complete fabrication." 

I 

-^ 

O 

a 

cu 

12 BOXOFFICE 

LEAN ON ME: Spielberg's taste for "Lawrence of Arabia"-type set-ups is apparent in ttiis rare still 

from the making of "Escape to Nowhere" (1959-1962). a WWII-themed epic. (BARRY SOLLENBERGER) 

Steve's 67-page, fully dialogued screenplay 

for "Firelight" was completed in early 1%3, 

near the end of his sophomore year at Arcadia 

High School. He spent about six months shooting 

the film, from June through December of 

that year, with collaborators recruited from his 

fellow actors and crew members in "Guys and 

Dolls" and other school plays. Postproduction, 

including post-synchronization of dialogue 

and recording of a musical score, continued 

until the March premiere. "I used the high 

school band to score [the] movie," Spielberg 

recalled. "I played clarinet and wrote a score 

on my clarinet and then had my mother [who 

played piano] transpose it to her key. We made 

sheet music, the band recorded it, and I had my 

first original soundtrack." 

Spielberg had been making amateur films 

since he was 10 years old; his mother proudly 

called him "Cecil B. DeSpielberg." "Firelight" 

was his first film with trained actors and a 

carefully detailed screenplay, and he had not 

yet developed into much of an actor's director. 

But his innate narrative sense, his precocious 

flair for visual storytelling, and his already 

evident ability to orchestrate complex movement 

and character interaction (as outlined in 

the script) made "Firelight" a gripping, wellconstructed 

(if overlong) yam about a small 

group of scientists investigating mysterious 

red, white, and blue balls of moving light 

coming from the Arizona sky to abduct people, 

animals, and objects. 

"Qose Encounters of the Third 

Kind," 

Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi masteipiece, "was actually 

a remake of 'Finslight,'" says Jean Weber 

Brill, a Spielberg classmate who did the 

makeup for "Firelight" "There were scenes in 

'Close Encounters' that were almost direct 

copies from 'Firelight.' such as the lights appearing 

on the highway and the scene when the 

little boy looks out the door at the bright light. 

The storyline of 'Qose Encounters' was very 

similar, 

but obviously rewritten and more sophisticated." 

"Firelight" 

introduces 

the themes of supernatural 

intruders, 

suburban alienation 

and escape, broken 

families and abducted children, 

scientific adventure, 

and spirinjal renewal that 

would become familiar in 

Spielberg's mature work. 

But unlike "Close Encounters," 

which radically departed 

from sci-fi movie 

tradition to depict its extraterrestrials 

as benign rather 

than menacing, "Firelight" 

derives in large part from 

the 

mood of anxiety and 

paranoia that characterized 

the genre in the 1950s, 

when Spielberg became hooked on sci-fi. "It 

was a Cold War movie," says cast member 

Clark (Lucky) Lohr "They talk about it being 

his [first] version of 'Close Encounters,' and it 

was, in a sense—a sky movie, about sky 

gods—but the 'cinematic vision' of 'Firelight' 

owed more to horror movies about aliens dusting 

humans." 

Amold and Leah Spielberg bankrolled 

the production of their son's first feature. 

"Steve's parents were totally behind 

the film," Jean Weber Brill remembers. 

Leah not only kept the cast and crew supplied 

with snacks, but cheerfully put up with "constant 

commotion at her home" weekend after 

weekend, the Arizomi Republic reported in a 

feature about the production. She even allowed 

Steve to set up a flashing red light by the 

carport door to signal the neighbors to keep 

quiet while filming was in progress. 

People in Phoenix still speak in awestruck 

tones of how Spielberg talked his way into 

shooting scenes for "Firelight" at Baptist Hospital 

and Sky Harbor Airport, using an actual 

jet plane. But much of the film was shot in and 

around the Spielberg home at 3443 North 49th 

Street in the city's Arcadia neighborhood, with 

the family carport used as a snidio for both 

interior and "exterior" shots. The summer 

shooting mostly took place at night, because 

of the heat. After school resumed, Steve had to 

film mostly on weekends. 

Arnold Spielberg, a pioneer in the field of 

computer engineering and himself a longtime 

amateur filmmaker, helped on many of his 

son's early films. For "Firelight." Arnold 

rigged the lights for scenes filmed in the carport, 

helped design miniature sets, and built a 

dolly for the elaborate tracking shots that were 

already a hallmark of the Spielberg visual 

style. Steve enlisted his three younger sisters, 

Anne, Sue, and Nancy, into the production as 

well. Anne served as a script supervisor, Nancy 

played the key role of a little girl abducted by 

aliens, and all three of them bounced up and 

down on the hood of the jeep inside the carport 

to make the jeep look like it was speeding 

through the desert night around Camelback 

Mountain. 

Steve and Arnold gave the shoestring production 

the illusion of a Hollywood spectacle 

''What he did 

with crumpled 

aluminum foil and 

bits ofjello on a 

kitchen table was 

pretty amazing/^ 

— Allen Daviau, 

cinematographer, "E.T/ 

with ingeniously designed 

visual effects. 

These included optical 

tricks to conjure 

up supernatural firelights 

and the filming 

of some elaborate 

miniatures, 

including 

a map of the area 

with flashing lights 

to show where the 

firelights were attacking, 

an Arizona 

town under glass, 

and a papier-mache 

niolion sequence of 

fiivlighl 

mountain for a stoj)- 

disintegrating 

Nationiil Guardsmen, 

tiuiks. iind jeeps. 

For the visual effects involving the firelight, 

Steve employed a variety of simple but effective 

techniques. Charles G. (Chuck) Case II, 

now a federal judge in Phoenix, played a love 

scene with Dede Pisani in an orange grove. The 

scene ends with the young couple being chased 

by a firelight and Case calling the police. "The 

firelight was just a red gel on a light," Ca.se

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Response No. 467

ecalls. "It descended from the trees, and the 

illusion was effective. In the film it really looked 

like something strange was happening." 

Arnold Spielberg explains how Steve 

showed "the firelight picking up Nancy. She 

was crawling along the ground. He had her 

crawl fix)m here to a tree, and he timed it in his 

head, backed up the film, then re-exposed the 

same thing, but with a firelight coming right 

down to where Nancy was. In order to get this 

effect of a whirling piece of flame, of energy, 

he took two glass plates and a red gel and put 

Vaseline between the plates. Sue or Anne 

would take the plates and pull them back and 

forth, and that would make the jelly wiggle and 

move, and then he'd film through it. If you 

imagine a bunch of clouds in fast motion 

whiriing around, that was his effect of firelight. 

then we would change the setup and the 

makeup and film another eight ft-ames. We did 

that all day long." 

"They had red and brown makeup and wet 

Kleenex on my face," Lohr remembers. "I had 

a cold at the time, so I was shivering. I thought 

1 was being a real trouper. At the end of the 

scene, Steve pulled out a plastic skull, moved 

me out, set the skull down, and shot a couple 

of ft-ames of the skull." Spielbei^ redid that 

scene at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 

when the blazing light ft-om the Ark of the 

Covenant hits a Nazi and disintegrates him 

right down to his skull. 

Throughout the protracted making of "Firelight," 

even when the two actors originally cast 

in the lead roles (Carol Stromme and Andy 

Owen) quit after the first two weeks of shoot- 

^Pieioerg at rignt.{HlGHT.) Filming in his parents' carport, in Leah Spielberg's jeep. 

And it came out! It looked like it took her and 

she disappeared." 

"I was intrigued by the contraptions [Steve] 

dreamed up," says cast and crew member 

\Vamer Marshall. "The one I remember most 

vividly was a scene in his parents' carport. 

Somebody was sitting on the hood bouncing 

the jeep, and he had pullies with a couple of 

white Christmas lights—a clothesline of lights 

would move past the jeep so it would look like 

the jeep was driving in the country passing a 

hoase. He had floodlights shining down on the 

jeep to make it look like moonlight. He had a 

big piece of cardboard with triangular holes in 

it that would pass in fiiont of the light to make 

shadows. He conceived all that ! It made a heck 

of an impression on me when I was 15 years 

old—this guy really knew what he was doing. 

But he didn't exude an a/>of a guy who knew 

exactly where he was going and what he was 

doing. He was humble and kind of quiet." 

Perhaps the most remarkable visual effect 

was Steve's u.se of a series of quick lap dissolves 

in showing the attack of the firelight on 

a UFO expert played by Lucky Lohr. "He 

collapsed on the floor and we filmed him 

di.sintegrating,"makeupartistJeanWeberBrill 

recalls. "We filmed the scene in the Spielbergs' 

front room. Steve had the camera on a tripod 

and we filmed about eight frames at a time, 

14 BOXOFFICE 

ing, Spielberg did not become discouraged. He 

recast those parts with Beth Weber and Bob 

Robyn and reshot the 

opening scenes in December 

"I remember the en 

ergy level starting to flag 

people .starting to wonder, 

'Gee, do I want to spend 

my entire Saturday doing 

this?,'" says Warner Marshall. 

"He was having a 

great time. He'd say, 'I 

want to get this one last 

thing. Would you mind 

staying?' He was extremely 

gracious. He ere 

ated an atmosphere where 

everybody had an 

affectionate 

respect for him." 

"It was a huge undertaking," 

marvels Spielberg's 

classmate Rick Cook, who 

now writes science-fiction novels. "He wrote 

a professional-looking script, he had to be the 

production manager, he had to scare up props, 

he had to convince actors to be in it—although 

that wasn't too hani—he had to juggle everything. 

He was the damnedest promoter. He 

knew how to get things out of people, and he 

did it without being pushy or obnoxious. He 

was not a braggart, he was not one who would 

talk about what he was going to do. He just did 

it. He knew what he wanted, he was young and 

kind of attractive, and it was a matter of enthusiasm 

and dedication being contagious." 

Betty 

Weber, whose daughters Beth 

and Jean worked on "Firelight," 

was a volunteer stage manager at 

the nonprofit Phoenix Little Theatre. She 

cajoled the theatre's board members into 

donating their facilities for the premiere. 

She also barraged the local newspapers 

and radio stations with announcements 

about the young filmmaker, arranged for 

photo spreads in the Republic, and made sure 

(PHOENIX NEWSPAPERS, INC.) 

the title of "Firelight" was displayed on billboards 

at businesses all over town. 

Leading lady 

Beth Weber typed 

and mimeographed 

the programs distributed 

to the 

opening-night audience. 

The limousine 

that brought 

Steve and his actors 

to the theatre was 

supplied and driven 

by a cast member's 

father who owned a 

local brewery. The 

searchlight was 

borrowed from a 

nearby shopping 

center. Arnold 

Spielberg helped 

Steve play the complicated 

soundtrack 

for the movie, 

and Leah Spielberg 

climbed a ladder to put the title ofher son "s first 

feature on the marquee. As she did so she was 

"/ want to write 

movie scripts, but 

I like directing 

above all. All I 

know for sure is 

I've gone too far to 

back out now. " 

—Steven Spielberg at 17 

thinking. "This is a 

nice hobby." 

That triumphant 

evening in March 

1964 marked a coming 

of age for Steve 

Spielberg. His debut 

as a feature filmmaker 

was also his 

farewell to his boyhood 

years in Arizona. 

The day after 

the premiere, he and 

his family moved to 

California. Before 

leaving, Spielberg 

told a Icx-al reporter 

that making movies 

"grows on you. You 

can't shake it... I want 

to write movie scripts, but 1 like directing 

above all. All I know for sure is I've gone too 

far to back out now." 

|^ 

Adapted by the authorfrom Joseph McBride 's 

"Steven 

Spielherg: A Biography " published hy 

Simon & Schuster. Plwtospgs. ll-Narefrom the 

book, courtesy Simon & Schuster.

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"BAT" OUT 

OF HELL 

Joel Schumacher 

returns to helm 

another Bat-legend 

with Warner Bros. 

"Batman & Robin" 

anyone in Hollywood has cause to live the 

If"auteur" cliche, it's Joel Schumacher. Beginning 

with "Falling Down" in 1993 and 

continuing to the present with "Batman Forever," 

"The Client," "A Time to Kill" and the 

forthcoming "Batman & Robin," Schumacher 

owns one of the strongest track records of any 

director currently woiiing, earning him a welldeserved 

Director of the Year award at this 

year's ShoWest. Yet the one-time costume 

designer for such Woody Allen classics 

"Sleeper" and "Interiors" in conversation remains 

gracious and self-effacing. 

"There are a lot of directors who try very 

hard to be good people," Schumacher says. "1 

just think they don't get as much attention as a 

flashy prima donna who gives everybody a 

hard time and makes trouble. I believe that, if 

you don't strive very hard to set a good example, 

you have no defease for privilege.... I also 

believe that if you're a person of privilege, and 

you don't strive to set agood example, perhaps 

that privilege will be given to somebody else." 

Schumacher's perspective could be bom of 

his hard-fought and often troubled path to 

success. Struggle began early for the boy 

whose father died when he was only four, 

leaving his mother alone to fend for the two of 

them. The poor Queens neighborhood in 

which they lived, however, was more encouraging 

than not. Thanks to the support of friends 

By Wade Major 

as 

and neighbors, Schumacher never despaired, 

eventually manifesting an aptitude for design 

that led to his acceptance into New York's 

prestigious Parsons School of Design. 

But the promising talent wasn't yet out of 

the woods, having to live through a nearly 

disastrous bout with drugs and substance 

abuse in the late '60s. Schumacher cleaned up 

his act and set his sights on Hollywood, determined 

to become a director. For the next 15 

years, Schumacher rose in the ranks from 

costumer to .screenwriter ("Car Wash," "The 

Wiz") to, finally, director ("The Incredible 

Shrinking Woman," "D.C. Cab"). With his 

third film, the 1985 hit "St. Elmo's Fire," 

Hollywood began to take real notice. 

remarkable about this 57-yearold 

is, though over a 

What's 

quarter-century 

removed, he remains die bright-eyed 

dreamer from Queens in a town where passionless 

pessimism seems preferred. "I feel, a 

lot of times, like I'm a football player and the 

football is the movie. And on that field, with 

all those people running interference to me 

studio executives, managers, agents, publicists, 

critics, journalists—I'm just trying to get 

the ball past the goal line and into the stands to 

the audience. Sometimes it's very pleasant, 

sometimes it's an obstacle course." 

Schumacher's concern for moviegoers' experience 

is often credited with reinvigorating 

Warner Bros.' Batman franchise, which 

showed signs of stalling after 1992's fastopening, 

fast-falling "Batman Returns." "A lot 

of people seemed unhappy with 'Batman Returns,'" 

he says. "I felt that we were the new 

team saying to people, 'We know you've been 

burned. But take a chance on us. We're going 

to give you a really enjoyable Batman movie.' 

None of us had any idea it would be as successful 

[$184 mil. domestic] as it was. And 

none of us knew we'd be making another one." 

And yet, two years later, "another one" is on 

its way with the June 20 release of "Batman & 

Robin," which Schumacher describes as "the 

most fun I've ever had making a movie. We 

came in two weeks under schedule. Everyone 

was so professional. No one was ever late, 

everyone knew their lines, people came in 

ready to work and were passionate and committed 

and had wonderful ideas. 

"It was exciting to go to work every day. I 

could actually make the movie. 1 didn't have 

to be doing the job for certain actors and 

actresses that their parents haven't done. I'm 

there to make a movie, not to play games, and 

not to be the warden, disciplinarian, psychiatrist, 

drug abuse counselor or love doctor" 

His 

much-publicized troubles with Val 

Kilmer on "Batman Forever" behind 

him, Schumacher feels confident that 

the franchise has finally found its groove with 

George Clooney ("One Fine Day") assuming 

the caped cru.sader's cowl. "I think George is 

the best Batman of all," Schumacher says. 

"He's brought a humanity to the role that 

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Response No. 99

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BoxoFFin? 

' 

don't think has ever been there before. Michael 

[Keaton] did an excellent job, and Val did an 

excellent job, but George is the best because 

we've moved away from the self-involved, 

brooding, 'my parents are dead' narcissism of 

that earlier Batman. George is 35 years old. If 

we had a friend who was 35 and they were still 

obsessing all the time on their parents' death, 

we'd say, 'You have to get a grip and get on 

with it. This happened when you were eight!'" 

For fans of the ABC series, Schwarzenegger's 

casting would seem to echo that of film 

director Otto Preminger, whose gloriously 

campy portrayal of the villain forever in their 

minds married the character with a thick Germanic 

accent. "1 may have been thinking of 

Preminger deep inside," admits Schumacher, 

who notes that Preminger was just one of four 

actors during the show's run to play Mr. Freeze 

(called Mr. Zero in the comic books). "People 

remember Preminger because 

he was the most frightening. 

But, whether or not the 

Oito Preminger thing was in 

my mind, I think I would have 

gone for Arnold. We had been 

kx)king for a way to work 

together for several years, and 

he's been kind enough to offer 

and money is just thrown at the movie. That's 

how budgets run out of control." 

On the issue of ballooning casts, Schumacher 

defers to his record with ensembles. 

"All my movies are ensembles. The first two 

movies I wrote, "Sparkle" and "Car Wash," 

were ensembles. "D.C. Cab" was an ensemble. 

So were "St. Elmo's Fire," "The Lost Boys" 

and "Flatliners." "A Time to Kill" is a huge 

ensemble. "Dying Young" was not an ensemble, 

and I wasn't the best director for that. I 

think life is an ensemble. It all just depends on 

whose viewjx)int you're looking at." 

In the end, Schumacher's greatest challenge 

has less to do with juggling characters than juggling 

audience expectations. 'The good news is 

that the Batman audience is a huge audience. The 

bad news is it's a very varied audience." So how 

does Schumacher, who in March agreed to direct 

ABOVE: Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze in the "Batman" TV show. 

RIGHT: Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in "Batman & Robin. 

Though politely mum on "Batman & 

Robin" plot details, Schumacher drops clues 

as to what audiences can expect, particularly 

with regard to the introduction of Batgiri 

("Clueless"' Alicia Silverstone). In a change 

ft«m the DC Comics original and the popular 

'60s TV show, Batgirl's identity is not that of 

Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara. 

"She's now a ward ofAlfred the butler," Schumacher 

says. "It was important in our story 

[scripted by Akiva Goldsman] for her to be a 

part of Alfred's hfe. And Alfred is going 

through a .serious personal drama. His scenes 

with George are very touching. They're each 

other's only family, if you think about it. 

"So Geoige has this surrogate father to take 

care of, a young partner in his 20s and suddenly 

a brand-new person living in the hou.se who's 

a female teenager. As with all of us, this becomes 

a time in his hfe to serve others, not to 

obsess on himself" 

Schumacher 

Still, 

knows that the real fun 

in the Batman films lies with the villains. 

With Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. 

Freeze, his first bad-guy role since l984's"The 

Terminator," expectations are understandably 

high. "The problem with the Batman villains 

is that only one person can play them," Schumacher 

says. "Harvey Two-Face was basically 

an Al Capone type of person. He has thugs and 

machine guns. The Riddler was a brilliant 

mind and a game player, not as much a physical 

person. But Mr. Freeze is a phenomenal force 

bccau.se he's a brilliant mind and also a superior 

physical specimen. So I knew I wanted to 

have a big action star play Mr. Freeze." 

me several projects. 

But it was 

just never right. 

When I knew I 

was going to do 

Mr. Freeze, I 

knew he'd be perfect. I call it 'The Temiinator 

Meets the Refrigerator.'" 

As with the last two Batman films, Mr. Freeze 

won't be alone in his evil quest, joined this time 

out by Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy, a seductress 

who kills with a kis.s. ' There were many beautifiil 

and talented actresses who wanted to play that 

role, but to me Uma Thurman is Poison Ivy. To 

find a six-foot-tall 

ravishing beauty with that 

body and those legs and that face—that's like 

Gaiix) or Dietrich, who's that brilliant an actress 

and that ftinny at the same time. That's a tall order 

for a 25-year-old. And she delivers." 

nothing else, "Batman & Robin" promises 

Ifa cavalcade of stars and characters eclectic 

and colorful enough to pleaseeven the most 

demanding Bat-fan. Still, the proliferation of 

star roles in the Batman films has raised certain 

concems, chiefly the cost of paying so many 

big salaries and the challenge of giving them 

all their due screen time. But Schumacher sees 

these as the least of his worries. 

'The great thing about the Batman movies 

is that they cost less than they appear to," he 

says. "People take cuts in salaries because they 

get it made up in merchandising, things like 

that. And wc had over a year to plan this movie. 

"A lot of these big-budgel movies go into 

production when they're not ready," he adds. 

"Or there's a terrible rush in post-production 

ilie 

fifth BaOTian movie, satisfy so many different 

expertations? "I go right to the comic 

books—Î get hundreds of them when I'm 

preparing these things. There's nothing better 

for color, framing, action or fun. They're just 

spectacular" Opening his filofax, Schumacher 

reads fi-om a list of the DC Comics artists who 

most inspire him: "Alex Ross, Srott Hampton, 

Simon Bisley, Dave McKean, Tim Sale and, 

of course, the great Frank Miller." 

A self-professed "pop culture sponge," 

Schumacher says his reverence for the work of 

comics artists simply underscores his own philosophy 

regarding the precarious balancing act 

between commerce and art. "You have to walk 

a very thin tightrope," he says. "A lot of lihiis 

that pass for so-called 'art" arc just prctentious 

and self-indulgent. If you fall into the commercial 

side, you're just making ftxlder The tension 

is to try to marry them so that you're 

making something accessible that paiple want 

to see and enjoy but artistic enough so you can 

sleep with yourself at night." 

Bi 

"Batman & Robin. " Starring George 

Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Arnold 

Schwarzenegger, Uma Thitmum ami Alicia 

Silverstone. Directed by Joel Schumacher 

Written by Akiva Goldsman. Produced by 

Peter Macgregor-Scott. A Wanwr Bros, 

release. 

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After A Career Teamed 

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Actioner "Con Air" 

rhen it came to making movies, producer 

Jerry Bruckheimer and his 

longtime partner and friend, the late 

Don Simpson, had the Midas touch. Their last 

fourfilms—^"The Rock," "Dangerous Minds," 

"Crimson Tide" and "Bad Boys"—were pure 

boxoifice gold, in total generating 

$376.1 milUon domestically. Back in 

the 1980s, they achieved resounding 

success, producing such era-defining 

flicks as 'Tlashdance," 'Top Gun" 

and "Beverly Hills Cop." 

Yet, despite fame, fortune and a 

long line of hit films, the duo were no 

stranger to hard times. From lawsuits 

and bad press to Simpson's highly 

pubhcized drug addiction and 1996 

death, the team faced the worst of what 

Hollywood and Ufe had to offer. 

"Well, there's the good news and 

the bad news," Bruckheimer says. 

"The problem is that, when you reach 

a modicum of success and the press 

starts to write about you, there are 

always people with their sniper rifles ready to 

take you down, and you become in their sights. 

That's what happens to all of us, even those 

who havejust a moment in the limelight. There 

are people who want to tear you down. You 

have to be prepared for that." 

By Lea Russo 

Indeed, countless articles portrayed Simpson 

as a flashy, vain, excessive man who had 

drug problems, an eating disorder, and "pathological" 

female relationships. Considered the 

more stable partner, Bmckheimer (aside from 

being described as dour) fared somewhat bet- 

"I put hockey teams together 

when I was a kid. I could 

always get people motivated 

and team them up.... Being a 

producer is no different than 

being a manager of a ballteam. 

ter in the public arena. But such past reportage 

seems much less troublesome to Bruckheimer 

than to the coverage of Simpson's death. 

"It was the inaccuracy in a lot of the reporting," 

the producer says, referring to the events 

.surrounding Simpson's passing. "People don't 

check. They believe the heresy and innuendos, 

ratherthan actually checking what wentdown." 

When asked to cite specific examples, 

Bruckheimer says, "I can't get into it." 

Bi 

om and raised in Detroit, Bruckheimer 

grew up with a fascination for 

film, spending many afternoons in 

Motor City catching a matinee. (He says he 

still prefers to see a film in a movie theatre 

rather than in the privacy of his own home 

>J 

or on the Hollywood screening circuit.) 

By age 14, Bruckheimer was 

already an award-winning photographer, 

but he says he wanted to get into 

alongerformat. 

"I was always an organizer," the 

producer explains in his friendly but 

reserved manner. "1 put hockey 

teams together when 1 was a kid. I 

could always get people motivated 

and team them up and organize them. 

Being a producer is no different than 

being a manager of a ballteam. You 

get a talented coach who's like a 

director, and a lot of talented players— 

your actors, your cast, your 

crew and designers—and you put 

them all together and make sure they 

get along. Then you get the best out of them." 

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the 

University of Arizona, Bruckheimer begiin 

working in the mailroom of an advertising 

agency; from there, he moved on lo producing 

commercials and theatrical features. By the 

time he met Simpson in 1979, Bmckheimer 

had already made "American Gigolo," "Cat 

People," "Thief," "Young Doctors in Lx)ve" 

and "Farewell, My Lovely."

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"I make movies I want to see," Bruckheimer 

explains. "That's always been the case with 

me. If the subject matter, or the story or the 

characters, doesn't interest me, and I wouldn't 

pay my money to go see it, then I usually don't 

make it. In fact, I don't make it, period." 

In the early '80s, his instincts 

paid oiT, when he and Simpson 

teamed for the first time on 

"Hashdance," a 1983 release that 

changed the face of fashion and 

sent industry interest in the marketing 

potential of soundtracks skyrocketing. 

"It was all by accident," 

Bruckheimer says, laughing. "[The 

clothing and music] weren't designed. 

What's interesting is that 

you think we're so smart. We were 

way behind the eight ball. As an 

example, the record company 

shipped only 60,000 albums to the 

entire country. They were gone 

within one hour of the picture 

opening. Nobody had the foresight 

to see that that was going to be a 

success—including us." 

"Beverly Hills Cop" and 'Top Gun" soon 

followed, catapulting Simpson and Bruckheimer 

into superstardom. Their future looked 

even brighter when they signed a huge deal 

with Paramount, but the agreement was terminated 

a short time later, after the 1990 release 

of "Days of Thunder." Those troubles "didn't 

stall our career," Bruckheimer says. "We 

stalled our career. We were having problems, 

especially my partner was having 

problems, with the management at 

Paramount. We were at odds, and 

they were spreading rumors that 

the picture wasn't successful, when 

it was. It became very tough, because 

they were feeding the press 

things fk)m inside the company, 

based on their feuds with us. We 

parted company right after that. It 

took us a while to regenerate our 

development. That's your life 

blood, your real estate. Once we 

moved studios, a lot of the projects 

we had got stalled." 

Simpson and he took their talents 

crosstown. "When we came to Disney," 

Bruckheimer says, "they were 

making a different type of movie 

than we had developed. They were 

making soft comedies, but the kind 

of pictures we were good at and 

understood they 

weren't making. 

But a lot of those comedies stopped 

making money for them, and we were lucky 

enou^ to have 'Crimson Tide' ready." 

By 1995, the duo had reclaimed their status 

as top producers. Then tragedy struck. That 

August, Dr. Stephen W. Ammerman was 

found dead of a drug overdose at Simpson's 

Bel Air estate. Rumors of coverups and of 

Simpson's own problems spread fast and far 

through Hollywood. 

Four months later, Bruckheimer and 

Simpson announced they were ending their 

1 3-year partnership. "Don had other plans 

forhisownlifeandwaspulhngmoreandmore 

away from the business," says Bruckheimer. 

"He wanted to do other things. He wanted to 

directandbe an actor. Unfortunately,hedidn't 

get a chance." On January 19, 1996, Simpson 

died of heart failure that was caused by an 

Producer partner Don Simpson (left) with Brucfcheimer 

on the set of Columbia's "Bad Boys." 

overdoseofcocaineandprescriptiondrugs. 

Asked if the breakup fueled Simpson's decline, 

Bruckheimer replies, "Did it have an 

impact? Of course it had an impact. Did it 

cause his decline? No. Don was doing what 

he was going to do whether I stayed with him 

or left him. The day before he passed away, 

he had a meeting with agents Jim Wiatt and 

Jake Bloom, who represented him, and all he 

a parolee doing battle with villains, Nicolub Cuf, 

, 

an explosion in Buena Vista's June actioner "Con Air. 

could talk about was how excited he was about 

starting his new company. You know, I think 

he was getting rejuvenated." 

Whatever people—or the pres.s—think or 

say about Jerry Bmckheimer, no one can accase 

him of being disloyal. In life and death, 

he stuck by Simpson, regardless of the controversy. 

"We were very close friends," Bruckheimer 

says, sadness obvious in his voice. "We 

grew up in this town together, and he was a 

roommate of mine for many years. Real true 

friends are hard to come by." 

Though 

he misses working with his former 

partner, Bruckheimer is excited 

about his latest feat, "Con Air." Starring 

"The Rock's" Nicolas Cage with John 

Malkovich and John Cusack, the story follows 

paroled convict Cameron Poe (Cage) as he 

hitches a flight home on a prisoner 

transport plane. When the jet is hijacked 

by a sinister criminal 

(Malkovich), Poe must team with a 

U.S. Marshal (Cusack) to survive 

to see his family again. 

"I wanted to make a movie that 

was really an odyssey," says the 

producer. "All [Cage's character] 

wants to do is to go home to his wife 

and child, and he's caught in this 

horrendous situation. To me, it's 

like classic Greek tragedy in literature, 

and I love that." 

While Bruckheimer was overseeing 

production of "The Rock," 

he began developing "Con Air." "I 

told Nick [Cage] the idea because 

we were having such a great experience 

working together. And he 

said, 'When the script comes in, why don't you 

let me read it?' When the script came in and I 

was sort of pleased with it—it still needed 

more work—Nick persuaded me to show it to 

him. I did, and he said, 'Look, I'd love to do 

it.' And that's how it all started." 

Bruckheimer also attached commercial/music 

video director Simon West, who 

will make his feature debut helming "Con Air." 

Given that he also hired newcomer 

actress Monica Potter (who plays 

Poe's wife) for the same film, it 

seems that Bmckheimer, even now 

that he's flying solo, isn't afraid to 

take risks. But, he insists, "I don't 

take a chance. They're talented. I 

am lucky to be exposed to them." 

Yet the fates decided to deal 

Bruckheimer one more blow when 

the worst kind of disa.ster touched 

the set of "Con Air." "What happened 

is we were building a plane, 

and in the shop where they were 

building it the plane fell on one of 

the workmen," Bmckheimer says. 

"Unfortunately, it killed him." 

After shutting down production, 

Bruckheimer flew the crew 

member's family out to California 

to visit, by way of memorial, the 

place where the man had died. "We 

tried to make it as comfortable as 

possible," Bmckheimer says. "It's 

very ftainfiil for everybody involved. You try 

to console everybody as best you can. 

'There's not much else you can do to deal 

with a tragedy," Bruckheimer says. He speaks 

like a man who knows. 

IH 

"Con Air. " Starring Nicolas Cage, John 

Malkovich and John Cusack. Directed by 

Simon West. Written by Scott Rosenberg. Produced 

by Jerry Brucklieimer A Buena Vista 

release. Action. Opens June 6.

l. 

1 "s 

' 

I 

h h

24 BoxonacE 

SPECIAL REPORT: SHOWEST PHOTO ESSAY 

PICTURE THIS 

fd 

(t'AR'Di 

^ 

(ABOVE:) Winona Ryder, 

ShoWest's Actress of the Year. 

And to think, her folks ran a 

moviehouse! (CENTER RIGHT:) 

BOXOFFICE's Linda Andrade 

and ShoWest's Herb Burton at 

the Trade Show. (Right) William 

J. Stembler (second from right) 

of Georgia Theatre Co. & family 

visit QSC for their Day 1 prize: a 

QSC MX 1500a Amplifier.

AT SHOWEST 1997 

(ABOVE:) ShoWest's Daniel 

Wheatcroft, looking very 

presidential indeed. (ABOVE 

RIGHT:) More news from the 

winner's circle: SMART 

DEVICES, INCORPORATED's 

new president Vincent P. 

Luciani helps Meghan 

Fitzgerald draw for our Day 2 

prize. James Woodin, a 

district supervisor for 

Edwards Theatres took home 

SMART'S new CITI-TELL 

DIGITAL MESSAGE SERVER. 

Some guys have all the luck! 

oWesI 

19 9 1 

(ABOVE:) Elizabeth Hurley's 

Marquee Award couldn't stand 

the strain (the torch broke), but 

the lady herself was the picture 

of British poise as ShoWest's 

Supporting Actress of the Year. 

(LEFT:) The most photogenic 

members of Team BOXOFFICE. 

Honest. BOXOFFICE Editorial 

and Advertising Assistant Linda 

Andrade and National 

Advertising Director Bob Vale. 

May, 1997 25

OSCAR '97: A Special Report 

''PATIENT' is a 

VIRTUE 

Were the studios overthrown by the 

mavericks at Oscar '97, or did they wallc 

off the field of battle? by Ray Greene 

Oscar 

1 

997: a triumph ofthe independent 

filmmaking vision? Well, yes and no. 

In what eventually came to seem almost 

Uke a graduation 

ceremony for 

certain prominent 

figures on the indie 

filmmaking scene, 

such longtime mavericks 

as Joel and 

Ethan Coen (who 

won the Best Original 

Screenplay Oscar 

for the script to their 

mordant Minnesota 

murder mystery 

"Fargo") and Miramax 

Films (which financed 

and distributed 

"The English 

Patient") were finally 

given their due by the 

great big Hollywood 

machine. Meanwhile, 

"Sling Blade" 

writer-director-producer 

Billy Bob 

Thornton's win for 

the Best Screenplay 

Adapted From Another 

Source repre- 

.sented the triumph of 

a true industry outsider. The 41 -year-old 

Thornton's fairytale rise after years of frustration 

as both actor and filmmaker added a touch 

of poignancy to Oscar '97, and his dry, southem 

wit, obvious passion for filmmaking and 

open delight in grabbing an Oscar statuette was 

a marked contrast to Oscar's last Cinderella 

kid, Quentin Tarantino, who didn't even bother 

to meet the backstage press when he won his 

scripting Oscar two years back. 

Best Actor Geoffrey Rush ("Shine") and 

Best Actress Frances McDormand ("Fargo") 

were also popular favorites at Oscar '97—fine 

26 BOXOFFICE 

actors in offbeat roles that were difficult to 

pigeonhole and easy to appreciate. But despite 

the fact that many of the most prominent tro- 

BESTOF THE BEST; Director Anthony Minghella and producer Saul Zaeniz cradle their respective 

Oscars for "The English Patient. " The gold bust is Zaentz's Irving Thalberg trophy, lor lifetime 

achievement as a producer (Photo courtesy of AMPAS. Alt rights reserved.) 

phies went to filmmakers and actors outside of 

the maiastream, the belle of the 69th Annual 

Oscar ball was "The English Patient," a film 

which, though a Miramax project and therefore 

bearing the imprimatur of the most successful 

"niche" marketing force in movie 

history, demoastrates just how difficult it has 

become to apply the adjective "independent" in 

anything like a asefiil fashion these days. 

With a reported budget ofabout $33 million, 

"Patient" was hardly a hand-to-mouth production 

like its poor relations, "Sling Blade" and 

"Shine." Packaged as a Fox project and then 

dumped on the eve of production—either because 

producer Saul Zaentz couldn't secure 

proper financing (according to Fox) or because 

Fox wanted a more 

bankable female 

lead (according to 

Zaentz) — "Patient" 

came to the worid of 

"indie" film with all 

the signs of its studio 

gestation period stiU 

intact: lavish period 

detail, eye-filling 

cinematography of 

vast and at times 

densely-populated 

landscapes, an epic 

sweep reminiscent 

of (if not directly derived 

from) the work 

of "Lawrence of 

Arabia" -era David 

Lean. 

And the Miramax 

money train which 

"English Patient" 

rode all the way to 

glory didn't stop at 

the end of post-production. 

Sensing 

after the early reviews 

that "Patient" 

had a chance to grab a Best Rcture Academy 

Award, Miramax spent a reported $20 to $30 

million in additional funds to bring the film to 

mainstream audiences, a strategy that paid off 

hand.somely, with "Patient" grossing over $60 

million in the U.S. alone as of Oscar night. 

Like many of the decisions made by 

Miramax toppers Bob and Harvey Weinstein 

during theiramazing recent careers, betting the 

farm on "The English Patient" proved both a 

gut.sy move and a wise one. If the backstage 

reaction to "Patient's" nine Oscar wins from 

members of the international press was any

May, 1997 27 

" 

indication, it's likely the film will be an even 

bigger hit abroad than it is in the U.S. But it 

does nothing to diminish Miramax's smarts or 

its achievement to point out that it's doubtful 

Miramax could have lavished such financial 

laiêsse on a single project if it weren't for the 

of the Walt Disney 

Co., whose pockets are as 

fact that Miramax is a wholly-owned subsidiary 

deep as it gets. 

As the Weinsteins 

themselves have 

pointed out in recent 

interviews, Miramax 

isn't the only "indie" film 

company with a great big 

corporate safety net 

spread out beneath its feet 

as it walks that precarious 

film-finance tightrope 

wire. Despite the fact that 

it 

is clearly a fully-articulated 

and characteristically 

quirky Coen Brothers 

project, "Fargo" was 

financed and marketed by 

Gramercy, which is a subsidiary 

of the enormous 

Dutch media conglomerate 

Polygram. "Shine" 

distributor Fine Line, 

meanwhile, was part of 

Ted Turner's media empire 

(subsequently absorbed 

by Time Wamer) 

when it acquired "Shine," 

the film which netted previously 

unknown Australian 

actor Rush his Best 

Actor trophy. It should be 

pointed out, however, thai 

as an acquisition title, 

"Shine" was produced 

outside the Fine Line/ 

Turner corporate fold. 

"Sling Blade," the other 

newsmaking "indie" of 

Oscar '97, was likewise produced by a tiny. 

New York-based production house called The 

Shooting Gallery before Miramax acquired 

and then promoted the heck out of it. 

In fact, despite the "indies are in" and "Sundance 

West" comments that were written 

about Oscar ' 97 in virtually every major media 

ouUet covering the world of film, "The English 

Patient" was in most ways a far more conservative 

choice than some of the studio tides (Uke 

"The Silence of the Lambs," "Unforgiven" or 

even "Forrest Gump") which have received 

the Best Picture nod in the past ten years. Very 

British, very novelistic, very lush and very 

long, "Patient" had the patina of quality and 

class to which Oscar has always aspired 

stamped large across its every frame. The only 

real surprise is that "Patient" wasn 't a studio 

tide, since it embodied more of Hollywood's 

traditional ideas about what constitutes filmic 

excellence than perhaps any other Osccir winner 

of the 1990s. 

The truth about Oscar 1997 was that the 

studios were under-represented in both the 

nomination and awards process in great part 

because, when it comes to making movies that 

are even somewhat in the vein of "art for art's 

sake," they have largely left the field of battle. 

With the somewhat ironic exception of "The 

English Patient's" original home studio, 20th 

ACTING UP: Best Actor Geoffrey Rush and Best Actress Frances McDormand. Theirawards 

showed that the Academy was willing to reward risky or idiosyncratic performances. (Ah/IPAS) 

Century Fox (which was rightly peeved over 

the lack of Academy attention directed at its 

superb adaptation ofArthur Miller's "The Crucible"), 

it's hard to find so much as a handful 

of studio features made in 19% that even 

aspired to the kind of thematic sophistication 

the Academy Awards are supposed to be all 

about. This is perhaps an inevitable outcome 

of the focusing of so much production capital 

on popcorn spectacles like the upcoming 'Titanic" 

or "Mars Attacks!" In the very money 

driven environment of contemporary Hollywood, 

the successful blockbuster has replaced 

the Oscar as the ultimate status symbol. 

If the 1996 production cycle was the 

"Cinderella" year for American mavericks, 

then the studios might do well to keep an eye 

on this year's Oscar clock. When midnight 

comes in the "Cinderella" myth, somebody is 

always reduced to rags. This year, anyone 

paying attention could have justifiably told the 

majors to ask not for whom the bell tolled. It 

tolled for them. 

AND THE WINNERS WERE: 

BEST PICTURE: "The English 

(Miramax) 

DIRECTOR: Anthony Minghella, "The 

Patient" 

English Patient" 

ACTOR: Geoffrey Rush, "Shine" (Fine 

Line) 

ACTRESS: Frances 

McDormand, "Fargo," 

(Gramercy) 

SUPPORTING 

ACTOR: Cuba Gooding, 

Jr., "Jerry Maguire" 

(TriStar) 

SUPPORTING 

AC- 

TRESS: Juliette Binoche, 

"The English Patient" 

FOREIGN 

FILM: 

"Kolya" (Czech Republic) 

ORIGINAL SCRIPT: 

Joel and Ethan Coen, 

"Fargo" 

ADAPTED SCRIPT: 

Billy Bob Thornton, "Sling 

Blade" (Miramax) 

ARTDIRECTION:"The 

English Patient," art direction: 

Stuart Craig; set decoration: 

Stephanie 

McMillan 

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 

John Seale, 'The English 

Patient" 

COSTUME DESIGN: 

Ann Roth, "The English 

Patient" 

DOCUMENTARY 

FEATURE: "When We 

Were Kings," prod.: Leon 

Gast, David Sonenberg 

(Gramercy) 

DOCUMENTARY 

SHORT: "Breathing Lessons: 

The Life and Work of 

Mark O'Brien," Jessica 

Yu, producer 

EDITING: Walter Murch, 

"The English Patient" 

MAKEUP: Rick Baker, David Leroy Anderson, 

"The Nutty Professor" (Universal) 

SCORE (musical/com.): Rachel Portman, 

"Emma" (Miramax) 

SCORE (drama): Gabriel Yai^, 'The English 

Patient" 

SONG: "You Must Love Me" (fix)m "Evita"), 

music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics: Tim 

Rice (Buena Vista) 

ANIMATED SHORT: "Quest," Tyron Montgomery 

and Thomas Stellmach, producers 

LIVE ACTION SHORT: "Dear Diary, 

David Frankel and Barry Jossen, producers 

(DreamWorks) 

SOUND: "The English Patient," Walter 

Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker and Chris 

Newman 

SOUND EFFECTS EDITING: Bruce 

Stiimbler, 'The Ghost and the Darkness" 

(Paramount) 

VISUAL EFFECTS: "Independence Day," 

VolkerEngel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney and 

Joseph Viskocil (20th Century Fox)

JUNE 

TRAILERS 

No hilarity, just celerity: Summer's 

big titles mean big business, andfast 

Even before cinema's giant summer season arrived, 

the pressure of too many huge titles and too 

few post-production days to hit one's release 

mark caused a casualty: Paramount moved "The 

Flood" from May 2 to fall or perhaps 1998. But 

that's not slowing down other potential blockbusters, 

which in June begin not only to arrive, but to 

arrive with speed, too. 

Aptly, "Speed 2" (see photo) and "Con Air" lead 

off the month explosively on June 6, with not all 

the big bangs occurring onscreen; many are hapening 

behind the scenes, with Fox and Buena Vista 

attling for screens and audiences. The scenario is 

made all the more contentious because both films 

share the action genre. 

Compared to that fracas, the rest of June's slate 

avoided Warner Bros.' "Batman & Robin'^June 20 

opening. Even on the following weekend, the two 

studio competitors (Buena Vista's "Hercules" and 

TriStar's "My Best Friend's Wedding") take only 

indirect aim at the Caped Crusader, going after the 

family and the date-night demos, respectively. 

But, come July, it's a return to first-weekend contretemps, 

when "Men In Black" and "Titanic" 

launch 7/2. All in all, it's a season for setting the 

rudder amidships and sailing full speed ahead. 

JUNE 6 

Con Air 

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage 

("The Rock") stars in this Touchstone 

action/drama as Cameron 

Poe, a parolee heading home to 

his family. Hitching a ride on a 

flight carrying convicts to a maximum 

security facility, he becomes 

embroiled in a midair 

hijacking thanks to criminal mastermind 

Cyrus "The Virus" 

Grissom (John Malkovich). On 

the ground, U.S. Marshal Vince 

Larkin ("Crosse Point Blank's" 

John Cusack) teams with Poe to 

stop the savage killers before 

Larkin's superiors blow the aircraft 

and all its passengers from 

the sky. Music video director 

Simon West makes his feature 

debut; Scott Rosenberg ("Things 

to Do in Denver When You're 

Dead") scripts; Jerry Bruckheimer 

produces. See our Sneak Preview 

in this issue. (Buena Vista, 6/6) 

Exploitips: Buena Vista didn't 

when Fox moved "Speed 

flinch 

2" to "Con Air's" 6/6 date, perhaps 

in the belief it had the 

stronger hand. Indeed, the credits 

here are pure testosterone, perfect 

for selling an actioner, and the 

same weekend last year worked 

wonders for Cage/Bruckheimer's 

"The Rock. "Still, while "Speed 2" 

is down Keanu Reeves, "Con Air" 

is down Sean Connery, diluting 

the strength ofboth entries. Exhibitors 

booking "Con Air" should 

emphasize the Cage/Bruckheimer 

(and date) heritage. 

Speed 2: Cruise Control 

Director/producer Jan De Bont 

returns for this "Speed" sequel, 

which trades in a runaway bus for 

an oceangoing vessel. The 

spunky Annie (Sandra Bullock, 

reprising her role) and her new 

boyfriend Alex ("Sleepers'" Jason 

Patric, taking over for Keanu 

Reeves) decide to take a leisurely 

cruise in the Caribbean. But all 

leisure evaporates when a criminal 

mastermind ("The English 

Patient's" Willem Dafoe) commandeers 

the ship and heads 

them full speed toward doom. 

Temeura Morrison ("Barb Wire"), 

Brian McCardie ("Rob Roy") and 

Glenn Plummer (who returns as 

record executive Maurice) costar. 

Randall McCormick, Jeff 

Nathanson, Kevin Peterka and 

Greg Chabot script; Steve Perry 

also produces. (Fox, 6/6) 

Exploitips: 

Fox bumped this 

title up from 7/2, when it would 

have faced Paramount's "Titanic" 

(which Fox Intl. wants to open big 

stateside, given that it controls 

foreign) and Columbia's "Men In 

Black. " It's still a brave move, in 

that "Speed 2" now makes a direct 

demographic collision with 

Buena Vista's "Con Air," which 

though not a sequel has "Remember 

'The Rock'" written all over it. 

Also, "Speed" was a Keanu 

Reeves vehicle; in his absence, 

"Speed 2" is a Bullock vehicle. 

Still, though male stars usually 

sell actioners, the Bullock name 

is the strongest element here; Fox 

(and exhibitors) need hope she 

will draw the distaffdemo to plug 

any male-support leakage. 

Buddy 

Based on a true story, this comedy/drama 

tells the tale of an eccentric 

socialite, Gertrude Lintz 

("Tin Cup's" Rene Russo), who 

nurses an infant gorilla to health 

and then raises the creature as her 

child. Robbie Coltrane and Irma P. 

Hall co-star. Caroline Thompson 

("Black Beauty") directs and 

scripts; Steve Nicolaides and Fred 

Fuchs produce; among the executive 

producers of this first film from 

Jim Henson Pictures (a co-production 

with American Zoetrope) is 

Francis Coppola. (Columbia, 6/6) 

Exploitips: ShoWest response 

to the "Buddy" clip at the Sony 

event was split; some thought it 

looked like cute family fare, while 

others were reminded of such 

monkey mistakes as "Dunston 

Checks In" and "Ed." In a savvy 

move, Sony saw an opening for 

young-demo fare in early June and 

moved "Buddy" from fall. The creative 

credits are all high-pro— just 

as they were with Thompson's 

"Black Beauty, " a children 's movie 

of adult despair that had little 

boxoffice kick. Given the olderleaning 

competition, and given its 

ape, "Buddy" must be sold to single-digit 

youngsters, so its key sell 

is the Henson imprimatur. 

Mouth to Mouth 

This Spanish-language screwball 

comedy follows the misadventures 

of Victor ("Jamon 

Jamon's" Javier Bardem), a struggling 

actor in Madrid who takes a 

temporary job at a phone sex service. 

He is quickly sidetracked by 

a sexy client, Amanda ("A Walk in 

the Clouds'" Aitana Sanchez- 

Gijon), involving him in a complex 

plot with Amanda's husband, 

also a client. Maria Barranco and 

Josep Maria Flotats co-star. Manuel 

Gomez Pereira directs, and he 

scripts with Joaquin Oristrell, Juan 

Luis Iborra and Naomi Wise; 

Benitez, Oristrell and Pereira produce. 

(Miramax, 6/6) 

Exploitips: "Mouth to Mouth" 

was originally slated by Miramax 

for release on 6/21— in 1 996. An 

early fall date was also scrubbed. 

Yet playing up the Bardem and 

Sanchez-Cijon credits should 

28 BoxonicE

draw the experienced art-house crowd and 

perhaps some crossover mainstreamers in a 

light-on-specialized weekend. 

The Pillow Book 

Controversial filmmaker Peter Greenaway 

("The Cook, the Thief, the Wife and Her 

Lover") brings his unique vision to another 

unique drama: A young Japanese woman, 

Nagiko Kiohara (Vivian Wu), has developed 

a penchant for writing on flesh because her 

loving father (Hideko Yoshido) used to write 

traditional birthday messages on her face as a 

girl. Nagiko exits her abusive arranged marriage 

to seek a man who will continue the 

birthday tradition. "Trainspotting's" Ewan 

McGregor co-stars. The film mixes Japanese, 

Mandarin, Cantonese and English languages. 

Greenaway directs and scripts; KeesKasander 

produces. (CFP, 6/6) 

Exploitips: Our Cannes reviewer (July '96 

issue) gave "The Pillow Book" three stars, 

saying Greenaway was "as stunning and inscrutable 

as ever.... Each voluptuous, sometimes 

shocking image" seems self-contained, 

but that eventually leads to a feeling of "disjointedness." 

The Greenaway and McGregor 

names will draw art-house audiences, and so 

will emphasizing the film's sensual theme. 

In and Out 

JUNE 13 

In this comedy, "Fierce Creatures'" Kevin 

Kline stars as Howard Brackett, a popular high 

school English teacher whose life is turned 

upside down when hisheterosexuality is called 

into question on national TV. Joan Cusack, Matt 

Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, the late Wilford 

Brimley, Bob Newhart and Tom Sel leek co-star. 

Frank Oz ("The Indian in the Cupboard") directs; 

Paul Rudnick ("Jeffrey", "Addams Family 

Values") scripts; Scott Rudin ("The First Wives 

Club") produces. (Paramount, 6/13) 

Exploitips: As "Speed 2" and "Con Air" 

continue to duke it out, mainstream audiences 

looking for a lighter alternative have 

only "In and Out" to turn to. Though Oz's 

works have had on-and-off success, he's 

backed here by a good comic cast; exhibitors 

should play up the good-times genre and 

highlight the talent, including the resurgent 

Reynolds ("Mother") to pull the mature demo. 

Boogie Nights 

Set in the heyday of the adult-film world, this 

dark comedy follows a group of filmmakers 

hoping to revamp the XXX industry. Mark 

Wahlberg ("Traveller"), Julianne Moore ("The 

Lost World"), Burt Reynolds ("Striptease"), Don 

Cheadle ("Devil in a Blue Dress"), William H. 

Macy ("Fargo"), Heather Graham ("Drugstore 

Cowboy") and John C. Reilly ("Hard Eight") 

star. Sophomore helmer Paul Thomas Anderson 

(also "Hard Eight") directs, scripts and produces. 

(New Line, 6/1 3 wide after 5/23 ltd) 

Exploitips: Mainstream audiences looking 

for less action than "Con Air, " less whitebread 

than "In and Out" and less art than "Ulee's 

Cold" could find "Boogie Nights" diverting. 

As it did for "The People vs. Larry Flynt, " the 

XXX setting will draw this extra attention, but 

the cast talents are also salable. 

Batman & Robin 

"One Fine Day's" George Clooney takes his turr- at "bat" fighting against evil 

in Gotham City. This time out, Batman and Robin ("The Charnber's" Chris 

O'Donnell) team with Batairl ("Clueless'" Alicia Siiverstone) to thwart the sinister 

doings of Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwa rzenepger) and seductress Poison Ivy 

("Beautiful Girls'" Umo Thurman). The fourth ftlm in the "Batman" series co-stars 

John Glover ("Love! Valour! Compassion!) and Elle Macpherson ("If Lucy Fell"). 

Joel Schumacher, who helmed #3 and will do #5, directs; Akiva Goldsman 

("Batman Forever") scripts; Peter Mocgregor-Scott produces. See our Sneak 

Preview in this issue. (Vvarner, 6/20) 

Exploitips: The two-week battle between "Speed 2" and "Con Air" ends 6/20 

when the Caped Crusader drops in. "Batman Forever" pulled $ 1 84 mil. in 1 995, 

and expectations are for more of the same with the additions of Arnold, Alicia 

and Uma. As June's second-half slate indicates, even competing studios believe 

"Batman & Robin" will dominate the mainstream market straight through to 7/2, 

when "Men In Black" and "Titanic" launch. 

Ulee's Gold 

Peter Fonda stars as Florida beekeeper Ulee 

Jackson, a reluctant family patriarch called to 

arms by his incarcerated son Jimmy (Tom 

Wood). Ulee must rescue his recovering drug 

addict daughter-in-law, Helen (Christine 

Dunford), with the help of his granddaughters 

and a local nurse (Patricia Richardson of TV's 

"Home Improvement"). Vanessa Zima and 

Jessie Biel co-star. Victor Nunez ("Ruby in 

Paradise" directs and scripts, and he produces 

with Peter Saraf and Sam Cowan. (Orion 

Classics, 6/1 3 NY/LA, exp 6/20 & 6/27) 

Exploitips: In a handsome four-star review 

(April '97 issue), our Sundance critic cited 

Nunez's "sensitive, delicate portrait" and 

Fonda's performance of "quiet yet sustained 

intensity." But the film is "painstakingly 

slow... before it becomes truly absorbing," 

making this pure art-house fare. Nunez's 

"Ruby in Paradise" credit will draw younger 

specialized auds, and the Fonda name could 

draw the more mature crowd. 

Squeeze 

This urban thriller examines the psychological 

pressures of urban street life on three boys 

"squeezed" between the influencesof a youth 

worker and of a gang leader. Tyrone Burton, 

Eddie Cutanda and Phuong Van Duong star 

(and inspired the story). First-timer Robert 

Patton-Spruill directs and scripts; Ari Newman, 

Caren Topalian, Stephanie Danan and 

Patricia Moreno produce. (Miramax, 6/1 3) 

Exploitips: Miramax picked this up at last 

year's L.A. Independent Film Fest, and the 

film's grittiness makes "Squeeze" effective 

counterprogramming its opening weekend 

against the softer "Ulee's Cold" for specialized 

auds who like their fare grittier. 

" 

JUNE 20 

Love Serenade 

Exploitips: 

literate) 

to join the first wives— or any wives — club. 

This Camera d'Or winner at Cannes tells the 

story of unwedded twentysomething sisters 

who feel life is passing them by in their tiny 

Down LJnder town. When the ex-drivetime 

king of big-city Brisbane radio arrives to run 

the local station, the sisters engage in a comically 

contentious battle to win his affections. 

Miranda Otto, Rebecca Frith and George 

Shevtsov star. Shirley Barrett directs and 

scripts; Jan Chapman (Oscar winner for "The 

Piano") produces. (Miramax, 6/20 NY/LA) 

Men and their dates will be at 

"Batman & Robin"; women (especially the more 

will opt for "Love Serenade. " To draw 

mainstream distaff attention and emphasize the 

comic angle, exhibitors might use this catchline: 

"A comedy about two sisters who'll do anything 

Dream With the Fishes 

David Arquette ("Scream") stars as Terry, a 

young suicidal man who crosses paths with a 

dying, thrill-seeking stranger, Nick (Brad 

Hunt). Terry teams with Nick to help him 

IVlay, 1997 29

" 

fulfill several unusual fantasies in one last 

adventurous road trip. Kathryn Erbe, Cathy 

Moriarty and Allyce Beasley co-star. Screenwriter 

Finn Taylor ("Pontiac Moon") makes 

his directing debut; Johnny Wow and Mitchell 

Stein produce. (Sony Classics, 6/20) 

Exploitips: Specialized male moviegoers 

not drawn to "Batman & Robin" or "Love 

Serenade" could look toward "Dream With 

the Fishes, " so accentuate the road trip and 

bonding elements likely to draw that demo. 

When the Cat's Away 

In this French comedy, an unhappy young 

woman searches for her lost cat; along the 

way, she meets a host of diverse characters, 

and suddenly her life is filled with adventure, 

intrigue and romance. GaranceClavel, Sinedine 

Soualem and Renee Le Calm star. Cedric 

Klapisch directs and scripts; Aissa Djabri, 

Farid Lahoussa and Manuel Munz produce for 

Vertigo/France 2. (Sony Classics, 6/20) 

Exploitips: As "Love Serenade" draws distaff, 

and "Dream With the Fishes" draws 

males, "When the Cat's Away" is for the 

foreign-language crowd. Our Sundance reviewer(Feb. 

'97 issue)gavethefilmafour-star 

review, calling it "charming without being 

cloying" and citing its "deft combination of 

comedy and social awareness. " 

Deep Crimson 

In this dramatic horror film, an aging 

mother named Coral (Regina Orozco) with 

insatiable desires answers a lonely-hearts ad 

and meets a handsome philanderer named 

Nicolas (Daniel Gimenez Cacho). For his 

love. Coral abandons her life, her children 

and her home to help him find women to 

seduce and rob—but then their dealings turn 

deadly. Arturo Ripstein ("The Queen of the 

Night") directs this Mexican/French/Spanish 

co-production; Paz Alicia Garciadiego 

scripts; Miguel Necoechea and Paolo 

Barbachano produce. (New Yorker, 6/20) 

Exploitips: To pull the likely art-house auds, 

try this catchllne: "In the tradition of'Nosferatu' 

and 'Cronos' comes 'Deep Crimson'. 

Hercules 

is 

JUNE 27 

Disney's 35th full-length animated feature 

an epic comedy/adventure from writer/directors 

John Musker and Ron Clements (the 

makers of "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid") 

about the legendary half-man/half-god son of 

Zeus. Raised on Earth, Here sets out to prove 

himself a hero so he can return to his Mount 

Olympus home. But Hades, god of the Underworld, 

sees Zeus' son as an obstacle to his 

plans to rule the universe and arranges a number 

of calamities for him. Danny DeVito, Tate 

Donovan, Susan Egan, Matt Frewer, Bobcat 

Goldthwait, Paul Shaffer, Rip Torn, James 

Woods and Charlton Heston provide the 

voices; Musker and Clements produce with 

Alice Dewey ("The Lion King"). (Disney, 6/27) 

Exploitips: "The Hunchback of Notre 

Dame" was considered a boxoffice disappointment, 

though it cleared the $ 1 00 mil. 

mark (if by just $100,000). What exhibitors 

want, ofcourse, is another$300mil. performer 

like "The Lion King, " however unlikely that is. 

"Hercules" has the audience plus of having an 

attractive male hero, which "Hunchback" and 

"Pocahontas" ($141.5 mil.) lacked. Expect a 

full-court press by Disney to gain theatres and 

then to pull patrons to those theatres; the film's 

6/27 positioning, given the older-drawing 

competition, is a hospitable clime, setting it up 

for the long July 4 weekend and the rest of the 

summer to play to families. 

My Best Friend's Wedding 

In this romantic comedy, best friends Julianne 

(Julia Roberts) and Michael ("Kansas 

City's" Dermot Mulroney) plan to marry each 

other at age 28 if they haven't found that 

someone special. Just as Julianne is expecting 

the inevitable, Michael instead popsthequestion 

to beautiful 'n' bubbly Kimmy ("She's the 

One's" Cameron Diaz), and Julianne finds 

herself on the wrong side of a romantic triangle. 

Rupert Everett ("Cemetery Man") and 

Philip Bosco ("Milk Money") co-star. Aussie 

P.). Hogan ("Muriel's Wedding") directs; Ronald 

Bass ("The Joy Luck Club") scripts, and he 

produces with Jerry Zucker ("A Walk in the 

Clouds"). (TriStar, 6/27) 

Exploitips: Roberts' fans don't want her in 

gloomies like "Michael Collins" or "Mary 

Reilly"; they want her in sunnies like "Pretty 

Woman," and the trailer for this rom/com 

seemed to leave exhibitors smiling at ShoWest. 

Although the narrative is similar to "If Lucy 

Fell, " which fell at the boxoffice for TriStar, the 

studio thinks the tale will work with star power. 

And that's the sell: Roberts, smiling. 

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Talk of Angels 

A sort of gender-bender variant on Ken 

Loach's "Land and Freedom," this PC-13 

drama tells the story of a young Irish woman 

who arrives in Spain on the eve of the 

country's civil war. Polly Walker ("For 

Roseanna"), Vincent Perez ("The Crow: City 

of Angels"), Frances McDormand ("Fargo") 

and Franco Nero star. Nick Hamm directs; 

Ann Cuedes and Frank McGuinness script; 

Patrick Cassavetti produces. (Miramax, 6/27) 

Exploitips: On one hand, this has elements 

that could make it one ofthe month 's stronger 

art-house releases; on the other hand, "Talk 

ofAngels" has long sat on Miramax's clogged 

to-come slate. (It was first slated for last August 

and then this April.) Best bets are the datenight 

college crowd and the usual specialized 

suspects (the educated 40+ demo). 

Gabbeh 

As an old woman washes her gabbeh (a 

patterned Persian carpet) in a river, a young 

woman named Gabbeh (Shaghayegh Djodat) 

tells her life story. The delicate fable of true love 

is interwoven with a documentary-like look at 

nomadic life in this Iranian-language drama. 

Abbas Sayah and Hossein Moharami co-star. 

Mohsen Makhmalbaf directs and scripts; Khalil 

Daroudtchi and Khalil MahmoudI produce. 

(New Yorker, 6/27) 

Exploitips: "The White Balloon," also an 

Iranian production, performed well (in selectsite 

terms) for October Films in early '96. Citing 

"Gabbeh" as "in the tradition of 'The White 

Balloon'" would target that specialized demo. 

M 

In this reissue of Fritz Lang's 1931 German 

melodrama, Peter Lorre stars as a psychotic 

child murderer brought to justice by Berlin's 

organized criminal element. Otto Wernicke, 

Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut and Gustav 

Grundgens co-star. Thea Von FHarbou, Paul 

Falkenberg, Adolf Jansen and Karl Vash script 

the Nero Film production. (Kino, 6/27) 

Exploitips: Perhaps due to the mainstreaming 

of today's art-house films, reissues of classics 

like "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" 

and "Belle de lour" have drawn decent specialized 

numbers. So exhibitors should highlight 

the 1931 date and the Lang imprimatur 

to give this event status at the art house. 

JUNE UNDATED 

Different for Girls 

in this romantic comedy, when childhood 

best friends Paul and Karl meet 20 years later, 

Paul doesn't recognize his old pal—because 

Karl has become Kim. The slovenly Paul is 

attracted to the proper Kim until he learns her 

true identity; then he decides to wreck Kim's 

life. "Different for Girls" received the Montreal 

fest's Grand Prix of the Americas award for best 

film. Rupert Graves ("Intimate Relations"), Steven 

Mackintosh ("London Kills Me") and 

Saskia Reeves ("Butterfly Kiss") star. Richard 

Spence directs; Tony Marchant scripts; John 

Chapman produces. (First Look, June) 

Exploitips: The gender-bender storyline 

isn't new, but it continues to draw. Underscoring 

the Montreal win will help differentiate 

the film from its art-house competitors. 

The Tit and the Moon 

In this Spanish-language comedy, Tete 

(Biel Duran) is a Catalonian boy who has a 

sibling problem: He feels neglected when 

mom breastfeeds his newborn brother. After 

seeing the naked breast of a French ballerina 

("Becoming Collette's" Mathilda May), he becomes 

fixated on that female body part. Gerard 

Damon co-stars. Bigas Luna ("Jamon 

Jamon") directs, and he scripts with Cuca 

Canals; A.V. Gomez produces. (Strand, June) 

Exploitips: Our Telluride reviewer (Nov. 

'95 issue) gave the latest Luna 2 1/2 stars, 

saying "The Tit and the Moon" is "like two 

European movies that don't mesh": Although 

Luna's usual lusty Spaniards are entertaining, 

two key French characters are heavy-handedly 

cerebral. Still, Luna's fans (however limited 

in numbers stateside) are likely to forgive 

the latter as long as he provides the former. 

Midaq Alley 

Based on the Egyptian novel by Nobel winner 

Naguib Mahfouz, this Mexican drama 

ranges from 1940s Cairo to modern downtown 

Mexico City as it blends the stories of 

three characters: middle-aged family man 

Rutilio (Ernesto Gomez Cruz), who experiences 

first-time homosexual feelings that lead 

to domestic disaster; beautiful Alma ("Fools 

Rush In's" Salma Hayek), whose paramour 

goes to America to make money to marry her; 

and spinster landlady Susanita (Margarita 

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" 

LATE MOVIE MOVES INTO MAY... 

Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day 

In this end-of-WWII drama, a young 

man with a passion for trains pursues his 

dream to save the Yosemite Valley Railroad. 

Meanwhile, he carries on an incestuous 

relationship with his younger sister 

and develops a homoerotic relationship 

with another man. Peter Alexander, Jeri 

Arredondo, Henry Gibson and Michael 

Stipe star. Christopher Munch directs and 

scripts; Andrea Sperling ("nowhere") produces. 

(Artistic License, 5/2 NY) 

Exploitips: Our Sundance reviewer 

(April '95 issue) gave this just 1 1/2 stars, 

saying: "beautiful but languid, this expansive 

travelogue and heavy historical story 

would have fared better as a coffee table 

book." But the film's Sundance prize (for 

cinematography) will draw attention, as 

will Munch's previous "The hlours and 

Time" credit. Co-star Stipe is the lead 

singer of rock band R.E.M. 

NOWHERE 

Dark ("The Doom Generation's" James 

Duval) is infatuated with the end of the 

world and bisexual Mel ("The Craft's" 

Rachel True), who carries on with Dark 

and girlfriend Lucifer (Kathleen Robertson). 

Chiara Mastroianni ("Three Lives 

and Only One Death") and Debi Mazar 

co-star. Gregg Araki directs and scripts; 

he produces with Andrea Sperling and 

France's Why Not Prods. (Fine Line, 5/9) 

Exploitips: Advanced from 8/22, this 

manic and melancholic film touts itself as 

a supersaturated "Beverly hiills, 90210" 

on acid and features cameo appearances 

by John Ritter, Beverly D'Angela, Shannen 

Doherty and Traci Lords. Like all ofAraki's 

canon, "nowhere" won't play anywhere 

close to mainstream tastes; expect strongest 

support from gay moviegoers. 

Twin Town 

In Swansea. South Wales, a roofing 

contractor (William Thomas) tries to avoid 

f)aying compensation to his worker Fatty 

Huw Ceredig) injured on the job. But 

Sanz), who dreams of wedded life. A fourth 

section picks up the stories two years later. Jorge 

Pons directs; Vincente Lenero adapts; Alfredo 

Ripstein Jr. produces. (Northern Arts, June) 

Exploitips: The film 's anthology nature and 

Egyptian heritage make it a specialized specialized 

film— which is Northern Arts' specialty. 

Mahfouz's Nobel win is probably more 

citable for art-house auds than is the Hayek 

credit, though that can't hurt. 

Twisted 

I his ( ontempo homosexual variant on "Oliver 

Twist" set in New York follows a homeless 

orphan (Keivyn McNeil Graves) brought into 

the "stable" of Andre (William Hickey); there, 

he finds a brotherly friend in Angel (David 

Norona) and an ally in tough drag queen 

Shiniqua (Billy Porter). But Angel's abusive 

lover, Eddie (Anthony CriveJo), takes a dislik- 

Fatty's wicked twin sons (Rhys Ifans and 

LLyr Evans) ore ready for revenge in this 

black comedy. Debut director Kevin Allen 

also co-scripts with Paul Durden; Peter 

McAleese produces; Andrew MacDonold 

and Danny Boyle (the "Shallow Grave" 

and "Trainspotting" duo) executive produce. 

(Gramercy, 5/9 NY/LA) 

Exploitips: Our Berlin fest critic gives 

"Twin Town" 2 1/2 stars, saying watching 

the movie "is a bit like savoring a bad 

smell"— the plotline is ordinary, tfie humor 

is blunt ana sick, and the characters are 

"lewd, rude, duplicitous. ..," yet the acting 

and filmmaking have energy and the film 

"speaks a universal language about 

human small-mindedness and resilience." 

Especially after "Trainspotting, " the most 

obvious sells are MacDonalaand Boyle. 

Underworld 

This noir thriller follows an ex-con (Denis 

Leary) with a twisted sense of vengeance 

who starts a vendetta against those who 

mob-hit his father. Joe Mantegna, Annabella 

Sciorra, Abe Vigoda and former 

XXX actress Traci Lords co-star. Roger Christian 

(who won a set-decoration Oscar for 

"Star Wars") directs; Larry Bishop ("Mad 

Dog Time") scripts; Robert Vince and William 

Vince produce. (Legacy, 5/9 ltd) 

Exploitips: "Underworld" had been on 

the slate of the increasingly hesitant Trimark. 

Our Ft. Lauderdale rest critic in a 

one-star review (April 1 997 issue] called 

this a "derivative devil" worshipping "at 

the 'Pulp Fiction' altar." But that testosterone 

content is the most marketable element, 

along with the "many scantily clad 

females and strippers" for the male demo. 

Playing God 

A famous L.A. surgeon ("Kalifornia's" 

David Duchovny) loses his medical license 

after performing on operation while on 

amphetamines, riired by a ruthless criminal 

("Beautiful Girls'" Timothy Hutton), he 

becomes a "gunshot doctor" and is attracted 

to the criminal's moll ("Hackers'" 

Angelina Jolie); the doctor then faces a 

ing to the orphan. Seth Michael Donsky 

makes his feature directing debut; Donskey 

also scripts, and he produces with Adrian 

Agramonte. (Leisure Time Features, June) 

Exploitips: "Twisted" is likely to do best in 

the largest cities with a gay community; expect 

the same audience, if in lesser numbers, 

that attended "Johns. 

The Last Time I Commited Suicide 

lliib drjnia is based on j letter written to 

beat icon Jack Kerouac from Neal Cassady, 

the man who inspired Keroauc's "On the 

Road." Set in the early '50s, the story follows 

Cassady (Thomas Jane) in the days before he 

met the famed writer. Keanu Reeves, Tom 

Bower, Adrien Brody ("Kingof the Hill"), John 

Doe ("Roadside Prophets"), Claire Forlani 

("Basquiat") and Marg Helgenberger ("Species") 

co-star. Stephen Kay ("Intimate Power") 

choice of destiny. Andy Wilson directs; 

Mark Haskell Smith scripts; Marc Abraham 

and Laura Bickford produce for 

Touchstone. (Buena Vista, 5/16) 

Exploitips: Though not a clash of the 

titans, "Playing God"—-which Buena Vista 

had slated for this fall—now goes dramavs.-drama 

against Paramount's "Night 

Falls on Manhattan, " )7se/f once slated for 

fall (but '96j. Paramount has the bigger 

film star in Andy Garcia, but Buena Vista 

can tout Duchovny's popularity from his 

turn on TV's "The X-Files. 

Night Falls on IVIanhattan 

A cop-turned-DA (Andy Garcia) faces 

personal and professional betrayal when 

he learns a cover-up might involve those 

closest to him. Richard Dreyfuss and Lena 

Olin co-star for writer/director Sidney 

Lumet- Thom Mount and Josh Kramer produce 

for Spelling. (Paramount, 5/16) 

Exploitips: At the studio's ShoWest 

event Garcia garnered laughs when he 

said he was making a "farewell speech, " 

in that his film was going against ' The Lost 

World" (actually arriving a week later). 

But "Night Falls on Manhattan" now collides 

with "Playing God, " meaning a likely 

split of serious-film mainstreamers. "Night 

Falls on Manhattan" is based on the Robert 

Daley novel "Tainted Evidence, " so a 

bookstore tie-in could pay dividends. 

The Van 

This third adaptation of novelist Roddy 

Doyle's Barrytown trilogy, about two men 

who run a fish 'n' criips van, reteams 

director Stephen Frears ("The Snapper") 

with producer Lynda Myles and star Coim 

Meaney (both of whom also did "The 

Commitments"). Donal O'Kelly co-stars. 

As before, Doyle adapts. (Fox Searchlight, 

5/23) 

Exploitips: This threequel has a built-in 

audience. Still, Frears Meaney = -*• arthouse 

auds unless reviews create crossover 

mainstream support (but see our 

two-star review, Aug. 1996 issue). 

directs and scripts; Edward Bates and Louise 

Rosner produce. (Roxie) 

Exploitips: This "artsploitation" effort 

boasts something of a name cast but is likely 

to draw only the specialized demo. A crosspromo 

with a bookstore that's heavy on 

Kerouac would reach that literate audience. 

IVIondo Plympton 

This anthology provides a retrospective 

look at the wild and comic worlds created by 

animator Billy Plympton, whose work was 

last seen on the big screen in 1992's "The 

Tune." (Cinema Village, June) 

Exploitips: Like British claymation master 

Nick Park ("Wallace & Cromit"), Plympton 

has a small (perhaps smaller) but devoted 

following. To pull animation fans, try an MTV 

or Cartoon Network cross-promo with your 

local cable TV operator. 

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SPECIAL REPORT: Technology 

REELIN' 

AND ROCKIN' 

A seismic shift in projection techniques 

comes about as the 6,000-foot reel 

heads to market by Pat Kramer 

last, die path has been cleared for a 200 prints of its May 2 release, "Austin Powers: 

International Man of Mystery." Attechnological advance that will not only 

Harold 

improve the quality and longevity offilm 

prints but also specifically benefit exhibitors 

across the nation and worldwide. After a quartercentuiy 

of batting the idea around, NATO board 

members this year endorsed a 

plan to begin converting film 

reels fix)m the standard 2,000- 

foot loigth to the 6,000-foot extended-length 

reels (ELRs). 

This spring, ELRs—displayed 

at ShoWest and to be on view at 

ShowCanada—will begin arriving 

in projection booths. 

The new format is expected 

to improve film 

presentation 

(due to fewer splices), increase 

the longevity of prints (less 

wear and tear), and most importantly 

save valuable makeup 

and breakdown time in the projection 

booth. Despite the advantages, 

it's been a long time 

coming. "This is something the 

board has discus.sed for some 25 

years," says William F. Kartozian, 

president of NATO. "We | 

were getting somewhat jaded 

by it but were pleasanUy surprised 

when it became apparent 

it was going to happen." 

Much credit for the breakthrough, Kartozian 

says, goes to Barry Reardon, president of 

domestic theatrical distribution at Warner 

Bros. "It's finally on track, thanks to Barry," 

Kartozian says. Although, due to last-minute 

fine-tuning, Warner Bn)s. was not able as 

planned to roll out "Selena" on a l(X)-theatre 

test of the ELR, the studio isconsidering giving 

its April 1 1 release "Murderat 1 6(X)" the honor. 

Warner Bros, isn't the only distributor eager 

to make ELRs the reel of choice. New Line 

Cinema will start using the 6,000-foot reel on 

Goldberg, Universal's vice president of print 

control, says his studio is also interested in 

using the ELRs but is waiting to see how 

Warner's experience goes before committing. 

A MAN WHO MADE IT HAPPEN: Warner Bros, distribution president Barry 

Reardon with an extended-length reel and one of its 2,000-foot predecessors. 

The ELR means exhibitors save time and 

money, but it means added costs for distributors. 

"That's part of the rea.son this changeover 

has taken so long," Kartozian says. "It was 

known that this could be done, but there's 

always a certain resistance to change—and the 

changeover was not going to be without cost. 

While the exhibitors get a great benefit by this, 

the principal expense is going to be borne by 

the studios. So we had to work out a formula 

pursuant to which the studios would be reimbursed 

a part of their cosLs on a fair basis." 

According to Warner's Reardon, that's an 

extra $5 per shipment for the first two years 

that the new reels and their protective cases are 

on the market. After that time, it will be the 

studios' responsibility to bear any added expense. 

Says Al Shapiro, New Line's senior 

executive vice president and general 

sales manager, "It's going to 

cost us a lot to convert the film, 

but we think the time has come for 

us to help the theatre owner make 

sure that the pictures on the screen 

are presented properly." 

With the introduction of the 

new reels, exhibitors will see an 

immediate benefit in presentation. 

Whereas the 2,000-ft. reels 

require five or more reel changes 

for a standard feature, two 6,000- 

ft. 

reels can accommodate most 

feature films. As an example, 

Reardon cites the case of a projectionist 

he met in Las Vegas during 

ShoWest, who told him that on 

Thursday evenings he often 

works until 4 am. breaking down 

six or seven films into the 2,000- 

foot format and putting them back 

in the cans for the weekly changeover 

at his 12-screen multiplex. 

With 6,000-foot reels. Reaixlon 

says, "when you open our ca.se 

up on the 

and pull the reel out, you just put it 

platter, loop it 

through, put one splice in it 

and you're in business. The same thing happens 

when you're breaking it down. 

"That's really a huge savings in the projection 

booth." Reardon says. "We figure it's about 

20 to 25 minutes per feature [of time saved], 

putting it together and breaking it down." 

Adds New Line's Shapiro, "We think the 

6,(XX)-foot reels will help ensure that the prints 

you see on the screen in theatres across the 

country are in pristine condition, as much as is

May, 1997 35 

humanly possible, because they're not going 

to be touched as much and they're not going 

to get scratched as much. By eliminating the 

need for splices and in some cases cue markers, 

the audience can enjoy a film without 

being pulled out of it by bad prints. The 

6,000-foot reels will go a long way toward 

ensuring that the films remain in good condition 

for a long period of time." 

the ELR and its casing with input from Inter- 

Society president Larry Jacobson (president of 

U Technologies) and Robert Pinkston, vice 

president of projection and sound at United 

Artists Theatre Circuit. Each maker was asked 

to submit six samples of an ELR case prototype, 

which then underwent a series ofrigorous 

laboratory tests for impact and durability. The 

tests were created to mirror the conditions the 

destination, exhibitors were asked to evaluate 

the ELRs on different qualities. In the end, each 

of the manufacturer's cases was found to have 

flaws. It was at that time that Circular Motion 

came into the picture, submitting to Warner 

Bros, its prototype plastic case, durable enough 

to withstand damage but lightweight enough 

for easy transport. The studio indepiendently 

tested the Circular Motion case and found it to 

To 

THE ELR HALL OF FAME: (left to right) William F. Kartozian, president of NA TO: Al Stiapiro, New Line's senior executive vice president 

and general sales manager; J. Wayne Anderson, head of NA TO's technical committee; and the late Bud Rifkin. 

help exhibitors with the changeover, 

NATO has distributed bulletins to its 

membership, informing those who don't 

have platter systems about the modifications 

they will need to make. Overall, the changeover 

will be a gradual one, with prints imtially 

shipping in both standard and ELR formats. 

The cases for the new reels are being manufactured 

for Warner Bros, and New Line by 

Circular Motion FVoducts, a plastics manufacturer 

that's been producing cores, hubs and 

cases for Warner Bros, for many years. 

Circular Motion's plastic case accommodates 

a 24 3/4-inch diameter reel (which 

can actually hold 7,(XX) feet of film, allowing 

for inclusion of trailers or other pre-feature 

materials) and, like its smaller 

predecessor, has a handle for carrying. 

Made of plastic, a case and reel together 

weigh about 65 pounds (less than the 

weight of three standard-size reels). Its 

split-reel format has a four-inch core in the 

middle for mounting film; two plastic 

flanges snap around the reel to secure it to 

the core. In short, the new format is designed 

for ease of usage. 

Wmning the contract to be the exclusive 

maker for Wamer Bros, and New Line was 

quite an accomplishment for Circular Motion, 

a small Downey, CaUf. company, in 

that it won out over five larger manufacturers 

for the job. Although Circular Motion 

has long manufactured cases for the 2,000- 

foot reel, it was not among the original 

group of manufacturers (Technicolor, Hollywood, 

Logistical, Goldberg and Bose) that 

presented prototypes in March 19%. 

The process began back in early 1 996, when 

NATO's Technical Advancement Committee— 

presided over by J. Wayne Anderson, 

president and COO of Maryland-based R/C 

Theatres (and ShoWest's B.V. Sturdivant 

Award winner)—developed specifications for 

cases would undergo during normal transit 

from distributors to exhibitors. 

"The interesting thing about the test is that, 

as rigorous as it was, all five passed the laboratory 

test," says Jacobson. "But only two 

survived a [subsequent] field test." The field 

trial involved two dozen theatre circuits, which 

tested the ELRs for ftinctionality and ease of 

usage. (A sign of industry interest in the project, 

participating circuits included Marcus, 

Sony, Hoyts, Carmike, UATC, General Cin- 

NO MYSTERY: Audiences of New Line's "Austin 

Powers: International Man of Mystery" will see 

cleaner presentations thanks to the ELR. 

ema, Cinamerica, AMC, National Amusements, 

Syufy, Pacific, ACT HI, Metropolitan, Edwards, 

Harkins, Wehrenberg, Cinemark, 

Cineplex, Eastern Federal, Cobb, Fox, Malco, 

Regal, R/C, Kerasotes, Goodrich and Dickinson.) 

Three film-carrier companies—NFS, ETS 

and TES—shipped the ELRs back and forth to 

the circuits, further testing durability. At each 

meet all the specifications. At $100 per case. 

Circular Motion's product was also much less 

expensive than those of its competitors. 

Says Circular Motion's Cesar Fernandez, 

"It's a great honor to do this type of thing and 

have the acceptance of [the studios]. When we 

look at the 6,000-foot reel, what we see is a 

plastic part—not that we are selling to Wamer 

Bros, and so the price should be going up. We 

have been manufacturing plastic parts for a 

long time. When we became exclusive for the 

motion picture industry, we already had 

experience in plastic parts, so we are able 

to provide quality at a price." 

In 

looking back on how long it's taken 

the ELR innovation to receive widespread 

approval, Inter-Society's Jacobson 

says, "There' ve been a lot of people 

involved in the process, but what truly 

made it happen is the fact that Barry 

Reardon wanted the ELR. Someone needs 

to get credit for pulling it off, and that 

person is Barry." R/C's Anderson also acknowledges 

the early efforts of the late Bud 

Rifkin, co-founder of Cinema Centers and 

former president and CEO of Hoyts. As 

chairman of NATO's technical committee 

in the early 1 970s (and later as president of 

NATO), Rifkin was a pioneer in trying to 

bring ELRs to the exhibition industry. 

Reflecting on the present-day milestone 

with Wamer and New Line's introduction 

ofthe 6,000-foot reel, Anderson says, "Bud 

would have a big smile on his face if he 

could see this. He tried very hard, early on, to 

get this started back in the '70s. That was one 

of his lifelong endeavors, trying to get this 

through." NATO's Kartozian sums it up by 

saying, "I think that it's great that we're moving 

into the 20th century—even though we're 

so close to the 21st! I just think it's great that 

we finally got it accomplished." Mi

36 BoxoFncE 

ShowCanada 1997 

A View From the Capital 

by Dina Lebo 

Co-Chair 

ShowCanada 

year the ShowCanada convention 

Each 

takes on the flavor of the region where 

it is being held, and this year is no 

exception. Ottawa being Canada's capital 

city, our opening night gala on Tuesday, 

May 6 will feature an astounding array of 

the nation's political "who's who," as well 

as a truly Canadian spectacle featuring the 

Ottawa footguards, whom tourists see in the 

summer at the changing of the guard ceremonies 

in front of the Parliament buildings. 

The footguards will thrill delegates with 

their stage version of "the coming together 

of the provinces," complete with provincial 

many high-tech 

flags, at the grandiose Museum of Civilization 

in Hull, Quebec. 

The Ottawa region is 

also known as 

Canada's Silicon Valley 

because of the 

companies 

that are located 

in the area. We've incorporated 

a tour of 

several of these facilities 

into our Friday 

morning seminar series, 

which we've 

called Technical 

Tours. Those who are interested will have 

the opportunity to tour Corel Corporation, 

which is recognized worldwide as an 

award-winning developer and marketer of 

PC graphics and multi-media software; the 

General Assembly Production Centre, a 

unique, state-of-the-art video, audio multimedia 

production center; Animatics, a 

young, upbeat media company creating interactive 

worlds of sound and light; and the 

New Multimedia Centre, which has a range 

of digital equipment. 

As organizers of the convention, we try 

to maintain a balance of activities, with a 

program that includes seminars, screenings, 

a growing trade show, and gala events, 

while also showing off some of the region's 

highlights. Our opening gala will take place 

at the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, 

and we'll be visiting the new casino in 

Hull. We'll also be attending a seminar at 

the IMAX theatre in Hull and screenings at 

Famous Players' Rideau Centre Cinemas 

and Cineplex Odeon's World Exchange 

Cinemas in Ottawa. Our gala evenings will 

take place at the Westin Hotel and the Ottawa 

Conference Centre in the heart of 

downtown Ottawa, and we are looking into 

an event at the Parliament buildings as well. 

Besides our themed evening events 

(we've got a costumed Mardi Gras night, 

and we're working on our own Circus-Circus 

evening), the gala 

opening night ceremonies 

with the Show- 

Canada Showmanship 

Awards promises to 

again be one of the 

highlights of the convention, 

as 22 theatre 

managers will be honored 

in an award ceremony 

highlighting 

their work in film promotions, 

concessions, 

and audience development 

over the last 1 2 months. 

This award contest is among the biggest 

in North America. We now have six categories 

with three prize winners in each category. 

Showmanship is alive and well and 

growing in Canada. This year, we should 

receive over 1 20 entries as part of the award 

competition. Our new Blockbuster award 

will be given for the best promotion of a 

major "blockbuster" film. This will be differentiated 

from our Showmanship Award 

category for smaller films. As always, we 

have awards for the best promotion for a 

Canadian film in French and a Canadian 

film in Engli.sh, as well as our audience 

development award, which is given for programs 

centered on how a specific theatre

ShowCanada '97: 

May 6-10 

Ottawa, Ontario 

interacts with its community—blood 

donor clinics, food drives, et cetera. We 

also give out prizes for the best promotions 

surrounding concessions sales. 

Two different kinds of awards that we 

give out are for the highest-grossing Canadian 

film, which this year was David 

Cronenberg's "Crash," and for Canadian 

Director of the Year, which will also go to 

Cronenberg. 

There are many new developments happening 

in the film industry, and our seminar 

series will focus on these changes and 

bring exhibitors up to date on the new 

realities. As we speak, 6,000-foot reels are 

becoming a reality. Warner Bros, is releasing 

the Wesley Snipes starrer "Murder at 

1600" in the U.S. using the new format. 

As organizers of the 

convention, we try to 

maintain a balance of 

activities, luith a 

program that includes 

seminars, screenings, 

a growing trade show, 

and gala events, while 

also showing off 

some of the region's 

highlights. 

and New Line will follow suit with the 

comedy "Austin Powers: International 

Man of Mystery" (which stars Canadian 

Mike Myers of "Wayne' s World" fame). 

Canadian releases using the 6,000-foot 

reel are planned for the summer. We will 

have representatives from InterSociety 

on hand so that Canadian exhibitors can 

ask questions and see the new cases firsthand. 

Also, United Artists Theatres and 

Todd-AO Corp. have created a compact 

print and are now demonstrating it across 

the country. The improvement of 30 

frames per second from 24 frames gives 

a 14 percent better picture quality and 

better contrast resolution because of the 

absence of flicker. We hope to have a 

demonstration for exhibitors to see this 

new process. 

And last but not least, Disney University 

is coming up to ShowCanada with its seminar 

on customer service—Disney-style. 

We welcome one and all and hope that you 

all enjoy a view from the capital ! 

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May, 1997 37

38 BOXOFFICE 


Entertainment, Information 

and Inspiration 

by Cathy Watson 

President 

Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada 

On 

behalf of the Motion Picture Theatre 

Associations of Canada, I would 

like to welcome everyone to our 

nation's capital, Ottawa, Ontario. This 

year's ShowCanada convention is being 

held at the historical and beautiful Chateau 

Laurier hotel in the heart of downtown Ottawa. 

Our May 6 to 1 calendar of events 

should afford us all an opportunity to see 

this great city in full bloom of tulips and 

other sure signs of spring. We have 

moved our dates this year to better accommodate 

our industry and allow our colleagues 

to work on 

Monday and attend the 

convention from Tuesday 

to Friday. Anyone 

wishing to stay over on 

the Saturday night can 

enjoy a day at the end 

of the convention when 

everyone will have had 

a chance to get acquainted 

with the city 

and its wealth of tourism 

opportunities. 

On Tuesday, May 

6, we will be holding the annual Pioneer 

Golf Tournament, which is held each 

ShowCanada at the finest courses across the 

nation. We always have a great turn-out of 

golfers, and anyone can join in the fun. 

Our opening ceremonies will once again 

be a spectacular show, this year with a 

"Changing of the Guards" theme, which 

will be followed by our renowned Show- 

Canada Showmanship Awards. Showmanship 

is alive and thriving in our great 

country, and we recognize and reward our 

ever-growing list of most deserving recipients. 

This year's 

seminars include technical 

updates, including the new 6,000-foot reels, 

big-screen light measurements and the 

Compact Distribution Print. Another of our 

featured seminars is the Disney University 

Customer Service forum. This is a most 

informative and inspiring seminar that 

should not be missed. 

After being completely motivated and 

extremely informed, our delegates will also 

enjoy numerous meals and entertainment 

that will be hosted by 

our friends from distribution, 

exhibition, and 

our many suppliers. 

This year' s trade show 

has been sold out for 

some time and once 

again we will be hosting 

an exhibitor relations 

forum with the 

distributors 

available 

to speak to us and address 

any concerns at 

this time. 

ShowCanada is now in its 1 1th year, and 

we are very proud of its growth. I would like 

to acknowledge the hard work of 

ShowCanada co-chair Carole Boudreault 

and her team, and Dina Lebo, executive 

director of the Motion Picture Theatre Associations 

of Canada, for their dedication 

and organizing of ShowCanada 1997, and 

the many others who have devoted their 

time and effort to help make this convention 

a success. We look forward to seeing you 

in Ottawa.

The Annual National Convention 

'or Film Exhibition and Distribution 

OTTAWA 1997 

1

jn 

Ildvnrnnr 


Raising Canada's Profile 

by Dan Johnson 

President and Chief Executive Officer 

Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters 

Canadian Association of Film Dis- 

and Exporters (CAFDE) is 

Thetributors 

proud to be a co-sponsor of 

ShowCanada '97. Each year this event gets 

even better at raising the profile of the theatrical 

sector and assisting people working 

in the business to keep on top of the latest 

industry developments in customer service, 

marketing, sales and new technology. 

We also appreciate the opportunity to 

acknowledge our productive partnership 

with Canada's theatrical exhibitors. The 

work distributors and exhibitors do together 

to encourage Canadians to emerge from 

their cocoons and take in a show at the 

cinema is fundamental to the prosperity of 

the moving picture 

business today. There's 

no doubt that a successful 

theatrical release increases 

the value of the 

film in relation to all 

other media. 

The eight members 

of the Canadian Association 

of Film Distributors 

and Exporters 

(CAFDE)— Alliance 

Vivafilm/Releasing, 

Coscient/Astral, 

CFP 

Distribution Inc., Cineplex Odeon Films, 

Film Tonic, MaloFilm Distribution, 

NorStar Releasing Inc., and TSC Film Distribution—are 

pleased to collaborate with 

the members of the Motion Picture Theatre 

Associations of Canada (MPTAC) in activities 

which promote Canadian culture and 

Canadian films. Canadian Project Pictures 

is a publicity plan to use donated on-screen 

trailer time, posters, and point-of-purchase 

promotional material in theatre lobbies to 

raise the public's name-recognition of the 

excellent Canadian films available throughout 

the year. Recently, we utilized the Canadian 

Project Pictures strategy to raise patriotism 

through a National Flag Day public 

service campaign. Canadian distributors 

and exhibitors lit up the screen like fireworks 

light up Parliament Hill on the 1 st of 

July when we marked National Flag Day on 

screens across the country with promotional 

trailers in tribute to Canadian 

Heritage's flag-waving initiative. 

In addition to an interest in national pride, 

CAFDE has a stake in seeing the number of 

Canadian films exhibited increase. Our 

mandate is to foster and promote the health 

of the Canadian motion picture industry by 

strengthening the distribution and export 

sector. To accomplish this task, CAFDE 

works to improve the 

commercial viability 

of Canadian films and 

their effective distribution 

and export in 

Canada and abroad. In 

addition, we seek to 

improve the economic 

viability of the Canadian 

distribution sector 

by establishing 

Canada as a commercially-distinct 

market 

from the U.S. 

The achievements we have made in film 

distribution and exhibition in Canada are 

not only founded in private-sector ambition 

and entrepreneurism, but also on publicsector 

partnership. Given that symbiotic relationship, 

it's significant that ShowCanada 

'97 is launching its second decade in the 

nation's capital. 

Partnerships between distributors and exhibitors 

and between the private and public 

sector have brought us to this place in time. 

With one more ShowCanada under our belt, 

we'll be even belter prepared to forge 

ahead.

"j^ 

THE "Premier Event" 

for the 

Concession Industry! 

PLAN NOW to attend the only trade show specifically for concessions, bringing together leading 

suppliers and operators in the recreation and leisure-time foodservice industry. EXPO '97 is held 

in conjunction with Snack Bar University, a 16 year-old educational conference and convention 

for concession operators and suppliers, sponsored by the National Association of Concessionaires. 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Amusement Parks • Arenas 

• Movie Theatres • Fairs • Ball Parks • Race Tracks • 

Colleges & Universities • Ice & Roller Rinks 

• Bowling Centers • Zoos/Aquariums • 

Festivals • Stadiums • Historical Sites 

Fun Spots • Recreation & Park 

Departments • Pari-Mutuel Facilities 

• Convention Centers • Tourist 

Attractions • Foodservice Contractors • 

Family Entertainment Centers 

Snack Bar University/Expo 

June 2-5 in Anaheim, is the annual 

convention and educational conference 

on concessions, including workshops, 

seminars, social events, and the Expo 

trade show. For information on attending 

the entire convention, call the NAC office 

at 312/236-3858. 

Don't miss EXPO '97, with a ton of concession 

products, equipment & services, such as: soft dnnks drinks 

• beer • iced tea • nachos • cheese le sauce • 

^^"^^ 

egg rolls • pizza • hot dogs • soft pretzels (tzels 

• cotton candy • sno kones • peanuts 

• yogurt • cappuccino • ice cream 

• churros • chicken • pickles • fat 

_^^fc^ 

free snacks • candy • grills • popcorn toppings & oils • 

point-of-sale equipment • food warmers • mobile food 

courts • snack bar stands • pressure fryers • 

BBQ ovens • menu boards • holding 

ovens • cup holders • disposable 

containers & trays • concession trailers 

• souvenir cups/mugs • soft drink/liquor 

dispensers • coffee brewers & grinders • 

janitorial supplies • popcorn poppers • 

inventory control systems • condiment 

dispensers • merchandising units « 

architectural planning & concession 

designs • refrigerators/freezers • 

and MORE! 

EXPO 

SHOW 

HOURS 

ADMISSION: $10 per person in 

advance; $20 per person AFTER 

iVlAYIOoratthedoor. 

Name(s) for badge _ 

Company 

TUESDAY 

JUNE 3, 

2-5:30 PM. 

WEDNESDAY 

JUNE 4, 

2-5:30 p.m. 

ANAHEIM 

^1 

Includes entry for door prizes and 

entertainment. 

Badges will be QUESTIONS? 

available for Call NAC 

pickup at the 312/236-3858 

door. 

PLEASE COMPLETE FORM & SEND 

WITH CHECK TO: 

National Association 

of Concessionaires, 35 E. Wacker Dr., 

#1816, Chicago, IL 60601 

Address 

City 

State/Province . 

ZiP_ 

Telephone 

Fax. 

Mark primary area of business: 

D Stadium/Arena D Park/Attraction 

D Movie Theatre D Zoo/Aquarium 

D College/University D Other: 

Snack Bar University/Expo '97 • June 2-5, 1997 • Anaheim • 312/236-3858

A^ 

Bnmr^ 

1 

ShowCanada '97 

A CAPITAL IDEA 

In addition to tiie usual exiiibition convention 

activities, ShowCanada '97 explores Ottawa's 

historic, multicultural treasures by Christine James 

At 

CAPITAL GAINS: ShowCanada '97's host hotel, The Chateau Laurier, in Ottawa, Ontario. 

ShowCanada '96 in Banff, Alberta, 

conventioneers received golden pins in 

the shape ofthe House of Parliament as 

a teaser for the '97 convention already in the 

waics. Come Tuesday, May 6, the anticipated 

450-500 attendees of the Great White Show 

will get to see the real thing. Located this year 

in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, 

ShowCanada will offer guests a view of the 

famed gubernatorial center from the windows 

of Chateau Laurier, a prestigious hotel located 

next to Parliament Hill. And that's jast the 

beginning of an agenda that incorporates a fiin 

crash-course in Canadian history and culture, 

neady interwoven between castomary convention 

events such as a trade show, themed 

meals and informative seminars. 

While the main focus will of course be the 

Canadian exhibition industry, ShowCanada's 

or;ganizers decided to take advantage of the 

migrating amvention's curreni site by exploring 

the mullitudincxjs heritagc-themed attractions 

the Ottawa area has to offer. Over its 1 

years of existence, seven cities have hosted 

ShowCanada: Kananaskis, Alberta; Toronto, 

Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Whistler, British 

Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Quebec 

City, Quebec; and the aforementioned Banff, 

Alberta. One of the benefits of having a traveling 

convention is the new splendors to be 

discovered in each host province, adding an 

element of adventure to 

this industry gathering. 

"I think it's great!" 

says Dina Lebo, cochair 

of ShowCanada 

'97 and executive director 

ofthe Motion Picture 

Theatre Associations of 

Canada, regarding the 

show's nomadism. "I 

think it's wonderful. 

You get to see other 

parts of Canada, and experience 

unique culturdi 

experiences which come out of the region 

where you're going. Many people have not 

done grand tours of Canada, and this convention, 

moving from place to place, allows them 

to see the country. It allows them to get a feel 

for the other provinces, and the high points and 

the highlights of living in different provinces 

across the country. 

"Ottawa is wonderful because of the number 

of buildings and different kinds of architectural 

experiences," says Lebo. "As the 

national capital, [Ottawa is] very accustomed 

to having large-scale conventions, and therefore 

there are a lot of different sites that can be 

used." 

About half of the scheduled destinations are 

located in neighboring Hull, Quebec. One 

might wonder why the show would travel 

outside its host province, even if it'sjust across 

the bridge to Hull. 

"The theme is called 'A View From the 

Capital,' and most Canadians, [let alone] most 

Americans, don't understand that the capital 

experience is really Ottawa and Hull," explains 

Lebo. "The capital experience takes you back 

and forth between the two. It's called the capital 

region. Half the government buildings are 

in Hull, half are in Ottawa. You just drive over 

the bridge. [The intent of the show's theme], A 

View From the Capital, is to give conventioneers 

a unique perspective of how their country 

functions. 

"Because you go between Ontario and Quebec, 

you go between English and French," 

Lebo adds. "Ottawa is the home of Franglais, 

which is that new language where you talk in 

English and then tout d'accord, on change a 

Francois, and then we 

change back again. Ottawa 

is the bilingual city that is 

held up as the Canadian 

model." 

Lebo will honor the 

bilingual nature of Canada 

at the convention by 

speaking in both languages. 

"I will greet people 

and welcome them in 

French and English. You'll 

see the [notifications reading] 

'We're meeting at the 

bus in 10 minutes down at the back door,' that 

will be done in French and English. Because 

we are going to be spending time in both

— 

Mav. 1997 43 

Quebec and Ontario, that is the Canadian experience. 

It's a multi-cultural country with two 

founding fathers. And the capital region reflects 

that." 

This year, 

ShowCanada has changed its 

dates to begin on a Tuesday and end on a Friday 

in response to attendees' requests. "The opening 

cocktail party used to be Saturday night, 

and the convention ended Wednesday night," 

says Lebo. "The problem with that was Monday 

is booking day, and distributors and exhibitors 

were in their rooms 

virtually all day Monday 

and did not participate in the 

activities. So we were asked 

whether we could do anything 

about that. And the 

other thing people were saying 

was that 'You keep us so 

busy that we don't have a 

chance to see the place 

where you've taken us to, 

except in going here and 

there to your activities.' So 

this year is our first experiment 

shifting the whole convention 

so that it starts 

Tuesday night. Tuesday's 

Golf Day, so those people 

who want to play golf can 

come up Monday night. And 

by ending it Friday night, if 

they stay over Saturday 

night, they get the deep airfare 

discounts, and Saturday 

is their day to do whatever it 

is they want." 

Far 

from being merely 

an extended city tour. 

ShowCanada '97 has 

a rigorous schedule planned 

filled with seminars and information 

exchanges pertaining 

to new industryshaking 

developments, 

interspliced with festivities 

that will celebrate the fun, 

creative, magical side of exhibition. 

On opening night, 

the convention's annual 

Showmanship Awards ceremony 

will honor 22 theatre 

managers in the categories 

of film promotions, concessions 

and audience development. 

Awards will also be 

given for the highest-grossing 

Canadian fihn 

(which 

this year is "Crash") and Canadian Director of 

the Year ("Crash's" David Cronenbeig). This 

event will take place at Hull's Museum of 

Culture and Civilization, "which is a gorgeous, 

Indian-themed building," says Lebo. "The 

dining room is shaped Uke a canoe." Prior to 

the award ceremony, conventioneers will be 

entertained in Canada Hall, the museum's interactive 

Canadian history exhibit. "[There 

are] high-tech wax figures that speak, and they 

tell the history of Canada," says Lebo. "What's 

very interesting is our opening night cocktail 

party will be held in the exhibit, which is kind 

of like a pioneer village. It's indoors, and it 

[depicts] Upper and Lower Canada, which was 

basically what Ontario and Quebec were 

called before they became Ontario and Quebec. 

They have a model of streets from Quebec 

and from Ontario. And the cocktail party will 

be held in there. There will be people in costumes 

giving out hors d'oeuvres and cider 

"People can take their time—we're allowins 

4.'i 

minutes for them to saunter through the 

ABOVE: The Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec will be the site 

of the opening night festivities. BELOW: An exhibit from the museum's 

Canada Hall, which depicts the country's history. 

exhibit. Those people who aren't turned on by 

things like that can rush through in 30 seconds 

and drink at the bar," she adds with a laugh. 

"We want to show conventioneers the history 

of their country and the capital, and do things 

that they wouldn't be able to do in another site 

really take advantage of the capital region, in 

terms of seeing the best in the architecture 

and learning the most about our country." 

Other events wUl include a trade show with 

25 booths in addition to 10 exhibitor relation 

formance and on emerging technologies such 

as the 6,000-foot reel and the Compact Distribution 

Print; advance movie screenings; and a 

tour of multimedia and production companies. 

ShowCanada is also proud to offer for the fu^t 

time a condensed version of the renowned 

training course oifered by Disney University. 

"Both Cineplex and Famous send a lot of their 

managers and their district supervisors down 

to Disney University in Orlando," says Lebo. 

"Disney developed its own training center to 

train the staff of Disneyland, 

Disneyworld, everything 

that's Ksney. What they found 

is that because of the Disney 

attitude and the Disney style of 

customer service, it was considered 

very attractive for people 

outside of the Disney 

family. IBM sends its managers, 

even the Navy sends its 

managers." The week-long 

training courses held at Disneyworld 

will be compressed 

to two hours for ShowCanada, 

and will be held the moming 

of Thursday, May 8. 

A" 

booths; seminars on Canadian boxoffice pernd 

that's not all. A Casino 

Night is planned at 

the 

Casino De Hull, 

plus a New Orleans-flavored 

Circus Circus event wiU end 

the 

convention on a giddily 

festive note. "We were looking 

for something that was like 

French and EngUsh, and somebody 

came up with New Orleans!" 

recounts Lebo. "And 

we thought there's a lot we can 

do with that, you know, Bourbon 

Street and Carnival Time 

and Mardi Gras." Convivial 

conventioneers will be expected 

to garb themselves appropriately. 

"Oh, this is fun," 

says Lebo excitedly. "As they 

enter into the space that's allocated 

for Mardi Gras, there are 

going to be boxes of accessories, 

hats and wigs and scarves 

and boas, and they will be expected 

to costume themselves," 

she explains. 

With all these attractions, 

Lebo feels ShowCanada '97 

will be an event to be remembered. 

"[Conventioneers will] 

have a good time in Ottawa, 

they'll have a better knowledge of how business 

is done in the capital and what the capital 

is 

about. And they'll get first-hand, updated 

information on what's happening [industrywide]. 

What's really exciting is putting together 

something that's going to be 

educational and informative, and offer people 

a great time in great surroundings." 

HI 

For further information about 

ShowCanada '97, call 416-969-7057 or 

514-279-6150.

AA 

Rtf'tv/\ci.'i/'-L' 

1 

ShowCanada '97: Special Report 

CUT TO THE QUICK 

Canada's Future in Film Production is Threatened 

as tlie Industry Suffers Severe Subsidy Cuts 

one were to judge by Canada's presence 

Ifat the 19% Cannes Film Festival, the state 

of the Canadian film industry would seem 

to be a healthy one. David 

Cronenberg's long-awaited 

"Crash" created waves in comjjetition, 

and won a special Jury 

prize for its "audacity." Rising 

young Toronto filmmaker 

Srinivas Krishna unveiled his 

second film, "Lulu," in the Un 

Certain Regard section of the 

festival. Quebec director Pierre 

Gang debuted with "Sous-Sol" 

in the prestigious Critic's 

Week. With the presence of acclaimed 

director Atom Egoyan 

("Exotica") on the Cannes jury, 

Canada's filmmaking community 

was high-profile and wellrepresented, 

giving the 

impression that all is well on 

Canada's filmmaking fi'ont. 

The reality in Canada is different. 

Films are still being 

made and shown at local film 

festivals, but provincial funding 

cutbacks, lack of access to Canadian screens, 

and, more often than not, disinterest on the 

part of the Canadian public in local product, 

may be imperiling the future of Canadian 

cinema. 

Most worrisome is what's happening in Ontario, 

Canada's largest province and home to 

Toronto, which, along with Montreal, accounts 

for the bulk of the country's local filmmaking. 

The ascension of a fiscally conservative provincial 

government in June 1995 saw a freeze 

of the Ontario Film Development Corporation 

(OFDC)'s C$6 million (US$4.2 million) budget 

for film funding, which was known as the 

Ontario Film Investment Program. That program 

was never revived. 

"There's less money for direct investment. 

There's no getting around that at all," says 

Alexandra Raffe, chief executive officer of the 

OFDC. "It has changed the landscape a 

little in terms of the kinds of feature films 

that are likely to be made. Telefilm Canada 

will continue to be able to relate to the more 

commercial end of the feature spectrum 

by Shlomo Schwartzberg 

BOXOFFICE Canadian Correspondent 

where there is an ability fiom the producer to 

collect serious pre-sale orforeign money. [But] 

there will be far more of the very low-budget 

Bruce McDonald's mockumentary "Hard Core Logo" was supposed to be co-financed 

by Ontario and British Columbia, but the film's producers had to scramble for 

financing at the last minute when the OFDC's film investment program was frozen. 

features that tend to get made in the States, that 

will get made in Quebec, in the C$300- 

600,000 (US$210- 

414,000) range. Firsttimers 

will be increasingly 

working in that 

kind 

of budget range 

rather then the $1-1.5 

million (US$700,000- 

million) that they might 

[have had in the past]." 

And those Canadian 

newcomers will be financially 

disadvantaged 

compared to their predecessors, 

says Piers Handling, 

executive director 

of the Toronto International 

Film Festival and 

the man who in 1984 

launched the festival 's Perspective Canada, the 

popular annual program which showcases the 

best in Canadian cinema. 'There is a widening 

gap between established filmmakers like 

Alexandra Raffe, chief executive officer of 

the Ontario Film Development Corp. 

Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg, who 

will continue to make their films and will 

be financed, and young first-time 

filmmakers, who have no real 

place to go in the same way 

that they used to." 

The Ontario government did 

institute some changes for the 

better even as they cut back on 

direct funding. Ontario producers 

can now avail themselves of 

a tax credit, which allows them 

to write off 15 percent of their 

eUgible labor expenses, up to 48 

percent of the film's total budget, 

which works out to 7.2 percent 

of the entire budget. That's an 

improvement on the previous 

OFIP system, which resulted in 

some films getting more rebates 

than others. "The tax 

credit is absolutely automatic," 

says Raffe. "It's available 

to absolutely everybody 

[and there is] a doubled rate 

for first-time filmmakers, 

double the 15 percent. 1 was 

pleased with [the government's] recognition 

that's it's bloody hard [for first-time 

filmmaka^] to get started." 

All 

Iberta also faces a 

harsh fiscal 

reality 

as the 15-year-old 

Alberta Motion Picture 

Development Corporation 

(AMPDC) received its last 

C$300,000 (US$207,000) 

grant from the conservative 

government, thus 

threatening all local film 

pRxluction in the province. 

(The AMPDC invested 

$1.3 million in Alberta 

productions in 1995. 

About five to eight feature 

films are shot there each 

year.) "Right now as it stands there's nothing 

for next year," says Margaret Mardirossian, 

president of the Alberta Motion Picture Industries 

Association (AMPIA), which lobbies for

the industry. Her organization is in current 

discussions with the government to try to 

change the funding situation. "We're trying to 

find a way of bringing forth a favorable business 

climate for the industry here. I think they 

recognize the fact that we're at a bit of a 

disadvantage," adds Mardirossian, pointing to 

other provinces that are up-and-coming in 

terms of indigenous production. "Nova Scotia 

is doing really well." (That province announced 

C$17 million [US$11.7 million] 

worth of Canadian film and television 

production in 1995, and has also begun 

to attract Hollywood films, such as "The 

Scarlet Letter" and "Dolores 

Claiborne"). Alberta, on the other hand, 

lost an estimated $22 million in film and 

television projects in the last year due to 

a lack of financial incentives for film 

production companies, according to the 

AMPIA. 

Even 

in the French-speaking province 

of Quebec, where culture has 

poUtical implications and local 

film funding is still sacrosanct, traditional 

audiences for Quebecois films seem to be 

dwindling, says Francois Macerola, executive 

director of Telefilm Canada. 

"In Quebec you could [in the past] expect a 

film or two making more than C$1.5 million 

[US$1 million] in a year. Last year we had only 

one film — 'Liste Noire'—making one miUion 

dollars [US$700,000], and the other ones 

made C$300,000 to C$400,000 [US$2 10,000- 

276,000]. I remember five or six years ago we 

could expect very easily C$200,000 

[US$ 1 38,000] ft-om a Quebec film. Now some 

films are making less than that. The boxoffice 

has decreased for Quebec film an average of 

20 to 25 percent." 

According to Alex Films, a Quebec company 

that provides financial information on 

cinema to subscribers, 86 percent of French 

language boxoffice went to U.S. product in 

1995. 

"There is a widening gap 

between established filmmakers 

like Atom Egoyan and David 

Cronenberg, who will continue 

to make their films and will be 

financed, and young first-time 

filmmakers, who have no real 

place to go in the same way 

that they used to." 

One culprit, says Macerola, is the 1 0-yearold 

Bill 

109, under which American films 

must be made available in a dubbed French 

version within a month of the original 

English language release, thus grabbing 

both language groups right off the bat. 

Ironically, that law was passed with the 

intention of bolstering French-language 

cinema. 

Macerola would like to see the Canadian 

public support Canadian film in greater 

numbers and get used to the idea of local 

films being a regular part of their filmgoing 

diet. "[The films you choose to see] 

could very well be Canadian if you're 

challenged on the screen by many Canadian 

films. But the problem is you have 

three, four Canadian films launched in September, 

the same number in February, and 

that's the end of it. You then have to wait 

another year in order to be challenged 

by Canadian films." 

T: 

here are bright spots in Canadian 

film production, including British 

Columbia, which has weathered 

cutbacks and just recently placed three 

films into the Toronto International 

Film Festival, including Bruce 

McDonald's highly touted "Hard Core 

Logo" and the "necrophilia comedy" 

"Kiss." And some Canadian films, 

such as "Margaret's Museum" and 

Robert Lepage's "Le Confessional," 

have performed very well at the 

boxoffice. Optimism therefore exists, 

but it's tempered. 

"I do not believe there will be a fading away 

of the talent that's been developed in the last 

decade," says Raffe. However, adds Handhng, 

"It's a very fragile, uncertain time right 

now. The next year and the year after is when 

we'U really begin to see what impact the 

cuts have had." 

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ShowCanada '97: Exhibition Extra 

A MOVABLE FEST 

The Ontario Northern and Southern Film Circuits 

Bring Art-House Programs to Canadian Communities 

For 

art-house fans in many of Ontario's 

smaller communities, it used to be fest or 

famine. If they wanted to see specialty 

fare on the bigscreen, they ' d have to trek across 

the province to seek out a film festival. Now, 

the festivals can come to them, thanks to the 

Ontario Northern and Southern Film Circuits, 

which bring art and foreign language 

films to communities that would 

otherwise never see them. The 

program's genesis began in 

1989 with the launch of 

Cinefest, the Sudbury Film 

Festival, whose success revealed 

a previously untapped 

maiicet for niche product. 

Cam Haynes, a local concert 

promoter, was the man chosen 

to help launch an international 

film festival in the Northern 

Ontario town. "I was approached 

about putting it together. 

I had no idea about a 

film festival, how big it could 

be, how little it could be." 

Eventually, Haynes got government 

funding, and on a 

C$250,000 (US$172,500) 

by Shlomo Schwartzberg 

BOXOFFICE Canadian Correspondent 

local exhibitors, distributors and groups in 

each community who set up the screenings, 

with all three partners sharing equally in the 

boxoffice. Communities can elect to show 

movies on any basis they choose, from every 

week to once a month (the norm) to periodic 

mini-film festivals of three or four films over 

as many days. All of this is facilitated by The 

Toronto International Film Festival Group, 

budget, the first year was off 

and running, with 24 films unveiled 

over three days. "The The Ontario Northern and Southern Film Circuit program brings art-house films like 

very first year, we had 9,000 "Margaret's Museum" to communities where they might not otherwise have played. 

people—I 

thought we'd have 

3,000. It took off instantaneously." Nine years 

later, the 1996 edition of Cinefest featured 100 

films and 25,000 people attended. "It would 

double every year," says Haynes. "The entire 

North would come to the festival and they 

would Stan saying, 'We'dliketoseethesefilras 

in our city.'" That's how Haynes began the 

Northern Film Circuit in 1 992, an extension of 

Cinefest in which select foreign language, art 

and Canadian films are brought to towns that 

usually only receive Hollywood movies. 

The Circuits are not a chain, but rather a 

loose affiliation of otherwi.se independent 

screens that show specialized product. Eleven 

cities have signed on to be a part of the Northem 

Circuit, while the Southern Circuit currently 

has 23 cities aboard. The Circuit 

pTC)gram is a cooperative venture between 

which operates purely altruistically in order to 

get the word out on the types of films the 

Circuits (and the Toronto festival itselO show. 

"The general idea behind the Circuits is to 

[raise the films' profiles] to the point where 

they reach the capacity of potential in their 

community," says Haynes. 

It's been an educational experience for 

Haynes on several levels. "I didn't know, quite 

frankly, [how the Circuits would do]. The reality 

is that everybody said it would go over 

like a lead balloon. The attitude out of Montreal 

and Toronto was a slight feeling of 'How 

could [art films] go over in Sudbury?' They 

sit back and wonder, 'Is this going to work?', 

and suddenly 200 people show up for 

'Margaret's Museum' [despite the fact that] it's 

already on video." 

Economically, the Circuits are quite profitable, 

and have been since the beginning. "The 

numbers started to get pretty significant. [One 

Circuit screen would do] as much business in 

one night as the five-plex would be doing at 

the same time. In Thunder Bay, which has 17 

screens, my guesstimate is that [one of our 

films] would do more business in one night than 

the entire [other] 1 6 screens would be doing." 

Haynes estimates that the 

year-long take in 19% for the 

Circuits was a healthy 

SC275,000 (US$190,000), 

more than double the 1 995 total, 

when the Northern Fihn Circuit 

and the newly-formed Southern 

Film Circuit (which started in 

September of that year) together 

took in C$132,000 

(US$92,000). The Southern 

Film Circuit is the more popular 

of the two: in its first calendar 

year, it made C$125,000 

(US$91,075). 

"The South is easier to do," 

says Haynes. "It's closer to the 

media base [in Toronto], closer 

to the action, it has more universities 

and colleges." 

But both Circuits are prospering, 

thanks in large part to 

community involvement in 

raising interest. "We started to 

find out recently that we can do more 

business in one night with a film than [a 

competing theatre] will do [with the same 

film] in an entire week. It's happened a few 

times when the commercial exhibitor ran a 

film for a week, and we picked it up three 

weeks later, ran it one night and did more 

business in the 7 p.m. screening (than the 

competing exhibitor did for the entire mn]." 

Haynes attributes that to several factors. "It's 

the community grass roots. The community 

picks the film, they go out and promote it, they 

hustle it, they put more action in that film 

screening than anyone can. Even Disney, when 

it comes down to it, 

they can't hit a town that 

hard. When you hustle things at a local level, 

they've got their own mailing lists they go 

directly to, the money goes back into the 

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community—there are so many things that go 

into this that the distributors cannot do." 

Haynes doesn't feel showing extended or 

open-ended runs of such films as "Breaking 

The Waves," "Secrets & Lies" or "Big Night" 

is a good idea. "You run a film for a week, 

you're going to start losing people every 

single night. We've already found that we 

can get, say, 400 people in one night, where 

[over the whole week] we [only get] 500 

people." 

FYices that the Circuits charge vary, 

depending which night the film is 

slotted for. Tickets on Tuesdays, the 

traditional cheap Canadian movie 

night, might be C$4.25 (US$3), or a 

full Canadian movie price of C$8.50 

(US$5.90) may be charged. "The average 

is C$6.50 (US$ 4.50), says 

Haynes. "That's pretty close to the 

same prices as commercial films." 

Interestingly enough, despite such 

controversial films as 'Trainspotting" 

and "Priest" on the Circuits, complaints 

from some communities perceived as 

bedrocks of conservatism are quite rare. 

"When they were running 'FViest' in Toronto, 

[people] were boycotting it. [But] this 

thing went quietly through all these small cities, 

all those places where you would never 

expect the film to run. 

"We work with the communities," says 

Haynes. "We suggested 'Trainspotting' and 

'Hard Core Logo' [a "Spinal Tap"-like 

mockumentary about a fictional punk 

band] to spread out into a younger market. 

The average audience [at the Circuits' programs] 

is 35-years-plus, upper-scale and 

highly educated." 

Haynes does attach one criterion to the films 

the communities show through the Circuits. 

'There is one thing we ask them to do, and 

that's to play as many Canadian films as they 

possibly can and they're willing to." It hasn't 

been a bad decision for them. '"Margaret's 

Museum' [a Canadian-British co-produc- 

"Everyhody said it wouldgo 

over like a lead balloon. The 

attitude ivas, 'How could [art 

films] go over in Sudbury?' 

They wonder, 'Is this going to 

work?', and suddenly 200 people 

show up for 'Margaret's 

Museum' [despite the fact that] 

it's already on video." 

tion, set in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia] did more 

business than any other film ever did." That 

movie averaged C$1,200 (US$830) per 

screening, for a total of C$40,000 

(US$28,000) in 35 screenings. "C$1,000 

(US$700) a night is what we gun for," says 

Haynes. 

The popularity of those Canadian films is 

directly traceable to the media push of local 

product in Toronto, he feels. "There's so much 

promotion that comes out for Canadian film, 

they're written about in the national papers." 

In general. Haynes figures that perhaps 25 

percent of all Circuit films (and more than 2 1 

have been shown to date) make the optimum 

C$ 1 ,000 (US $700) per screen goal, and 50-60 

percent are considered financially successful. 

Haynes points out that "since 1992, we've 

never lost a city [off the Circuit] due to financial 

considerations. We have lost cities because 

the theatre closed down or because the 

projectionist died, but we've never lost a 

city [otherwise]." 

The expansion of the Circuits is growing 

rapidly. Haynes still has numerous 

communities that he wants to sign up, 

and many of them will be climbing 

aboard in 1997 and 1998. There have 

even been inquiries from other Canadian 

provinces, including Saskatchewan, 

Quebec. Alberta and British Columbia. 

The Circuits are simply an affordable 

entertainment alternative, says 

Haynes "There's nothing a town can do 

for $500. You can't bring in Bruce 

Springsteen or Nana Mouskouri. [But] 

you can bring in the biggest Greek film of all 

time for $500." 

The Circuits are a benefit for everyone, 

says Haynes. "That's what's so neat. The 

[patrons get what they want], exhibitors 

get people back in the theatre and the 

distributor gets the market. Everyone 

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50 BoxomcE 

— 

INDEPENDENTEXHIBITION SHOWCASE 

THE HOUSE THAT 

KEITH BUILT 

Keith Stata Turned His Kinmount, Ontario 

Home Into a Cinema And Museum Complex 

By Susan Lambert 

MARQUEE DE CINEMA: Keith Stata shows off the Highlands cinema road sign that directs tourists to 

his house where a five-screen, 550-seat theatre filled with cinema antiques awaits them. 

A 

visit to the Highlands Theatre in 

Kinmount, Ontario can be a lot like 

dropping in on your neighbor. Because 

this five-screen, 550-seat cinema (which can 

seat 250 more patrons than there are residents 

in Kinmount) with its4,000-square-foot lobby 

is built into Keith Stata's house. And from the 

front the house Is all you can see. "It's an optical 

illusion," explaias Keith with a grin. "The theatre 

is part of the hou.se. It's all joined. The hoase 

actually mns over the tq) of the first theatre." 

Keith says the facade catches visitors by surprise. 

"You'll hear them outside and the kid will 

be saying, 'Mother, this is somebody's house.' 

And then they get iaside and they go and go. So 

it's really kind of fun—the novelty of it" 

Keith was involved in exhibition right fix}m 

the start. At the tender of age of six. he was 

showing movies in the w(xxl.shed for two cents 

a pop. Keith made several super-8 films in high 

school which culminated in a hour-long sci-fi 

extravaganza he and friends raised thousands 

of dollars to make. But Keith had little desire 

to head to the States to pursue an iffy career in 

filmmaking. The Vietnam War was on and, 

adds Keith, "I'm a small-town person." 

So Keith pursued a more practical line of 

work in construction. In 1975, when he began 

building his house, Keith as a matter of course 

made plans to include a small 50 seat 16mm 

theatre. It was an exhibitor variation on the 

famous "Field of Dream.s" adage that "if you 

build it, they will come." The mortgage company 

wasn't as visionary. "They basically said, 

you can play around with this if you want, but 

the building cannot look like a theatre. It's got 

to look like a house." So the house had a rec 

room with 1 8-foot ceilings, step fiooring, stadium 

seating and a screen in front of the patio 

doors. 

Keith opened the theatre in 1 979. "Basically 

at first," Keith admits, "it didn't do that well." 

But he switched to 35mm in 1984 and people 

started coming. By early 1986 the theatre had 

grown to 73 seats and Keith added a second 

screen to seat 60. And more people came. 

Keith started his museum of historical cinema 

equipment Still more people came. And then 

some. "I think our attendance doubled every year 

fixjm then on," explains Keith. "We were sort 

of scrambling to keep up. In 1988, we added a 

third theatre." But even that wasn't enough. So 

Keith expanded the second theatre to 1 52 seats, 

figuring it would never sell out. It did just that 

on the second night. Now at five screens, Keith 

thinks he may finally have caught up for the 

moment. "I think we're at the point right now 

where it would be silly to add any more. 

Besides which, we're running out ofproperty." 

Keith says keeping up with his audience 

many of whom come from as far away as 

Toronto—is vital. In the summer, the population 

in a 30-mile radius blossoms to 30,000. 

"Although a good proportion of our audience 

is local, we need the tourists, we need the huge 

numbers of them to make it work. If you have 

people driving 50 miles to come to a show, they 

don' t want to wait 45 minutes to get to the door 

to find out they can't get in. We'd thought we 

would never get a lot of profit out of it, but we 

didn't want to de,stroy what we had built up." 

The Highlands now far surpasses what the 

construction basiness was ever bringing in, and 

Keith proudly says all the profits go back into 

the theauie. "We're always upgrading." 

The Highlands Cinema shows first-run 

movies seven days a week in the summer(May 

through August) and then weekends until October, 

when it closes until the following 

spring—because, when the tourists go, so does 

his business. But in that five month season, 

Keith 

estimates around 40,000 people will 

visit the Highlands cinema. 

With those kinds of crowds, Keith and his 

manager/partner, Roland Hamilton, are not 

above last-minute changes to keep things run-

Mav. 1997 51 

MUSEUM PIECE (Above): Highlands has unique artifacts from old cinemas. 

POSTER CHILD (below): Four of the 4000 posters and lobby cards. 

ning smoothly when 

one of the small theatres 

is overselling and the 

big theatre isn't. "We 

play musical theatres. 

Our audience thinks it's 

fiin. You never know 

where you're going to 

wind up when you come 

here." In order to keep 

the crowds thinned, 

Keith staggers the 

showtimes really wide. 

"Now you can come in 

when we' re sold out and 

not think we're busy." 

That also gives his 

customers a chance to 

browse in the museum/lobby 

before the 

show, examining the 

largest collection of cinema 

artifacts in Canada. 

The museum is Keith's 

pride and joy, and he scours North America for 

more equipment and theatre parts. Each of the 

theatres is outfitted with pieces from old cinema 

houses in Canada and the United States. 

Keith says, "Part of what the theatre is all about 

is detail. There is a lot to do, lots to touch, things 

you wouldn't normally see. We throw so much 

stuff in that you have to come back at least six 

times to see everything, and even then you may 

not." When Keith hears of an old moviehouse 

closing, he'll see if he can save a piece of it. "I 

[stripped] a theatre last week and got a really 

nice gold drape out of it, which we're going to 

use in one of the theatres." 

Keith's collection includes over 450 projectors 

and 4,000 posters and lobby cards. Although 

he's reluctant to name a favorite item, 

Keith is extremely proud of his 1921 Motiograph 

F projector. "It came from the Palace 

Theatre in Blind River. We were doing the roof 

on number two in '86 

and I phoned up that 

theatre to see what they 

had there. He said, 

'Well, I'm not sure, but 

the lamphouse has a 

name stenciled on iL I 

think it says Motiograph 

and it says "F' or something.' 

I got down off 

the roof, put the lids on 

the tar cans, drove right 

to Blind River—about 

nine hours away—and 

picked it up." 

Keith says his 

customers 

love the atmosphere 

the living 

museum provides. 

"Let's put it this way: 

We have no plastic 

seats; we have no ceiling 

tile; we have no 

soundfold. The theatres 

all have character and 

there is an ambiance to 

the place that is really warm and welcoming." 

And Keith is particular about the upkeep. 

"We're very picky. Our bathroom floors are 

scrubbed and waxed every week. The carjjets 

are shampooed every spring. The theatres 

themselves are extremely comfortable. We 

paint our floors every year and, because we're 

only open five months, that means we paint 

our floors every five months." 

In return, he's just as demanding of his 

audience. Keith explains, "A thing that we 

insist on here and that we're paranoid about is 

silence in the theatres. We do not permit our 

customers to talk. The price of the ticket does 

not permit you to go in there and annoy other 

people. It is a rule." Keith says he gets standing 

ovations when he takes out people who are 

talking. He adds that many theatre owners 

don't realize only a few customers will actually 

complain about distractions and problems with 

sound or picture. "Most just don't come back. 

I disagree with that. I think the customer should 

have some responsibility to report a problem 

because things can happen and you can't be 

everywhere at once. But I've run into this 

attitude of 'Why should I? It's not my job. I 

just don't come back.' So I 

think you really 

need to be on your toes." 

The biggest changes Keith has seen in the 

movie business since he started are both good 

and bad. He thinks the high percentages the 

film companies get are becoming ridiculous, 

but improvements in sound technology are, by 

and large, very good. He is particularly saddened 

to witoess the closure of so many oldfashioned 

movie palaces. "There seems to be 

a loss of grandeur. It's unfortunate that there's 

not a lot of respect for history." The Highlands 

cinema, in contrast, revels in history and celebrates 

a respect for the moviegoing experience 

that's unsurpassed. Keith says passionately, 

"Somebody should care. You can have all the 

latest digital technology. You can have the 

fmest screen. The finest sound system. The 

fmest projector. But, if the dam thing is out of 

focus or out of frame and you've got people 

running it that don't know what they're doing, 

how good is the presentation?" 

Keith says the joy of his job is the satisfaction 

he gets from people who truly enjoy the 

theatre. "There is a suggestion box and we get 

a lot ofnice comments from people saying how 

much they enjoy the place. [Actor] Rick 

Moranis was here one night and left us a nice 

little note." On his security camera tapes Keith 

heard a woman exclaim, "Now I see why you 

come here all the time. This place is great." 

Keith adds, "It's that kind of thing that makes 

it well worthwhile." 

By the time the summer is over, Keith says 

he's over, exhausted by the 16 and sometimes 

20-hour days. "Nobody ever thought it would 

succeed, including me. It was never intended 

to get as big as it has. It just sort of went, and 

we sort of followed." Or more precisely, he 

built it and they came. ^ 

Highlands Cinema 

Box 85, Kinmount, Ontario 

KOM2AO 

(705) 488-2199 

Ownen Keith W. Stata 

Earliest Movie Memory: 

"Imitation of Life" ( 1 959) 

^ 

^ 

Favorite Concession Item: Tie 

between cappuccino and pwpcom. 

Favorite BOXOFFICE Feature: 

June 1980 article on the evolution 

of the motiograph projector from 

1899 to 1945. "I have BOXOFFICE 

magazines back to the '40s. 

They're all over the museum." 

Advice to Other Independents: 

Make a good presentation.

52 Bnvnnrifir 

— 

ShowCanada '97: Exhibition Profile 

THE FIFTH ELEMENT 

Vancouver Art-House Patrons See It Coming 

Around Fifth Avenue by Shiomo Schwartzbeiy 

With 

the recent opening of Vancouver's five-screen Fifth 

Avenue Cinemas, the city has ahnost overnight become a 

major venue for art and foreign language films. And the 

theatre's a success in its own 

right. "We've been doing very, 

very well. We've had over 

200,000 filmgoers since we 

opened [last June 14]," says 

Leonard Schein, a longtime 

film programmer and exhibitor, 

who runs the Fifth Avenue 

complex, along with two other 

single-screen houses in the city 

(the Ridge and the Vancouver 

East). "We're fulfilling a need 

for people who haven't been 

coming to see the other [more 

commercial] films in the area." 

Though it's one of Canada's 

top three markets for arthouse 

product, Vancouver has 

never been as privileged as 

Montreal and Toronto, both of 

which have long had houses 

devoted to films of the offthe-beaten-path 

genre. "It was 

hard getting screens. Vancouver 

was underscreened for the 

non-major Hollywood films," 

says Schein. 

specialized films, upscale films, art films, whatever you want to 

label them, [which will in turn boost the market even further]." 

Schein, who has been in the business since 1978, cites a few reasons 

why Vancouver is a particularly 

good locale in which to operate 

an art-house. "Sometimes, we 

actually do [open] a film here 

before Toronto. Canada doesn't 

have a lot of markets and Toronto 

is a much more expensive city 

to open a film in than Vancouver 

1 think sometimes distributors 

experiment a bit more in Vancouver 

and see how it goes." 

Vancouver, like most Canadian 

cities, does tend to suffer 

when a film fails in Toronto first, 

says Schein. "When a distributor 

decides to market a campaign, 

he's looking at one budget, a national 

budget, and if the film 

doesn't do well in Toronto, he'll 

cut the Vancouver budget, even 

though the film might be doing 

well in Vancouver. He only has to 

look at his bottom line for the 

whole country." Yet such films as 

"Jane Eyre" and "Lone Star" 

were bigger hits out West than in 

Toronto, Schein points out. 

I 

n many ways. Fifth Avenue 

Cinemas has come along at 

a good time for the types of 

films it specializes in exhibiting, 

says Schein. "I think for 

good, quality films, [the market 

is] certainly on an upswing," he 

observes, noting that uu..â,.

IVTqv 1Q07 ^-l 

AVENUE TO SUCCESS: Fifth Avenue Cinemas In Vancouver, B.C. 

Canada." Occasionally, Fifth Avenue has 

shown more commercial films, such as "The 

Fan" and "Alaska," "which have not done as 

well" there. "We have five screens and not all 

the time are there enough [art-house] films. 

Sometimes there is only one print for Canada, 

and we have to wait for Toronto." 

One reason for Fifth Avenue's success, Schein 

believes, is the state-of-the-art equipment 

he had installed in his new theatre. "We're 

newer, we've designed bigger theatres, better 

sound. We have digital sound, brand new seats. 

We have cappuccino, a full-service concession 

stand, baked goods, handmade lattes, and a 

beautiful mural of Vancouver in the lobby. 

When you enter [the theatre], it's all on one 

floor, two theatres to the left of the concession 

stand, three on the right. The big theatre has a 

balcony, it's one of the few recent theatres built 

with one. The theatres [which range from 100- 

350 seats] are wheelchair accessible. There's 

free underground parking, with your ticket. 

You can take the elevator from there to the 

boxoffice. 

"Fifth Avenue has nice big screens that are 

two full stories," Schein continues. 'They 

don't feel like small theatres. The cinemas 

were designed by David Mesbur, who designed 

the Pantages theatre in Toronto and the 

Canada Square cinema in Toronto. He also 

designed the Universal City complex. [The 

auditoriums] were designed by an architect 

who knows acoustics inside out. The digital 

sound is incredible. I'm pleased by how perfect 

the sound is." Schein is also proud of Fifth 

Avenue's "airy, light" look and the unique 

concession booths which are seemingly on 

water with a mock bridge, made of neon and 

plywood, which is meant to simulate the 

nearby Burrard St. Bridge. 

Patrons of Fifth Avenue have the option of 

taking out memberships for C$12 (US$8.28) 

a year, which enables them to gain discounted 

admission to any of Schein's three houses. 

With that membership, 

they can 

bring their ticket 

price down to 

C$6.50 (US$4.49) 

from C$8.50 

(US$5.87), or on 

lower priced Tuesdays 

fi-om C$6.50 

(US$4.49) down 

to $5 (US$3.45); 

weekend matinees 

down a dollar to 

C$5 (US$3.45) 

and weekday matinees 

down a dollar 

to C$4 (US$2.76). 

The 15,000 members 

can also use 

their cards to upgrade 

fi-om a small 

to 

medium popcorn 

or coffee for 

the same price. 

Fifth Avenue can 

also boast "a very 

friendly staff," says 

Schein. (Forty-four people, mostly part time 

staff, work at Fifth Avenue). 

Informal surveys have determined that 

Fifth Avenue's patrons tend to be 40 years 

and older. 'There are very few teenagers 

The Fifth Avenue's lobby features a mural 

of downtown Vancouver. 

here [because] of the type of films we show," 

says Schein. 

Schein has seen an upsurge of business in 

the surrounding neighborhood since Fifth Avenue 

joined the West Side ofthe city. 'The area 

has certainly changed. More development 

signs are going up. 

more businesses 

[forming]. Fifth 

Avenue is quite a 

big draw—we get 

8,000 people per 

week." 

Now that Fifth 

Avenue is almost 

a year old and 

going strong, the 

48-year-old Schein, 

who started 

the Vancouver International 

Film 

Festival in 1982 

and ran it for five 

years and who 

also helmed the 

Toronto International 

Film Festival 

for one year, 

can bask in his 

newest success 

and its drawing 

power. 

It's a distinct 

change from the way things used to be in 

his long career as an exhibitor. "I was always 

calling trying to get films," says Schein. 

"[Now we have access to] more films that 

we can play. It's nice." 

m

(Ll /U.7ni Ki'i.-if'L' 

— 

— 

6 

. 

. 

. 

••••• OUTSTANDING 

•*•* VERY GOOD 

••• GOOD 

*• FAIR 

• POOR 

(no stars) BOMB 

REVIEWS 

May 1997 

WF DAY AND DATE: MAY 1 

BLISS *••* 

Starrina Craig Sheffer, Sberyl 

Lee and Terence Stamp. Directed 

and v/ritten by Lance Younq, Produced 

by Allyn Stevârt. A Triumph 

release. Drama. Rated NC- 1 7 for 

sex (rating being appealed). Running 

time: 102 min. Opens 5/16. 

A film about sexuality and personality 

that will likely prove 

better than its audience, 

"Bliss" tells of the 

domestic dissolution 

and redemption of a 

young husband, architect 

Joseph ("Sleep 

With Me's*' Craig Sheffer], 

and his troubled 

wife Maria ("Mother 

Night's" Sheryl Lee). 

"Bfiss" opens on the 

day of their wedding, 

with both partners 

shown bringmg different 

takes of uncertainty 

to the ceremony; six 

months later, the two 

are already in therapy, 

with Maria admittmq 

to their psychiatrist ( Gray's Anatomy's" 

Spalding Gray) and her shocked husband 

that she Takes her orgasms. In her desperation 

for happiness, she clandestinely engages 

an unconventional sex therapist, 

Battazar (Terence Stamp), for counseling. 

When Joseph discovers her liaisons, he 

Sheryl.Lee and Craig Sheffer star 

in Triumph's Bliss." 

first confronts Baltazar but soon finds ninnself 

being schooled in the secrets of eros 

and in fiis wife's inner turmoils, as her 

long-hidden childhood trauma surfaces. 

Nothing in writer/director Lance 

Young's bio—USC golf scholarship student. 

Gulf + Western financial analyst, 

production executive at Paramount ("Black 

Kain") and Warner ("Dennis the Menace") 

—would lead audiences to expect the 

depth of psychology and emotion on display 

in "Bliss." Despite a hefty amount of 

nudity and carnality (thus the tentative rating), 

there is nothing exploitive in the film; 

if it s anything, "Bliss" is earnest to a fault. 

Contemporary moviegoers accustomed to 

seeing sex scenes inserted 

primarily for 

glamor are likely to be 

snickeringly uncomfortable 

with the honest 

item; even if they sink 

into the film's intimate 

spell, references to 

cnakros and other Tantrie 

lingo—despite, or 

perhaps because of, 

the film's almost scholarly 

nature—could set 

them giggling again. 

But "btiss" is nardly 

a chapter out of the 

Kama Sutra; if "Bliss" 

has a lesson to preach, 

it's to be found in its 

humanity. As the loving 

husband, Sheffer is marvelous in capturing 

his character's devotion for Maria; 

Joseph's unyielding sincerity is the film's 

keel. As Maria, Lee is shaky in the early, 

easy going but, as the film progresses and 

her character's private demon begins to 

surface, Lee is splendid at capturing her 

character's shattering and salvation. As 

Baltazar, a minefield of a character for an 

actor. Stamp never teeters; his august solemnity 

is the film's anchor, whether 

"Bliss" will find a safe harbor stateside is 

another question. 

Kim Williamson 

BERLIN FEST REVIEW 

Twin Town R-79 

SANTA BARBARA REVIEW 

Stiall We Dance? R-78 

DAY AND DATE: 5/16 

Bliss R-70 

FLASHBACK: 1966 

Batman R-71 

SPECIAL FORMATS 

Monty Python and the Quest 

for the tHoly Grail R-74 

REVIEWS 

Absolute Power R-81 

Booty Call R-80 

A Chef in Love R-73 

Children of the Revolution R-73 

City of Industry R-80 

The Designated Mourner R-72 

The Devil's Own R-78 

Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets R-80 

Grosse Point Blank R-74 

Jungle 2 .Jungle R-79 

Keys to Tulsa R-75 

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina .... R-78 

Letters of Love R-72 

Liar, Liar R-78 

love Jones R-79 

nowhere R-71 

Paperback Romance R-71 

Paradise Road R-73 

Private Parts R-79 

Rhyme & Reason R-80 

Rough Magic R-71 

Selena R-78 

Smilla's Sense of Snow R-78 

Temptress Moon R-74 

That Dam Cat R-81 

Traveller R-75 

Truth or Consequences, N.M R-72 

Vegas Vacation R-81 

REVIEWS IN BRIEF 

Boyfriends R-76 

Everything Relative R-76 

Follow Me Home R-77 

Le Samourai R-77 

Menmaniacs R-77 

Parallel Sons R-76 

Shooting Porn R-77 

Timothy Leary's Dead R-76 

The Watermelon Woman R-76 

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED 

Coming films already reviewed . 

REVIEW DIGEST 

Our monthly release overview . 

R-75 

R-80 

Hit Uttp-JlunimKhoxofficccom 

cver\i Fridny for mmivs 

of the latest releases!

— 

s 

— 

— 

Mav, 1997 (R-71) 55 

REVIEWS 

ROUGH MAGIC irir 

Starring Bridget Fonda and Russell 

Crowe. Directed by Clare Peploe. Written by 

Robert Mundy and William Brookfield & 

Clare Peploe. Produced by Laurie Parker 

and Declan Baldwin. A Goldwyn release. 

Fantasy. Notyet rated. Running 


James 

Adapted from the 

Hadley novel "Miss Shumway 

Waves a Wand," this UGC production 

about a young 

magician's assistant (Bridget 

Fonda) who loses her heart and 

her powers on a journey 

through Mexico only to have 

them restored in the end by 

faith in the itinerant journalist 

(Russell Crowe) who loves her 

is an uneasy mix of genres. Elements 

of film noir, romantic 

adventure and magical realism 

collide, undercutting the eager 

efforts of the players. 

As crafted by Clare Peploe 

("High Season"), wife of 

Bernardo Bertolucci, this Rysher 

acquisition has moments of otherworldly 

earthiness but in more 

diluted content than her 

husband's work. Characterization, 

though intriguing, wanders; happenstance 

too often rules a charmingly unusual 

narrative; a promising subplot involving the 

search for a magic Mayan elixir by an Englishman 

(Jim Broadbent) fails to lend 

depth; and the magic that'd be believable 

on the page seems impossible on the all-tooliteral 

big screen. Kim Williamson 

nowhere ^ 

Starring James Duval, Rachel True and 

Nathan Bexton. Directed and written by 

Gregg Araki. Produced by Gregg Araki 

and Andrea Sperling. A Fine Line release. 

Comedy/drama. Rated R for scenes of 

strong violence, sexuality and drug use 

involving teens, and for strong language. 

Running time: 82 min. Opens 5/9. 

_ The final installment of Gregg Araki' 

'teen apocalypse" trilogy (following 'Totally 

F***ed Up" and "The Doom Generation"), 

"nowhere wants to have it both ways, satirizing 

the affectless, brain-dead anomie of his 

characters while at the same time reveling in 

their nihilistic hedonism. A movie that makes 

"Less Than Zero" seem quaint and square 

(how quickly times change), "nowhere" no 

doubt also will seem ridiculously dated in the 

near future, if it doesn't already. 

Araki' s once-minimal budgets have risen 

to give this film a glossy metallic surface, 

with emptily pretty Los Angeles Gen-Xers 

striking self-conscious poses against stylized 

backgrounds. The chic visual tone, 

which ironically glorifies consumerism, is 

comically juxtaposed with the characters' 

constant stream of gutter vulgarity. All they 

talk about are bodily functions and how to 

satisfy their immediate physical urges. 

But the sex on display is joyless, even 

deadly. There's little plot (plot demands 

reason); "nowhere" is mostly a series of 

FLASHBACK: A f/Gf/Sri, 1966 

What BOXOFFICE said about... 

BATMAN 

[In the mid- '60s, when the "Batman" series ruled the airwaves (two episodes per 

week), Fox decided to take the camp classic to the big screen. Now Warner Bros, has 

a less campy Caped Crusader returningfor afourth live-action rendition since 1 989 's 

relaunching. Here 's what BoxOFFlCE, using an avalanche of adjectives, thought of 

the cliffhanger/comedy three decades ago.] 

The incredible, incomparable adventures of that intrepid, 

invicible hero—Batman—and his inseparable, 

ingratiating aide-de-"camp"—Robin—while combating 

incorrigible, incurable criminals who concoct ingenious, 

infamous acts upon indefensible society, made 

such an instantaneous, indelible impression on innumerable, 

insatiable millions last January that Batmania has 

become a biweekly, intriguing, indispensable part of 

home entertainment. With such a pre-sold audience to 

draw on, it was inevitable that "Batman" should make 

his larger-than-life debut in DeLuxe Color. Instead of a 

single villain to grapple with, there are four, and the prop 

department at Fox has supplemented Batman's anticrime 

arsenal with new Bat gadgets to combat their 

skulduggery, including a Batboat with a surface speed 

of a raging 90 knots, and special effects man L.B. Abbott 

creates some eye-popping illusions for the William Dozier 

production. Lorenzo Semple Jr., who developed the 

original video format for "Batman," includes all key 

characters from the TV series, and the same tongue-in- 

\ cheek approach to Batman's preposterous exploits is 

maintained by director Leslie H. Martinson. The film 

should make a mint for everybody. Starring Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee 

Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Frank Gorshin. 

EXPLOITIPS 

Hold a "Batmanship" contest to find two top hitters of local Little Leagues. Give 

Batman merchandise as prizes at a premiere. Run a Catwoman contest and award 

the junior miss with the best-kept nails a complete hand-care kit. 

CATCHLINES 

Batman Is Coming [or Has Arrived] at the [blank] Theatre. Bigger, Braver 

Than Ever On The Motion Picture Screen—In Color! 

absurdist incidents interspersed with escalating 

incidents of stomach-churning violence 

and encounters with a cheesy-looking 

alien who seems to have wandered in from 

the set of an old Roger Corman movie. That 

device is oddly appropriate, for the people 

here behave like characters from a sci-fi flick. 

The only ones with recognizable human 

emotions are a sweet ingenue (Sarah 

Lassez) who gets horribly brutalized and 

James Duval's Dark, Araki's disaffected 

protagonist. Dark sadly calls himself "oldfashioned" 

because he wants to be monogamous 

with his bisexual, I'U-try-anything 

girifriend ("The Craft's" Rachel True). Underneath 

Araki's hedonistic skin there beats 

the heart of a Puritanical moralist, maybe 

even a latent straight. But the conflicts on 

display here are too flippantly rendered to 

be affecting. Joseph McBride 

PAPERBACK ROMANCE ••1/2 

Starring Anthony LaPaglia and Gia 

Carides. Directed and written by Ben 

Lewin. Produced by Bob Weis. A Goldwyn 

release. Romantic comedy. Rated R for 

sexuality and related dialogue. Running 


In this romantic comedy (aka "Lucky 

Break"), a writer of erotica ("Two If By 

Sea's" Gia Carides) lets her tales take her 

where she thinks her crippled leg would 

never allow her. When she breaks that leg, 

however, she has the perfect "disguise." 

Now uninhibited, she goes after the man of 

her dreams—a handsome but engaged jeweler 

("Trees Lounge's" Anthony LaPaglia). 

Comic catastrophe follows, though not in 

ways fans of romantic comedy might wish. 

As in "Strictly Ballroom," Carides is 

winning onscreen, but the romance of the 

tale is limited by her lover's drawbacks; not 

only does he break hearts, he's a crook. 

Still, LaPaglia makes his callow crook a 

modestly charismatic one, meaning audiences 

can vote, if not root, for their ultimate 

union. Director/writer Ben Lewin keeps the 

narrative bouncing along, if sometimes too 

bumpily to allow the movie's resident 

humor free rein. Kim Williamson

— 

— 

— 

REVIEWS 

LETTERS OF LOVE iricirif 

Starring Miho Nakayama, Etsushi 

Toyokaya and Katsuyuki Shinohara. Directed 

and written by Shunji Iwai. Produced 

by Jiro Komaki, Tomoki Ikeda 

and Mashiiko Nagasawa. A Fine Line 

release. Drama. Japanese-language; 

subtitled. Not yet rated. Running time: 

117 min. Screened at the 1995 Toronto 

fest. Opens 5/2 NY, 5/23 L.A. 

This lovely and delicate feature debut 

(aka "Love Letter") of video and TV director 

Shunji Iwai displays a sophistication 

and control that many more experienced 

filmmakers have yet to display. It immediately 

propels Iwai to the front ranks of 

the new Japanese directors. 

Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is a 

meek girl still mourning her fiance, Itsuki 

Fujii, who died two years earlier. On a 

whim, she writes him at his old address. 

Hiroko still receives a reply, from an Itsuki 

Fujii, a female classmate of the other Itsuki. 

She's a woman who shared his name and, 

as is gradually revealed, much more. 

On the surface, the film evokes the British 

drama "84 Charing Cross Road," with 

two people corresponding but never meeting. 

But "Love Letter" goes beyond moving 

drama to deeper concerns of memory, love, 

loss and an indefinable mystery of two 

women fated to connect through strange 

coincidence. Schlomo Schwartzberg 

THE DESIGNATED MOURNER ^^1/2 

Starring Mike Nichols, Miranda Richardson 

and David de Keyser. Directed by 

David Hare. Written by Wallace Shawn. 

Produced by Donna Grey and David Hare. 

A First Look release. Drama. Rated Rfor 

some language. Running time: 94 min. 

Screened at the Berlin fest. Opens 5/2 NY. 

Mike Nichols is a wonderful actor. Of the 

three who perform this spare cinematic version—a 

reading, really, of Wallace 

Shawn's play—Nichols, the eminent director, 

is the one who takes the starch out of 

the words, reeling off Shawn's literate, elegant 

phrases as if he's just come up with 

them himself. He plays Jack, a "failed" 

writer. Miranda Richardson ("The Evening 

Star") is his wife, Judy, the daughter of 

Howard (David de Keyser), an intellectual. 

Jack is also the title's designated mourner, 

mourning the death of highbrow culture. 

The starkness of director David Hare's 

presentation, three actors sitting at a table, 

seems to taunt viewers with making the 

same distinction about themselves: Can 

they watch such a movie and find it stimulating 

without the requisite explosions, 

quick editing cuts, even costume changes to 

provide visual interest? The answer is no. 

In the transfer from stage to screen, the 

electricity of live performances is lost, 

while the confining set and lengthy closeups 

are claustrophobic. Melissa Morrison 

TRUTH OR 

CONSEQUENCES, N.M. 

^^ 

Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Vincent 

Gallo and Kim Dickens. Directed by Kiefer 

Sutherland. Written by Brad Mirman. Produced 

by J. Paul Higgins, Kevin Messickand 

Hilary Wayne. A Triumph release. Thriller. 

Rated Rfor a substantial amount of strong 

violence, and for sex, language and drug 

use. Running time: 102 min. Opens 5/2. 

A passable pulp thriller, "Tmth or Consequences, 

N.M." sustains a brisk story momentum 

for about an hour before collapsing into 

disheveled events and contrived coincidences. 

Directing his second feature, Kiefer 

Sutherland overcomes script faults with a 

sleek stylistic sheen and rapid pacing. 

In perhaps his most fully realized and 

dimensional character to date, Vincent 

Gallo as a crook on the run turns a typical 

loser part into a sympathetic antihero, and 

Kim Dickens as his moll supports him with 

an equally strong and rounded portrayal. 

Gleefully playing another reprehensible lunatic, 

Sutherland conveys a bit more human 

edge to his villainy than usual. Capable 

work is turned in by the rest of the cast, who 

avoid stereotypes wherever possible. The 

hardboiled and tough-talking qualities in 

Brad Mirman 's writing are assets, but he 

gets wrapped up in formula plot hokum and 

not enough in developing characters and 

relationship confiicts. Dale Winogura 

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— 

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— 

Mav. 1997 rR-73^ 57 

REVIEWS 

CHILDREN OF THE 

REVOLUTION iririr 

Starring Judy Davis, Sam Neill, F. Murray 

Abraham, Richard Roxburgh and 

Geoffrey Rush. Directed and written by 

Peter Duncan. Produced by Tristram 

Miall. A Miramax release. Comedy/drama. 

Rated Rfor some strong sexuality and language. 


Judy Davis—young and old, funny and 

sad, witty and humorless—is at her entertaining 

best as a lifelong relentless revolutionary. 

This Australian film, whose superb 

cast also includes a sparky Sam Neill and a 

charmingly soft Geoffrey Rush ("Shine"), 

is a fanciful black comedy about Joseph 

Stalin's legacy, figuratively and literally. 

Davis as Joan Fraser, ardent communist 

and, by an oddball set of circumstances, 

bearer of "Uncle Joe's" child, hopes to 

make the son the equal of the sire. Blind as 

she was to Stalin's faults, it's no surprise 

that the boy doesn't turn out the way she 

wants. But the film contains lots of surprises, 

both humorous and touching, as it 

speaks of the worth of passionate belief and 

the dangers of blinkered devotion. Amid the 

stylized crazy humor and complex jokes of 

real farce the actors create honest feelings. 

Lively and sure-footed, Peter Duncan's 

writing and directing take delight with pitfalls 

and pratfalls, though the film loses 

momentum eventually. Bridget Byrne 

PARADISE ROAD irir 

Starring Glenn Close and Pauline Collins. 

Directed and written by Bruce Beresford 

Produced by Sue Milliken and Greg Coote. A 

Fox Searchlight release. Drama. RatedRfor 

prisoner-of-war brutality and violence. Running 


In a Japanese war camp in Sumatra, women 

prisoners form a vocal orchestra to defy the 

brutality and hopelessness of their surroundings. 

Unfortunately, writer/director Bruce 

Beresford ("Last Dance") fails to make this 

true story sing on its own merits; "Paradise 

Road" unfolds as little more than a TV movie 

with extra violence and a quality cast. 

Glenn Close plays Adrienne, who joins 

with former missionary Margaret ("City of 

Joy's" Pauline Collins) to organize the effort. 

Reeking of self-importance. Close seems on 

an ego-trip disguised as a performance; Collins, 

on the other hand, inhabits her spiritual 

Margaret so well that, when she says she can't 

hate their tormentors, she's not only believable 

but heroic. Australian Cate Blanchett 

makes a promising feature debut as young 

nurse Susan Macarthy, who befriends a German, 

Dr. Verstak (played with prickly relish 

by "Fargo' s" Frances McDormand). 

Despite a certain poetry to his words and 

obvious good intentions, Beresford conducts 

this distaff "Chorus on the River 

Kwai" with a heavy hand, finding cliche in 

place of story. Susan Lambert 

A CHEF IN LOVE •• 

Starring Pierre Richard, Nino Kirtadze 

and Jean- Yves Gautier. Directed by Nana 

Dzhordzhadze. Written by Irakli 

Kvirikadze. Produced by Marc Ruscart. A 

Sony Classics release. Comedy/drama. 

French- and Georgian-language; English 

subtitles. Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual 

situations and some images of violence. 


Diffuse and under-realized, this year's 

Georgian foreign-language Oscar entry 

lacks the emotion and consistency to link its 

disparate narrative threads. With a strange 

mix of sweet comedy and sour drama, 

writer Irakli Kvirikadze fails to develop 

characters and episodes meaningfully, but 

there are moments of charm and humor that 

unfortunately become fewer as the film unwinds; 

director Nana Dzhordzhadze' s wavering 

tone doesn't help. 

In a robust yet disciplined performance, 

Pierre Richard is the film's most delightful 

asset as a middle-aged French gourmet chef 

in the 1920s whose passionate affair with a 

younger Georgian woman (a radiant and 

spontaneous Nino Kirtadze) turns into tragic 

melodrama when the Red Army invades his 

restaurant. Told back and forth in time, 

from the chef's grown son (an adept Jean- 

Yves Gautier) reading his father's memoirs 

in 1995, the story lacks dramatic contrast or 

thematic significance. Dale Winogura 

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REVIEWS 

HELP 

TEMPTRESS MOON ^••1/2 

Starring Leslie Cheung and Gong U. Directed 

by Chen Kaige. Written by Shu KeL 

Produced by Tong Cunlin and Hsu Feng. A 

Miramax release. Drama. Chinese-language; 

English subtitles. Rated Rfor some 

intense images of sexuality and opium use. 


It's as a metaphor for China's often turbulent 

struggle with modernization that 

"Temptress Moon"—a tragic tone-poem 

cutting to the heart and soul of a nation's 

identity—works best. In many ways, Chen 

Kaige' s follow-up to his "Farewell My Concubine" 

is a more daring effort than anything 

the famed Chinese stylist has done. It's also 

one of his more narratively muddled ones. 

Reteaming Chen with "Concubine" stars 

Cheung and Gong Li, 'Temptress Moon" 

tells the story of a 1920s-era Shanghai hustler 

and the rich woman he must seduce. 

"Temptress Moon" is one of the most 

beautiful films ever made. Together with 

cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Chen 

has spun a magnificently seductive feverdream 

torn from the characters' own 

opium-induced delirium. Dollies, cranes 

and steadicams navigate the labyrinthine 

world of colonial Shanghai with acrobatic 

agility, underscoring their search for stability 

and equilibrium. 

Wade Major 

GROSSE POINTE BLANK •••• 

Starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver 

and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by George 

Armitage. Written by Tom Jankiewicz and 

D.V. DeVincentis & Steve Pink & John 

Cusack. Produced by Susan Arnold, 

Donna ArkoffRoth and Roger Birnbaum. 

A Buena Vista release. Comedy. Not yet 

rated. Running time: 107 min. Opens 4/11. 

Successful, well-respected hitman Martin 

Blank (John Cusack) loses his passion 

for his job, so where does he go to "find 

himself'^'? His 10-year high school reunion. 

There is one alumna Martin is particularly 

excited to see: former flame Debi (Minnie 

Driver), whom he stood up on prom night 

PUT 

A SMILE 

ON MY 

FACE 

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MUSCUUR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION 

(800)572-1717 

MONTY PYTHON AND THE QUEST 

FOR THE HOLY GRAIL •i^^l/Z 

7th Level; Windows CD; $49.99. 

Those who've already seen one of the 

funniest films of all time a half-dozen times 

SPECIAL FORMATS 

including a never-before-released King 

Brian the Wild scene. 

A map appears early on, bearing all the 

favorite Holy Grail locations: the Plague 

Village, the Castle Anthrax, Camelot and 

the Bridge of Death, As in the movie. King 

Arthur (tine user) must find the Grail as he 

traverses Arthurian England to the sound 

clopping coconuts. Five arcade-style 

or more have asked themselves, "How 

can I more 'Holy Grail'?" This CD- 

ROM IS the answer. Die-hard fans typi- 

, , of 

cally need hear only a few phrases, such games based on scenes from the movie 

as we are the knights who say nee" or help one gather clues to find the Grail, 

"it'sonly a flesh-wound," to start smirking They include a disgusting game called 

and gushing forth 

"Drop Dead," in 

with their favorite bits 

from the movie. 

Eric Idle, one of 

the Python troupe 

members and here a 

demented knight, 

serves as executive 

co-producer on this 

title and helps keep 

the silly quotient high 

throughout, Tfie 

packaging touts it as 

the best strategy 

gome of 932 A,D, 

The electronic registration 

of the title is a 

gag, with questions 

like: "What is your 

age?" "What is your quest?" "What is the 

oir speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" 

If a user responds that he would like to see 

the entire film, you are treated to a frenetic 

slide show of about every thousandth 

frame from the 1 975 movie. 

Some imagery is directly from the film. 

New voice material is provided by Idle 

end fellow Python members Terry Gilliam, 

Michael Palin and Terry Jones. And there 

Is new Terry Gilliam art and animation, 

The Pythons, who brought you "The Meaning 

of Life," offer "The hloly Grail" via CD-ROM. 

which a player must 

tightly pile the bodies 

of plague victims before 

they decompose. 

In Knights ' in 

Combat," one must 

wound the 

J,|N|j Black Knight, who is 

'^ 

not quick to give up 

the fight. In "Catcn 

the Cow," large farm 

animals are hurled at 

the king by a taunting 

Frenchman, 

Of course, anyone 

who hasn't seen the 

film will be totally 

confused by this 

no 

point. As with a lot of games, there is 

explanation in this CD, so a user con end 

up clicking mindlessly around the screen to 

collect objects that will lead to another 

screen for more clicking. But, at least in this 

title, 

amusing things happen when you do. 

Still, although the developer, 7th Level, is 

using a more typical gaming model than 

was used in the Monty Python's Complete 

' 

Waste of Time" CD-ROM, it's not as immediately 

enjoyable. Ann Kv/inn

— 

— 


Mav. 1997 (R-75) 59 

REVIEWS 

The Buyers Guide 

to embark on a life of well-paid violence. 

While he attempts to win her back, he must 

also contend with his former mentor (Dan 

Aykroyd), who's stalking him. 

Performances and writing are for the 

most part successful in their oblique wit. 

Cusack makes his calm killer charming; 

Driver is winsome, balancing strength and 

playfulness; and Aykroyd is his most fun to 

watch in a long time. Christine James 

TRAVELLER ••• 

Starring Bill Paxton, Julianna Margulies 

and Mark Wahlberg. Directed by Jack 

Green. Written by Jim McGlynn. Produced 

by Bill Paxton, Brian Swardstrom, 

Mickey Liddell and David Blocker. An October 

Films release. Drama. Rated R for 

strong language and violence. Running 

time: 100 min. Opens in April. 

Set within the real-life subculture of 

scheming Irish gypsies, "Traveller" is most 

resonant when examining the clan's 

fiercely tribal instincts. And the gritty-looking 

film (directed by Oscar-winning cinematographer 

Jack Green) offers plenty of 

breezy excitement as two Travellers, Bokky 

("Twister's" Bill Paxton) and Pat ("Fear's" 

Mark Wahlberg), try to rip off various folk. 

The film's turning point arrives when 

Bokky falls for outsider Jean (Julianna 

Margulies), a single mother who loses her 

bartending job as a result of one of the duo's 

scams. But Bokky' s moral awakening is a 

bit cumbersome, and his relationship with 

Jean lacks a certain obsessive fire. "Traveller" 

is good when it allows moviegoers the 

thrill of taking part in the clever trickery, 

but it's even better when it explores the 

intense loyalty and Irish-based customs of 

these masterful thieves. Jon Matsumoto 

KEYS TO TULSA ^^1/2 

Starring Eric Stoltz and James Spader. 

Directed by Leslie Greif. Written by Harley 

Peyton. Produced by Leslie Greifand Harley 

Peyton. A Gramercy release. Drama. Rated 

R. Running time: 112 min. Opens 4/11 ltd. 

Prodigal son Richter (Eric Stoltz) returns 

to his hometown of Tulsa to try for a fresh 

start, but his high-society mother (Mary 

Tyler Moore) won' t help. Richter must also 

contend with his feelings toward his sultry 

former sweetheart, Vicky (Deborah Kara 

Unger), who's unhappily married with 

child to Ronnie (James Spader), a cocky 

lout who Richter owes money, leaving him 

a pawn in Ronnie's blackmail plan. 

Plot and character connections are at first 

confusing, and all the players are mired in 

Uves of their own creation. The film would 

have been better as a black comedy, but Richter 

is too pathetic, causing his caustic barbs 

and wry observations to fall flat. Unger makes 

a beautiful but tragic fallen belle, and Spader 

does noteworthy work. Though twisted and 

(CONTINUED ON P. 62 [R-78]) 

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED APRIL/MAY RELEASES 

"All Over Me" •••1/2: Fine Une, 4/25 NY/LA/SF; see Feb. 1997. 

"Brassed Off •••1/2: Miramax, 5/23 NY/LA; see March 1997. 

"Broken English" •••: Sony Classics, 5/2; see April 1997. 

"A Brother's Kiss" •••: First Look, 4/25 Ud; see April 1997. 

"Brothers in Trouble" ••••1/2: First Run, 5/14; see Sept. 1996. 

"Chasing Amy" •••1/2: Miramax, 4/11 & 4/25 exp; see April 1997. 

"Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day" -kVl: Artistic License, 5/2; see April 1996. 

"Commandments" •••1/2: Gramercy, 5/2; see April 1997. 

"Cosi" •••: Miramax, 4/4 NY/LA; see April 1997. 

"Diary of a Seducer" •••: Leisure Time, April; see Sept. 1996. 

"Fetishes" •••: Cinema Village, 5/9; see April 1997. 

"Flamenco" -k-k-k: New Yorker, 4/25 excl; see Nov. 1995. 

"For Roseanna" aka "Roseanna 's Grave" •••: Fine Line, 4/18 exp; see March 1997. 

"Good Luck" ••1/2: East West, 4/4 exp; see March 1997. 

"Hollow Reed" •••: CFP, 4/18; see April 1997. 

"Intimate Relations" ••: Fox Searchlight, 5/9 ltd; see Sept. 1996. 

"Irma Vep" -kifMl: Zeitgeist, April; see March 1997. 

"Kissed" -k-k: Goldwyn. 4/11; see Nov. 1996. 

"Love and Other Catastrophes" •••: Fox Searchlight, 4/4 LA; Aug. 1996. 

"Love! Valour! Compassion!" k-k-kVl: Fine Line, 5/16 NY/LA/SF; see March 1997. 

"Mondo" •••1/2: Shadow, 5/23; see March 1997. 

"A Mongolian Tale"kkickk: New Yorker, 4/4; see April 1997. 

"The Next Step" ••: Phaedra, April; see June 1996. 

"Nothing Personal" ••• 1/2: Trimark, April; see July 1996. 

"The Quiet Room" •••: Fine Une, 4/18 exp; see March 1997. 

"Ripe" •: Trimark, 4/4 NY; see Jan. 1997. 

"Schizopolis" ••1/2: Northern Arts, 4/11 exp; see April 1997. 

"Shiloh" ••••: Legacy, 4/11; see April 1997. 

"Sicario" ••••: Castle Hill, April; see June 1996. 

"This Is the Sea" ••: First Look, April; see April 1997. 

"Underworld" •: Legacy, 5/9; see April 1997. 

"The Van" ••: Fox Searchlight, 5/23 ltd; see Aug. 1996. 

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TIMOTHY LEARY'S 

DEAD •• 

Directed by Paul Davids. 

Written and produced by Paul 

Davids and Todd Ewiton Mills. 

A Strand release. Documentary. 

Unrated. Running time: 77min. 

King of psychedelia and LSD 

advocate Timothy Leary has 

been the subject of intense scrutiny 

by the government, the 

media, his fans and his enemies. 

But whether he was a freak of 

nature or a profound thinker is 

one of the many unanswered 

fuestions in Paul Davids and 

odd Easton Mills" documentary, 

"Timothy Leary' s Dead." 

Interviews with Leary and 

his friends and associates serve 

mainly as punchy soundbites in 

a timeline of the ex-Harvard 

psychology professor's life. 

The film doesn't get past 

Leary' s shtick and his glossy 

eyes; the audience is left with 

only the image that Leary created 

of himself. Lea Russo 

EVERYTHING 

RELATIVE •••1/2 

Starring Ellen MclMughlin 

and Olivia Negron. Directed, 

written and produced by 

Sharon Pollack. A Tara release. 

Drama. Unrated. Running 

time: llOmin. 

A heartfelt, touching and 

lively story, "Everything Relative" 

is a lesbian version of 

"The Big Chill." When seven 

old friends reunite 20 years 

after college, they discover how 

far apart they've grown since 

"coming out" as gay women. 

This film is beautifully balanced, 

with lime to develop 

each member of the ensemble, 

revealing their strengths and 

vulnerabilities in the process. 

The scenes are well-paced with 

plenty of light-hearted banter, 

often with sharp-edged doubleentendres. 

Pat Kramer 

THE WATERMELON 

WOMAN •i^^ 

Starring Cheryl Dunye and 

Guin Turner. Directed and 

written by Cheryl Dunye. Produced 

by Barry Swimar and 

Gate Wilson. A First Run release. 


time: 90 min. 

Exploring the lite of a strug- 

?;ling black k-shian lilmntakcr 

writer/direcUn t'lioiyl Dunye) 

as she atlempis lo uncover and 

documeni the umKI of a virUi 

ally unknown ami piaciicallx 

forgotten actress hum iIk' '.Ujs, 

"The Watermelon Woman" | 

looks like a high-school video ^ 

project—intentionally. As her 

character searches for identity 

in the face of racial and sexual 

tensions. Dunye brilliantly creates 

a faux first-person account. 

The only major flaw with this 

award-winning festival fave is 

the underdeveloped and overacted 

character of Tamara 

(Valarie Walker). Lea Russo 

PARALLEL SONS •i^^ 

Starring Gabriel Mick and 

Laurence Mason. Directed 

and written by John G. Young. 

Produced by James Spione 

and Nancy Larsen. A Greycat 

release. Drama. Unrated. 

Running time: 93 min. 

An unassuming film that 

tackles the thomy issues of race 

and sexual preference in an intimate 

way, "Parallel Sons" is 

simple but surprisingly thoughtprovoking 

about a rural white 

(Gabriel Mick) and an urban 

black (Laurence Mason). 

A film on an unlikely friendship 

is hardly original, but "Parallel 

Sons'" writer/director 

John G. Young has a fine sense 

of the particular and provides i 

rich characterizations. The film 

takes a far darker turn than audiences 

might expect as the 

meaning of its enigmatic title is 

revealed. Mick and Mason are 

both charismatic and believable 

young performers, and the film 

looks beautiful, thanks in part 

to fine use of lush locations. 

Cathy Thompson-Georges 

' 

BOYFRIENDS •* 

Starring James Dreyfus, 

Michael Unwin and David 

Coffey. Directed, written and 

produced by Neil Hunter and 

Tom Hunsinger. A First Run 

release. Comedy. Unrated. 

Running time:

— 

— — 

I 


) 

MENMANIACS ^^ 

Starring Thomas Karasch 

and Paul Smith. Directed by 

JochenHick.A Turbulent Arts 

release. Documentary. Unrated. 


For audiences turned on by 

the S&M scene, "Menmaniacs" 

(subtitled "The Legacy of 

Leather"') offers plenty of 

sweaty, writhing male torsos 

clad in bondage gear, but not 

much else. Despite a few interesting 

interviews with gay men 

and some discussion of the 

AIDS issue, the documentary is 

a surface-deep and overlong 

glimpse into aberrant sexual 

practices that's strictly for the 

converted. Dale Winogura 

LESAMOURAi V^^^^ 

Starring Alain Delon, 

Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon 

and Caty Rosier. Directed and 

written by Jean-Pierre Melville. 

Produced by Eugene Lepicier. 

An Artificial Eye re-release. 

TJiriller. French-language; English 

subtitles. Unrated. Running 

time: 95 min. 

Long overshadowed by his 

New Wave contemporaries 

) 

during the '50s and '60s, 

French auteur Jean-Pierre Melville 

has only recently received 

a proper reconsideration, 

thanks primarily to the likes of 

John Woo and Quentin Tarantino, 

both of whom cite 

Melville's rugged, noirish 

gangster thrillers as seminal influences 

on their own work. 

For audiences unfamiliar 

with the Melville touch, this restored 

print of his 1967 masterpiece 

is an excellent place to 

start. As the title hints, "Le 

Samourai" analogizes the 

Bushido. or warrior code of 

Japan's famed swordsmen, to 

the life of a cold contract killer 

named Jef (Alain Delon). 

Anchored by Delon' s chillingly 

icy performance, "Le 

Samourai" is a superbly crafted 

blend of intrigue and style that 

far outclasses the era's betterknown 

French thrillers, most of 

them made by Melville's friend 

Claude Chabrol. (Melville appeared 

as an actor in Chabrol's 

'Landru.'") Where Chabrol's 

once innovative approach now 

seems dated and mundane. 

Melville's remains vibrant and 

stirring, buoyed by a subtle stylization 

that predates similar 

work in Francis Ford Coppola" s 

"Godfather" films and Sergio 

Leone's "Once Upon a Time in 

America." More striking yet are 

the dozen or so similarities to 

Woo's own "The Killer," as if 

almost to suggest that some of 

the greatest films of cinema's 

future may well come from the 

art's past. Wade Major 

SHOOTING PORN • 

Starring Chi Chi La Rue 

and Gino Colbert. Directed by 

Ronnie iMrsen. Produced by 

Caryn Horwitz and Doug 

Lindeman. A Caryn Horwitz 

release. Documentary. Unrated. 


"Shooting Pom" would indeed 

be a perfect name for this 

project, if the filmmakers had 

thought to put the word "Gay" 

in the middle. As it stands, 

there's a chance that an untold 

number of straight male moviegoers, 

perhaps emboldened by 

cinema's recent takes on Larry 

Flynt and Al Goldstein, might 

slink in expecting an entirely 

different take on eroticism. 

Fans of homoerotics, however, 

could be entranced by 

such scenes as an actor taking 

an enema, or discourses on how 

a Hitler-moustache trim of 

pubic hair can make a man's 

genitals look larger on camera. 

And more power to that specialized 

demographic, for they're 

the only possible audience for 

this film. Sean O'Neill 

FOLLOW ME 

HOME ^1^1/2 

Starring Alfre Woodard, 

Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego 

and Steve Reevis. Directed, 

written and produced by Peter 

Bratt. A New Millenia release. 


time: 120 min. 

This first feature by independent 

filmmaker Peter Bratt is an 

overtly political look at race relations 

and issues of cultural colonialism 

in American society. 

Made on a microbudget, "Follow 

has a look and 

Me Home" still 

level of technical polish that rivals 

mainstream product; it also 

has a few mainstream problems. 

The story: Four street artists 

(two Latino, one American Indian, 

one black) take a road trip. 

Bratt' s simple, effective conceit: 

All the "bad guys" they 

meet are white. Nothing implausible 

happens, but the believability 

and dramatic impact 

of many scenes are hampered 

by uneven levels of acting abil- 

A series of B&W fantasy 

ity. 

scenes are heavy-handed, ruining 

points made elsewhere in 

well-written character interactions. 

Alex Albanese 

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62 (R-78) Boxoffice 

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REVIEWS 

unsuspenseful, "Keys to Tulsa" is an interesting 

character study. Christine James 

LEO TOLSTOY'S ANNA 

KARENINA ^^1/2 

Starring Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, 

Alfred Molina and Mia Kirshner. Directed 

and written by Bernard Rose. Produced by 

Bruce Davey. A Warner Bros, release. 

Drama. Rated PG-13for mature thematic 

elements and some sensuality/nudity. 


In speeding through Tolstoy's massive 

work, this Icon production does only partial 

justice to its two narratives: That of the despairing 

Levin, who leaves society behind and 

finds salvation working his rural estate with 

his similarly transformed wife, the princess 

Kitty ("The Crow: City of Angels'" Mia 

Kirshner); and the central story, that of the 

wife Anna ("Braveheart's" Sophie Marceau) 

who, unhappy with her marriage to the 

wealthy but older Karenin (James Fox), has a 

passionate affair with the dashing officer 

Count Vronsky ("GoldenEye's" Sean Bean). 

In this Bernard Rose ("Irnmortal Beloved") 

adaptation, Levin's ennui, Anna's despondency 

and Vronsky 's principles are barely 

sketched, leaving their narrative arcs broken 

at the beginning. As a waveringly accented 

Anna, Marceau gives fire to her interludes 

with Vronsky but lacks the hauteur for the fall. 

Similarly, Bean has the chin but not the regal 

reserve. As Levin, the gap-toothed Molina has 

Levin's soul, but Uke Kirshner has too little 

screen time. When at tale's end Anna meets 

her fate under the locomotive's wheels, the 

audience feels the tragedy of the act, but 

with the suspicion that the train arrived 

ahead of schedule. Kim Williamson 

THE DEVIL'S OWN •^ 

Starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. 

Directed by Alan Pakula. Written by Kevin 

Jarre andRobert Mark Kamen. Producedby 

Lawrence Gordon and Robert Colesberry. A 

Columbia release. Action/drama. Rated R 

for strong brutal violence, andfor language. 


IRA leader Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt) 

exits Ireland for America. His mission: procure 

stinger missiles. He stays with a New 

York City police officer, Sgt. O'Meara 

(Harrison Ford), who—not knowing his 

boarder's true identity—befriends him. 

McGuire has a perfect hiding place—until 

his terrorist past catches up with him and 

places O'Meara and his family in jeopardy. 

Only in the last fourth do the two leads 

get to mix it up, but the one-on-one climax 

is nowhere close to being as good as what 

audiences might expect with these two 

boxoffice titans; its utter predictability diminishes 

any intended suspense. 

The movie's draggy pace is also surprising. 

That slowness allows the filmmakers 

to enrich their tale with bonding drama 

"The Devil's Own" has the feel of the 

art-house about it that one might expect of 

foreign-language fare—but in the action 

department overall "The Devil's Own" 

doesn't deliver. This one will need the luck 

of the Irish to deliver and keep broad mainstream 

numbers. Dwayne E. Leslie 

SANTA BARBARA FEST 

SHALL WE DANCE? ifiri^MZ 

Starring Koii Yasuyo, Tamiyo 

Kusakari ana Naoto Takenaka. 

Directed and written by Masayuki 

Sua. Produced by 5ho/i Masui and 

Yuji Oaata. A Miramax release. 

Comedy. Japanese-language; Enalish 

subtitles. Rated PG for mild 

language. Running time: 122 min. 

Screened at the Santa Barbara 

fest. Opens 5/16 NY/LA. 

Given the success of the hugely popular 

Australian indie "Strictly Ballroom." many 

viewers vîll no doubt come to "Shall We 

Dance?" expecting more of the same. But 

this Japanese film is far more sympathetic 

to its characters than the sometimes freakish 

Luhrmann film, treating them with humanity 

and respect. Whereas the earlier 

movie was a parade of garish costumes 

and human grotesques, "Shall We 

Dance?" is 

a gentle examination of the 

graceful appeal of ballroom dance, using 

It as a metaphor for human longings for 

beauty and release. 

"Shall We Dance?" opens like a midlife 

crisis romance, A Tokyo salaryman 

(Koji Yasuyo) becomes captivated by a 

beautiful woman (Tamiyo Kusakari) wno, 

on his way home, he glimpses in the window 

of a donee studio; he pursues lessons 

to win her eye. What begins as infatuation 

for a young woman, however, develops 

into a love of dance, and our hero finds 

himself caught up in a world far outside his 

office—of tango and quickstep, dance 

competitions and weekend dance halls. 

What he really wants, it seems, is not a 

fling but the chance to spread his wings 

outside the stifling confines of his office 

and the regimentation of Japanese life. 

"Shall We Dance?" abounds with 

charming small moments: An older instructor 

(Nooto Takenokol whirls the bashful 

beginner through a aancehall as she explams 

her love for "The King and I"; the 

simple salaryman practices dance steps in 

the rain beside a train platform; and an 

office colleague (Akiro Emoto) proves to 

have a second life as a flamboyant, bewigged 

king of Latin dance. The cost is 

uniformly winning, especially the handsome 

Yasuyo, as he grows from stumbling 

beginner into on assured and tuxedoed 

dancer. The film relies a little too heavily 

on a subplot about a dancer who has 

fallen in compjetition, but this is a cavil; 

"Shall We Dance?" is a light-footed Japanese 

film that invites American audiences to 

love W.—Cathy Thompson-Georges 

SELENA ••• 

Starring Jennifer Lopez, EdwardJames 

Olmos and Jon Seda. Directed and written 

by Gregory Nava. Produced by Moctesuma 

Esparza and Robert Katz. A Warner 

Bros, release. Drama. Rated PG for some 

mild language and thematic elements. 


As Tejano superstar Selena, Jennifer 

Lopez ("Blood and Wine") is sensational. 

She not only looks remarkably like the late 

singer, but she radiates the energy, warmth, 

style and magnetism for which Selena was 

known. As a whole, though, the film suffers 

from some of the usual flaws of a mainstream 

music biopic. 

That includes syrupy incidental music 

(Selena's songs, lipsynched by Lopez, are 

terrific); retro split-screen concert scenes; 

and schmaltzy moments between characters. 

Except for Selena's father (Edward 

James Olmos), the supporting characters 

are too good to be true, never losing their 

tempers or becoming jealous. Like the English-language 

album she worked on before 

her murder, "Selena" (too ardently) aims 

for crossover appeal. Jean Oppenheimer 

^•^ 

LIAR, LIAR 

Starring Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney and 

Justin Cooper. Directed by Tom Sliadyac. 

Written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. 

Produced by Brian Grazer. A Universal release. 

Comedy. Rated PG-13for sex-related 

humor and language. Running time: 86 miti. 

The human cartoon is back with a vengeance. 

After his detour into black comedy 

with "The Cable Guy," Jim Carrey returns to 

boxoffice-demolishing form with "Liar, 

Liar," a largely formulaic entry in the "neglectful 

dad ' sweepstakes that's just hilarious 

enough to restore trust in his bankability. 

Carrey plays a hopelessly dishonest (and 

successful) attorney. His young son Max 

(Justin Cooper), in a moment of love and 

disappointment, makes a birthday wish for 

his dad to get through just one day without 

lying. Amazingly, the wish comes true 

and thus open the floodgates of comedy. 

However unremarkable, "Liar. Liar" still 

has the distinction of actually having a narrative, 

an element lacking in most of the 

actor's outings. And Carrey has his firstever 

chance to act, creating surprisingly 

watchable moments of emotion between 

the obligatory outbursts. Wade Major 

SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW •• 

Starring Julia Ormondand Gabriel Byrne. 

Directed by Bille August. Written by Ann 

liidennan. Produced by Bemd Eichinger 

and Martin Mosdcowicz. A Fox Searchlight 

release. Drama. Rated Rfor language, some 

violence and a sex scene. Run time: 127 min. 

The elements of "Smilla's Sense of 

Snow," a German/Danish/Swedish co-production 

led by Constantin Film, are them- 

.seives an amalgam; Mainstream dashes of 

"Jurassic Park," "Outbreak" and James 

Bond make an uneasy mix with fine mathematical 

philosophizing, iceberg-ponderous 

plotting and blue-ice cinematography

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REVIEWS 

more suitable to the art house. In adapting 

Danish novehst Peter Hoeg's book (published 

stateside as "Miss Smilla's Feeling 

for Snow") about a Inuit/American woman 

(Julia Ormond) seeking the truth about a 

young boy's death, Danish director Bille 

August ("Jerusalem") and American 

screenwriter Ann Biderman ("Primal 

Fear") have triumphed in making a frigidly 

beautiful film full of sinister intrigue and 

psychological conflict but have failed to 

make that intrigue plausible or that conflict 

emotionally important. Kim Williamson 

••*i/2 

love Jones 

Starring Larenz Tate, Nia Long andIsaiah 

Washington. Directed and written by Theodore 

WUcher. Produced by Nick Wechsler 

and Jeremiah Samuels. A New Line release. 

Romantic comedy. Rated Rfor language and 

sexuality. Running time: 110 min. 

At last, a romantic drama has been written 

for an all-black cast featuring intelligent 

dialogue, an insightful and well-acted plot, 

and a showcase of the actors as genuine 

human beings, "love jones" tells the story 

of a group of young black adults and their 

viewpoints and misconceptions regarding 

finding love and holding on to it. 

Inspired by his college-days experiences, 

writer/director Theodore Witcher in his directorial 

debut gives audiences a new perspective 

on educated blacks. His talented 

ensemble depicts the conflicts and 

challenges presented by love in funny and 

poignant fashion. Pat Kramer 

JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE ^^1/2 

Starring Tim Allen, Sam Huntington, 

Martin Short and Lolita Davidovich. Directed 

by John Pasquin. Written by Bruce 

A. Evans and Raynold Gideon. Produced 

TWIN TOWN ••1/2 

Starring Dougray Scott, Dorien 

Thomas, Rhys Ifans, Llyr Evans, 

William Thomas. Sue Roderick, 

Jenny Evans ana Rachel Scorgie. 

Directed by Kevin Allen. Written 

by Paul Durden and Kevin Allen. 

Produced by Peter McAleese. A 

Drama/com- 

Gramercy release. 

edy. Not yet rated. Running time: 

99 min. Screened at ffie Berlin fest. 

Opens 5/9 NY/LA, 5/23 exp. 

"Pretty, shitty city" were the v/ords poet 

Paul Durden came up vvith as a suggested 

replacement for poet Dylan Thomas s tag 

"ugly lovely town." Both were in reference 

to Swansea in South West Wales, the locale 

for the story Durden has concocted with 

director Kevin Allen for the movie "Twin 

Town," It's a setting where there are no 

holds barred in terms of bad behavior, criminal 

shenanigans and obscene language. 

The plotllne about petty criminals and 

corrupt cops doing themselves and each 

other down is nothing special, but there is 

by Brian Reilly. A Buena Vista release. 

Comedy. Rated PGfor some mild violence 

and language. Running time: 105 min. 

This remake of "Un Indien Dans La 

Ville" (released last year stateside as "Little 

Indian, Big City") is simplistic but familyfriendly 

fare. Tim Allen plays Michael, a 

self-absorbed commodities broker who 

wants to many the beautiful but shallow 

Charlotte (Lolita Davidovich). But first he 

must travel to a South American isle to get 

a divorce pact from his estranged wife 

(JoBeth Williams); there he finds and 

brings back a loinclothed 13-year-old son 

(Sam Huntington). Mayhem ensues predictably. 

"Jungle 2 Jungle" will satisfy kids 

and undemanding audiences with its even 

but unambitious humor, its good pace and 

warm-heartedness. Christine James 

PRIVATE PARTS •••1/2 

Starring Howard Stem. Directed by Betty 

Thomas. Written by Len Blum and Michael 

Kalesniko. Produced by Ivan Reitman. A 

Paramount release. Comedy. Rated R for 

strong language, nudity arid crude sexual 

humor. Running time: 109 min. 

Digitally enhanced breasts. Fartman. Minuscule 

schlongers. Puppet intercourse. D- 

cup pom starlets. Wet underwear. Woofer 

sex. Hot lesbo action. It's Howard! 

Assuredly directed by Betty Thomas 

("The Brady Bunch") and smoothly 

adapted by Len Blum and Michael 

Kalesniko, shockjock Stem's bio is comically 

affectionate and almost low-key, with 

Stem downright warm. But, reportage not 

cinema, it progresses like real life, not art. 

And the laughs, while plentiful, don't fill in 

all the quiet holes where a real narrative 

would live. Still, the real lau^h is Howard' s, 

all the way to the bank. Kim Williamson 

BERLIN FEST 

vigor to all the characters, humor (both 

blunt and sick) to the storytelling, and energy 

to the acting and filmmoKing. The 

experience is a bit like savoring a bad 

smell—the tendency to hold one's nose 

undercut by the desire to sneak just a whiff 

because there's something in the air that 

speaks true about life as a whole, and it 

might all point to a good laugh in the end. 

Twin Town" is an intensely regional 

film that, despite its heavy accents, speaks 

a universal language about human smallmindedness 

and resilience. All the actors 

clearly relish the chance to be seedy, 

lewd, rude, duplicitous, warped, crudely 

sexy, basically irredeemable, but some- 

people one might just about tol- 

how still 

erate. Only now and then are the inside 

jokes obviously from folks who know the 

scene too well and want to parody it a bit 

too much, visible in this colorful splurge of 

a stew into which has been thrown almost 

everything a "pretty, shitty" mind can 

dream up, including a dead dog and a 

massed Welsh choir. Bridget oyrne 

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May, 1997 (R-79) 63

Review Digest 

Genre key: (Ac) Action; (Ad) Adventure; (An) Animated; (C) Comedy; 

(D) Drama; (Doc) Documentary; (F) Fantasy; (Hor) Horror; 

(M) Musical; (My) Mystery; (R) Romance; (Sat) Satire; 

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1 

REVIEWS 

THAT DARN CAT ** 

Starring Christina Ricci and Doug E. 

Doug. Directed by Bob Spiers. Written by 

S.M. Alexander and L.A. Karaszewski. 

Produced by Robert Simonds. A Buena 

Vista release. Comedy. Rated PG for mild 

thematic elements. Running time: 90 min. 

Christina Ricci is again called on to be a 

black-garbed caustic misfit in this remake 

of the 1965 Hayley Mills starrer "That Dam 

Cat." Scripters Scott Alexander and Larry 

Karaszewski, best known for the eccentric 

"Ed Wood" and "The People vs. Larry 

Rynt," lay on wacky, oblique touches, but 

the screenplay seems to be in a tug-of-war 

between dumbing-down and smarteiung-up. 

Tracking a cat's hijinks may be six-yearolds' 

idea of high comedy, but the story 

needed to have deductive reasoning, not 

fluke happenstance, solve the case to hold 

their parents' interest. Christine James 

VEGAS VACATION ^1/2 

Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly 

D'Angelo and Randy Quaid. Directed by 

Stephen Kessler. Written by Elisa Bell. 

Produced by Jerry Weintraub and R.J. 

Louis. A Warner Bros, release. Comedy. 

Rated PG for sensuality, language and 

thematic elements. Running time: 95 min. 

The Griswold family adventures have always 

had a flair for mind-numbing slapstick 

humor, but "Vegas Vacation," the latest in 

the formulaic comedies starring Chevy 

Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, is so far from 

funny it's actually painful to sit through. 

Here, Chase's bumbling husband comes 

across as pathetic, a death-knell even for a 

comic hero; the only scenes that give a 

glimpse of the original hilarity of this series 

are those involving D'Angelo' s Ellen, who 

becomes star-struck by sugary Vegas headliner 

Wayne Newton. Pat Kramer 

ABSOLUTE POWER iriîr 

Starring Clint Eastwood. Directed by 

Clint Eastwood. Written by William Goldman. 

Produced by Clint Eastwood and 

Karen Spiegel. A Columbia release. 

Thriller. Rated R for violence, sexuality 

and language. Running time: 122 min. 

In "Absolute Power," a thriller about a sex 

murder involving the president of the United 

States, everyone is morally tainted. The 

movie's moral center, ironically, is jewel 

thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood, also 

directing and producing), who witnesses the 

crime and, guilt-ridden over his own passivity, 

decides not to let the president (Gene 

Hackman) and his aides cover it up. 

As adapted by William Goldman from a 

novel by David Baldacci, the movie to keep 

Luther alive piles on so many contrivances 

that it becomes absurd. And, in opting for 

one-dimensional caricatures, the movie 

seems to be winking at the audience, as if to 

say such things couldn't really happen here. 

"Absolute Power" would have been more 

genuinely disturbing if the president had 

been portrayed not as monstrous but as a 

genial moral weakling like...so many other 

Oval Office occupants. Joe McBride 

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NEWS 

GOLDWYN UPPED AT PARAMOUNT 

John Goldwyn, president of production at 

Paramount's Motion Picture Group for the 

past six years, has signed a new five-year 

contract, under which he'll be promoted to 

the newly-created position of president of 

Paramount Motion Pictures. The move leaves 

open his old post, which insiders say may 

eventually be filled by current executive vice 

president of production Michelle Manning. 

Goldwyn is the grandson of legendary producer 

Samuel Goldwyn and the son of Samuel 

Goldwyn Jr., chairman and CEO of Goldwyn 

Entertainment Co. 

In his new position, Goldwyn will continue 

to oversee production at Paramount, but will 

now become more involved in long-term strategic 

planning for the studio. Goldwyn began 

his career in 1 982 as executive story editor for 

producer Alan Ladd Jr. After a stint at MGM, 

Goldwyn joined Paramount in 1 990 as executive 

vice president of production. He was 

promoted to president of production in 1 991 

Films produced and released under his tenure 

include "The First Wives Club," "Star Trek: 

First Contact," "Mission: Impossible," 

"Braveheart" and "Forrest Gump." 

NATHANSON FILLS MARCUS 

SLOT AT MGM 

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Inc. chairman 

Frank Mancuso brought in New Regency 

Prods, chairman and CEO Michael Nathanson 

to replace Mike Marcus (who resigned in 

February) as head of MGM Pictures. New 

Regency's president David Matalong said the 

departure came with the company's blessing 

and hopes it will help along discussions for 

possible co-productions between the two 

companies. There is some talk that when New 

Regency's deal is up at Warner Bros, in 1 998, 

they might find a new home at MGM. During 

his tenure at New Regency, Nathanson was 

responsible for "A Time to Kill," "Tin Cup," 

"Natural Born Killers" and the first two "Free 

Willy" films. Before joining New Regency in 

1 994, Nathanson was a production executive 

at Columbia Pictures under the Peter 

Guber/Jon Peters regime. 

DREAMWORKS BACK AT THE 

DRAWING BOARD FOR A SITE 

Another setback has arisen in 

DreamWorks' efforts to build itself a studio. 

The deal with financier Gary Winnick to take 

over a majority stake in the Playa Vista 

develoment and cover the $1 50 million debt 

was never signed, and Robert Maguire, lead 

developer on the Maguire Thomas Partners 

project, is now negotiating with other parties 

to invest the monies needed to keep the banks 

at bay. Some industry sources say Maguire 

was never entirely comfortable with the 

Winnick group, which would have had the 

SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN SILENT MOVIE MURDER 

In a tragic and strangedevelopment that could have come straight out of a film noir, 

the murder of theatre owner Lawrence Austin (reported in the April issue of Boxoffice) 

is close to being solved, but what the LARD has uncovered is quite a bit more 

complicated, if, regrettably enough, a little more understandable, than the seemingly 

senseless robbery/murder that shocked the exhibition world. 

The LAPD has arrested two suspects in the killing of Austin, the owner/operator of 

the Silent Movie Showcase in Los Angeles, lames Leslie Van Sickle, 34, of Los Angeles, 

and Christian Rodriguez, 1 9, of South Gate, Calif., are being held without bail for the 

January 1 7th murder. The 74-year-old Austin was killed in the lobby and a 19-year-old 

theatre employee (who survived) was shot while working the concession stand in what 

was originally believed to be a robbery. Now LAPD homicide detectives say it looks 

like a contract killing. Van Sickle, who hoped to inherit Austin's estate (which may be 

worth almost $1 million), allegedly hired Rodriguez to kill Austin for approximately 

$25,000. Austin's will apparently gave Van Sickle ownership of the theatre, its entire 

library of silent films and $80,000 in a bank account. LAPD officer John Miller said Van 

Sickle had been Austin's roommate and business partner for seven years. Van Sickle 

often worked as a projectionist and was at the theatre the night of the murder. Both 

suspects are charged with murder, attempted murder, two counts of robbery and one 

count of commercial burglary. Deputy District Attorney Curtis Hazell said it was not 

yet determined if the special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial 

gain would be used to seek the death penalty. 

In a further twist, police are now investigating whether Austin even legitimately 

owned the theatre. Austin may have defrauded the theatre's original owners in order to 

acquire the Silent Movie Showcase. John and Dorothy Hampton opened the theatre in 

1942 and ran it for 3 7 years until John Hampton fell ill. Austin, a family friend, reopened 

the theatre in 1 991 , shortly after John Hampton died. Dorothy Hampton, who lives in 

a nursing home since a stroke left her with diminished capacities, apparently signed 

over the theatre to Austin three years ago. 

largest stake in the project. Maguire was reportedly 

unhappy with comments made by 

Winnick about taking over the project, which 

has been a long-held dream of Maguire's. 

The agreement in principal was never 

signed because of legal issues. So 

DreamWorks continues to look elsewhere for 

a studio. Alternatives under consideration include 

a location in Burbank and a site next to 

the Dreamworks animation campus which is 

currently under construction in Glendale. 

There is even talk of staying put on the Universal 

lot. None of those options hold the 

allure of the Playa Vista project, so it remains 

to be seen what will become of DreamWorks: 

The Studio. 

Meanwhile, DreamWorks plans to open a 

New York office in June to handle East Coast 

distribution and marketing. Located on the 

22nd floor of 650 Madison Avenue, the offices 

will serve as home to approximately 10 

employees and will be a base for visiting 

executives. Production offices already exist in 

New York at Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River. 

NEW LINE LOOKS TO EUROPE 

FOR INVESTORS 

New Line Cinema, which has been looking 

for money to maintain its independence from 

Time Warner, may have found what it's looking 

for in Europe. A European consortium led 

by French media giant Havas and U.K. broadcaster 

Carlton Communications. New Line 

chairman Robert Shaye and COO Michael 

Lynne began discussions last year with Havas 

for the Havas-Carlton contingent to make a 

significant investment in New Line. 

New Line and Havas already formed a joint 

venture in 1995, NHVL, to invest in interactive 

games and software following a successful 

partnership on the interactive game for the 

New Line film "The Mask." Havas is the second 

largest publicly held media group in 

France. The investment, if it goes through, will 

allow Shaye and Lynne to keep control over 

the company they founded. 

DISNEY PICKS UP CINERGI 

ENERGY 

Walt Disney Pictures bought Cinergi Pictures 

Entertainment Inc. for an estimated $20 

million after more than six months of discussions 

between the two. Andy Vajna, who 

owns 58 percent of Cinergi, put the company 

on the market a year ago. Insiders say that 

rising production costs made it difficult to 

continue to do the big-budget studio films that 

Vajna favored and that Vajna was not happy 

with Cinergi's move to smaller-budgeted pictures. 

Disney seemed the most logical buyer 

since it has 16 pictures outstanding on a 

25-picture distribution deal with the company. 

Additionally, Disney already owned 

five percent of Cinergi's stock and had been 

lending money to the company to help fund 

production costs. Disney looked to acquire 

the company last summer, but did not. But 

perhaps faced with the prospect of entanglements 

with other buyers or trying to recoup 

its production advances (listed at $35.4 million) 

from a company in liquidation (which 

was increasingly becoming a possibility), the 

studio decided to go ahead with the deal. 

Potential suitors had included Arnon 

Milchan's New Regency Enterprises, Mike 

Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Jim Robinson 

at Morgan Creek Productions. Although 

Cinergi posted losses in 1 995 and early 1 996, 

"Evita," which grossed $132 million to date 

worldwide, should ensure a positive fourth 

quarter. Disney will now have access to 

Cinergi's small library which includes "Evita" 

as well as less-than-successful films such as 

"Nixon" and "The Scarlet Letter."

Mav. 1997 67 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS 

NORTHERN EXPOSURE 

Canadian News Notes by Shiomo Schwartzberg 

LEAD STORY: MAJOR "PLAYER" 

Famous Players has announced the largest expansion in its 77-year history. The 

Canadian chain plans an additional 13 theatres, encompassing 136 screens and more 

than 39,000 seats. The 13 theatres will be added in four provinces—Ontario, British 

Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta—and the final builds are expected 

to be completed by May of 1999. The expansion will cost 

Famous Players more than C$75 million (US$51.7 million) and 

will create an estimated 1 ,500 jobs. The new theatres will feature 

spacious tiered seating, digital sound and such innovations as 

Starbucks coffee in lobby cafes and Techtown, featuring Sega and 

other computer games. 

"We need to rebuild and reconfigure the existing circuit to meet 

the demand of moviegoing in the '90s," Roger Harris, Famous 

Players' vice president and general manager of marketing and 

theatre operations, told Boxoffice. The expansion will "showcase 

more variety on screens and better presentation [of films]," sav^ 

Harris. "By providing more services and options in the lobby, vvt 

will encourage more people to spend time with Famous Players.' 

The 136 proposed screens will mark a 25 percent increase in 

Famous' total screens: Famous currently boasts 511 screens in 

1 1 locations across Canada. 

Recent add-ons in Burlington, Calgary and Moncton have been 

enormous successes, says Harris. "People come back and say 

'Moviegoing is a bigger part of our life.'" He says that "Calgary 

did over and above what we anticipated," adding that one million patrons came to that 

city's new multiplex in its first year of operations. 

The new theatres will make up the final wave of Famous Players' total 250-screen 

expansion, which began with a 50-screen expansion in 1996. "That investment will put 

us in a strong position in the marketplace, [and will] keep us in a strong position in the 

[next] 10 years." Harris says. Announcements of additional new projects are still 

forthcoming, but Famous' expansion will be essentially "scaled down' as the company 

enters the next century, according to Harris. 

CINEPLEX, PROJECTIONISTS SETTLE DISPUTE 

After nearly five months, Cineplex Odeon has come to an 

agreement with its projectionists in Ontario. The dispute centered 

around wages and hours, which Cineplex wanted to cut down, 

citing new technologies that have made the projectionists' jobs 

less vital. 

Under the new agreement, projectionists' salaries go down by 

almost half to C$14- 16 (US$9.66- 11.04) an hour for a 40-hour 

work week or an annual salary of C$29,000-33,000 (US$20,000- 

22,750). In addition, 49 of the projectionists out of 102 who were 

locked out lost their jobs, due to a new agreement under which 

Cineplex will not employ projectionists in houses with three 

screens or less—theatre managers will do the job—and will use one 

instead of two projectionists in houses with eight screens or more. 

"It was a fair and equitable agreement, given the requirements of 

[the job]," said Howard Lichtman, Cineplex Odeon's executive 

vice president of marketing, who adds that Cineplex will offer a 

26-week severance package to its laid off workers and access to a 

job education retraining fund, "which we are not obliged" to do. 

Robert Hilder, a spokesman for Local 

173, which represents 

projectionists in Ontario, said that "the members aren't very happy" 

with the strike's final outcome. Hilder expressed worries that 

projectionists at Famous Players will face the same difficulties 

when their contracts expire there on July 3. Asked about the 

situation at his company, Roger Harris of Famous Players said "the 

issues are very similar. [We face] the same challenges as Cineplex. 

The degree of difficulty in performing that function has been 

removed. [We need to find] a fair wage in the context of [the 

demands of the job]." 

ASTRAL BACK ON 

DISTRIBUTION PLANE 

After a brief scaling-back of its theatrical 

distribution efforts. Astral Distribution 

is back in the game, says its 

newly appointed director of 

theatrical distribution Jim 

Murphy. "We're going to be 

more aggressive," he said. 

Astral is currently distributing 

"Breaking The Waves," 

and its forthcoming slate includes 

several major titles, 

including Giles Walker's 

"Never "Too Late," Volker 

Schlondorff's "The Ogre" 

and the controversial Tilda 

Swinton movie "Female Perversions." 

"We will [also] 

have a presence in Cannes," 

says Murphy, the former director 

of sales and distribution 

for the Ontario Film 

Development Corp. He conceded 

that the company was 

wrong to minimize its distribution as 

it had done of late. "There is a greater 

awareness and understanding that theatrical 

is a driving engine. You have 

got to have a theatrical presence [in the 

field]." 

The distribution arm's parent. Astral 

Communications, is now called 

Coscient/Astral, after its purchase 

by the Quebec-based Coscient Inc. 

As a result of its combining with Quebec distribution company 

Allegro, another name change is imminent, says Murphy. 

POLYGRAM TO SET UP FILM COMPANY IN CANADA 

Netherlands-based music and movie company PolyGram NV 

has secured an agreement with the Canadian government to set up 

a film company in Canada. Originally, Polygram had hoped to be 

able to release films directly in Canada, as Hollywood studios do, 

circumventing existing regulations on distribution and foreign 

investment in cultural industries. But Canada's government vetoed 

that proposal, instead allowing PolyGram Filmed Entertainment 

(Pre) to only distribute movies it made or owns the rights to sell 

in all international markets. This ensures that PolyGram will not 

restrict its Canadian titles to niche marketing, but instead will have 

a commitment to distribute the films internationally, thereby helping 

to boost the Canadian film industry. Under the deal, PFE has 

agreed to invest at least C$20 million (US$ 13.8 million) in backing 

Canadian films and film festivals, and distributing Canadian films 

internationally. The reason Hollywood studios are able to distribute 

in Canada without restriction is that they were active in the Canadian 

market before the 1988 film distributors policy was enacted, 

under which film distributors must use a percentage of their profits 

to make domestic movies and market them internationally. 

DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION-RELATED NEWS 

ITEM ABOUT THE CANADIAN MARKET? 

CONTACT SHLOMO SCHWARTZBERG IN CARE OF 

OUR CANADIAN NEWS BUREAU AT: 416-638-6402

EXHIBITION 

BRIEFINGS 

NEW FEATURE: SHOWMINDER 

With exhibition's Show calendar growing 

by leaps and bounds, Boxoffice brings you this 

new feature, giving you the wheres and whens 

of the best in exhibition-related events. Remember 

to save the following dates: 

ShowCanada, May 6-1 0, Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, 

Ontario. Call 416-969-7057 or 514- 

279-61 50... NAC Expo, June 2-5, Marriott 

Hotel, Anaheim, Calif. Call 312-236- 

3858. ..Cinema Expo, June 15-18, RAI, Amsterdam. 

Call 21 2-246-6460.. .Mid-Atlantic 

NATO Seminar-Reunion, July 10-11, Harbor 

Court Hotel, Baltimore, Md. Call (757) 722- 

5275...Australian Movie Convention, August 

13-16, Royal Pines Resort, Cold Coast, Australia. 

Call 61 733565671. ..ShowSouth, August 

19-20, Callaway Gardens and Resort, 

Pine Mountain, Ga. Call (770) 455- 

8988...ShowEast, Oct. 21-23, Trump Taj 

Mahal, Atlantic City, N.J. Call 21 2-246-6460. 

Watch BoxoFFicE's Exhibition Briefings pages 

for future updates. 

THE FINNISH LINE: 

NORDIC 40-PLEX SETS NEW RECORD 

Finnkino, the largest circuit in Finland, will 

soon have another superlative to add to its 

credit: the company plans to build the world's 

first 40-plex—a staggering figure, given that the 

U.S. industry is only now rising to the 30-screen 

benchmark. The 3,500-seat behemoth wil I be 

located in downtown Helsinki and is scheduled 

to open in October 1998. Finnkino, 

owned by the newspaper and kiosk chain 

Rautakirja, currently operates 82 screens. 

REGAL BUYS 95 SCREENS 

FROM MAGIC CINEMAS 

Michael Campbell, president and CEO of 

Regal Cinemas, announced the signing of a 

definitive asset purchase agreement with 

Magic Cinemas LLC, an independent theatre 

company with operations in New Jersey and 

Pennsylvania (not to be confused with the 

Loews-owned Magic Johnson Theatres). 

Regal will pay $24.5 million in cash to purchase 

the 36 screens in five theatres that 

Magic Cinemas currently has in operation, the 

52 screens in four theatres under development, 

and a seven-screen addition to an existing 

theatre. Campbell says that Regal "will 

continue to pursue appropriate acquisition 

opportunities aggressively," and that the circuit 

has more than 900 new screens either 

under construction or in pre-consfruction development 

that are scheduled to be open by 

the end of 1 998. 

NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS SPRINGS 

MORE SCREENS ON SPRINGDALE 

National Amusements wants to double 

patrons' pleasure with double the screens at 

their Showcase Cinemas in Springdale, Ohio. 

SOUND BITES: NEWS FROM THX, DOLBY, 

DTS AND SONY CINEMA PRODUCTS 

ACT III OPENS 200TH THX SCREEN 

According to Lucastilm Ltd., Act III Theatres 

has the most THX screens in all of exhibition. 

With the opening of its Cornelius 9 in 

Oregon, Act III hit the all-time high of 200 

THX screens, which is the largest commitment 

by any exhibitor worldwide. And Act 

III isn't stopping there: currently, there are 

200 more Act III screens under development 

within the THX design office. "Act III builds 

every auditorium in every theatre to the THX 

standard for one simple reason: it sells tickets," 

says Randall Blaum, director of advertising 

and marketing for Act III. Says Monica 

Dashwood, general manager of the THX 

division; "From the beginning. Act III believed 

in the THX philosophy. We are 

that our two companies are set to 

thrilled 

work together for many years to come." 

DOLBY SALES TOP 8,200 

Sales of Dolby Digital processors have 

exceeded 8,200 units, in part due to the new 

Model CP500 digital processor, which 

Dolby president Bill Jasper calls "one of our 

fastest-growing products ever." Additionally, 

more than 200 films have been announced 

to be released with Dolby Digital 

soundtracks, bringing the total number of 

films with Dolby Digital soundtracks to 820. 

Among these titles will be such high-profile 

projects as Buena Vista's "Hercules" and 

Thenine-plex will beexpanded loan 18-plex, 

making it the largest cinema complex in 

greater Cincinnati. The cinema will be open 

during renovations, with the new screens set 

for operation in summer of 1998. Each auditorium 

in the 5,600-seat Springdale 1 8 will be 

equipped with Dolby Digital sound. The 

lobby will reflect National Amusements' 

trademark design, with glass ceilings, neon 

Hollywood-motifed sculptures and an art gallery 

of famous movie scenes and stars. 

CINEMASTARSCREENSTO TOTALIS? 

Rising star CinemaStar, the San Diegobased 

chain with 64 screens in Southern California, 

has announced an aggressive theatre 

expansion program with plans to increase 

their screen count to 157 over the next 18 

months. The circuit has sites planned in Tijuana, 

Mexico; Guadalajara, Mexico; and 

Kona, Hawaii, marking CinemaStar's first forays 

outside of Southern California. Several 

SoCal sites are planned as well, including San 

Bernardino, San Marcos, South Gate and 

Palm Springs. Also in the works is a fivescreen 

addition to CinemaStar's first multiplex, 

the Mission Marketplace 8 in 

Oceanslde, Calif. 

CinemaStar is also in talks with commercial 

real estate developer J.H. Snyder Company to 

build multiplexes in major retail entertainment 

centers to be developed in California 

and Nevada over the next five years. If the 

agreement is completed, CinemaStar would 

have through the combined expansion an 

estimated 460 screens in 35 theatres by 2002. 

"Con Air"; Paramount's "The Saint" and "Titanic"; 

New Line's "Austin Powers: International 

Man of Mystery" and "Mortal Kombat 

2"; and Warner Bros.' "Murder at 1 600" and 

"Batman and Robin." There are approximately 

38,000 Dolby-equipped theatres 

worldwide. 

WARNER TO USE ALL THREE 

DIGITAL SOUND FORMATS 

Having entered into an agreement with 

Digital Theater Systems, Warner Bros, will 

release all of its 1 997 titles in all three digital 

sound formats. Previously, Warner had used 

DTS only on selected releases, in addition to 

Dolby and SDDS. The deal will apply to all 

Warner productions and acquisitions. 

SONY CINEMA PRODUCTS CORP. 

OPENS LONDON OFFICE 

Sony Cinema Products Corp. has opened 

a new office in London for the European 

distribution and service of the Sony Dynamic 

Digital Sound format. The new London operation 

replaces the former SCPC office in 

Frankfurt, Germany, and will handle the expansion 

of the company's activities in Europe. 

David Pope has been named 

operations manager of the London office, 

and Les Brock has been appointed field service 

engineer, recorder systems. 

UA LOVES A PARADE 

Those of you attending ShoWest this year 

may have been a little mystified if you were 

walking along the Las Vegas strip only to find 

yourself surrounded by marching bands, celebrity 

loot-alikes and "Star Wars" characters. 

It's easily explained: The March 5 opening of 

United Artists' Showcase 8 Theatre, located 

in the Showcase retail and entertainment 

complex next to the MGM Grand Hotel, was 

celebrated with a parade that made its way 

throughout the town, headed by the Clark 

High School Marching Band. Several Vegas 

resorts welcomed UA by participating in the 

parade. Celebrity impersonators from the Imperial 

Palace's "Legends in Concert" were 

joined by the cast of "Showgirls of Magic" 

from the San Remo Hotel and Casino. Actors 

portraying King Kong and Lady Liberty represented 

the New York-New York Hotel and 

Casino. "Star Wars" characters Darth Vader, 

C-3P0 and Boba Fett were on hand at the 

festivities, as were the caped crusaders Batman 

and Robin. The Showcase 8—the only 

first-run movie theatre on the Strip—features 

eight wall-to-wall screens; DTS, SDDS, Dolby 

Digital and THX sound technologies; seating 

with cupholder armrests; and special booster 

seats for children. 

COBB RINGS IN BELL TOWER 20 

(obi) lIuMtres is building ,m 80,000- 

square-foot 20-plex, the Bell Tower 20, in Ft. 

Myers, Florida, scheduled to open this summer. 

The Bell Tower 20 will offer DTS, Dolby 

and SDDS sound systems; stadium style seat-

took 

ing; and Cobb's luxurious high-back "cozy 

chairs" with lifting cupholder armrests. Birmingham, 

Ala. -based Cobb has 600 screens 

throughout the southeast, and is the largest 

theatre operator in Florida with 465 screens 

in 54 locations. 

CARDLOGIX GETS SMART 

Smart Card manufacturer CardLogix has 

formed a strategic alliance with MPO 

Videotronics to jointly provide Smart Cards, 

software and interactive touchscreen terminals 

to movie theatres for automatic ticketing. 

Movie Magic software is provided by 

Card-Logix free of charge for 

customization of theatre-specific 

information. The system is designed 

to let customers avoid long 

lines and carry less cash. Customers 

can obtain tickets with a 

Movie Gold Card, with deductions 

made when the card is 

inserted 

into a reader located on the 

terminal. The customer is 

prompted by a touchscreen to 

preview movie selections, order 

tickets and select other purchase 

options. The items are deducted 

from the card balance and issued. 

ON THE MOVE 

United Artists Theatre Circuit 

Inc. announced that its board of 

directors has named executive VP and CFO 

Kurt C. Hall acting COO, following former 

UAtopperStewart Blair's resignation. Blair's 

position as president and CEO remained 

vacant at press time. Bob Capps, executive 

vicepresidentoffilm, has also resigned, with 

UATC citing "personal reasons." Mike Pade 

has assumed Capp's post. ..Loews co-chairs 

Jim and Barrie Lawson Loeks have named 

Michael Norrls executive vice president of 

Loews Theatres. Norris joined Loews in 

1995 as senior vice president of operations 

...Showscan Entertainment Inc. announced 

that president and CEO William Soady has 

tendered his resignation. He will be succeeded 

by executive VP and CFO Dennis 

Pope. Additionally, Tucker Lemon, VP and 

general counsel, has been promoted to senior 

VP, and will retain his title of general 

counsel. ..Wehrenberg Theatres' head film 

buyer DougWhitford has been promoted to 

vice president, film...Mann Theatres has appointed 

John DeLorenzo to the newly-created 

position of senior executive vice 

president, finance and administration. 

DeLorenzo was formerly executive VP of 

Act III Broadcasting Inc., and VP and CFO 

of its parent company. Act III Communications 

FHoldings, 

promoted to treasurer of Clearview Cinema 

Group Inc. Romine joined Clearview in July 

1996 as Controller. ..Lyndon Colin has been 

named director of exhibitor relations for 

Hollywood Online, a website that covers the 

motion picture industry. Colin will manage 

Hollywood Online's strategic partnership 

with the National Association of Theatre 

provide nationwide movie and 

Owners to 

L. P. ...Joan M. Romine was 

theatre listings. ..Lucasfilm Ltd. has hired 

Kurt Schwenk as director of Professional 

THX Operations. Schwenk, who was formerly 

VP of film applications for Dolby Laboratories, 

will oversee the worldwide daily 

operations of both the THX Theatre Program 

and the THX Theatre Alignment Program. 

Q&A 

Marking 

TURNING JAPANESE: 

CINEMARK PARTNERS 

WITH SHOCHIKU 

the next step in Cinemark's rapid and aggressive international 

expansion plans, the U.S/s fourth-largest circuit has partnered with 

Shochiku Co. Ltd. to build 100 screens in Japan by the year 2000. The 

first theatre under the deal, a seven-plex in Kobe, opened March 20, bringing one 

of the first state-of-the-art multiplexes to the country. Tim Warner, president of 

Cinemark International, spoke with Boxoffice about Cinemark's foray into one of 

the most rapidly-growing markets on the globe. 

BoxoFftcE: How did you go about selecting Shochiku as your 

strategic partner in Japan? 

TIM WARNER: I knew [Shochiku president and CEO] Toru 

Okuyama for a number of years through my involvement with 

NATO/ShoWest, and was aware of both the quality and status 

of his company in japan. I suggested to him when I 

my 

current position as the president of Cinemark International that 

he might want to consider doing a joint venture, allowing 

Cinemark International to join the new company he'd formed 

in Japan, which was Shochiku Multiplex Theatres. 

Boxoffice: And that is the second largest chain in japan? 

WARNER: They're the second largest exhibition company in 

Japan, but they're the largest entertainment company in Japan, 

because they're also in production and distribution. 

Boxoffice: What will the theatres themselves be called? 

WARNER:They'll becalledMovix, and we will operate under 

that trade name. Shochiku has had that name for their drive-in 

theatres, so the name has been in Japan, linked with the exhibition business, for a number 

of years. 

Boxoffice: What will Cinemark/Shochiku, aka Movix, bring to Japan's exhibition scene? 

the state-of-the-art multiplex 

WARNER: The thing we're going to primarily bring is 

theatre to Japan. Although Warners and UCI have opened multiplexes in Japan, they're 

not in the major markets. The only multiplex theatre that has currently opened in a major 

market is AMC. 

Boxoffice: What are the pertinent statistics that make Japan such an attractive market? 

WARNER: Right now, they have something like one screen for every hundred and 

some thousand people—as compared to the U.S., which is about one screen for every 

10,000 people—and yet it's still one of the primary markets outside of the U.S. for U.S. 

[films], from a dollar standpoint. 

Boxoffice: Do you have any theories as to why that is? 

WARNER: One is the price, because the average ticket price in japan is much, much 

higher than the U.S., almost two or three times as high. Also, they enjoy movies very 

much, and they enjoy American culture. I think as the market develops, the potential of 

the marketplace is probably one of the best in the entire world. 

Boxoffice: The real estate in Japan is notoriously expensive and scarce. With AMC, 

Time Warner and UCI building, how do you plan to secure well-positioned sites? 

WARNER: Having our joint venture is going to be an advantage, because we are 

dealing with a company that has literally done business in Japan for over 1 03 years. And 

so we're counting on the fact that they do know the local market and the local developers. 

And I think that they will bring with them access to the marketplace. 

Boxoffice: Does the partnership plan to build in other countries? 

WARNER: Yes, it is contemplated that Shochiku and Cinemark will consider joint 

ventures in markets in the Far East, outside of Japan. 

Boxoffice: What are some other countries that just Cinemark is building in? 

WARNER: Just Cinemark, we're in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, 

Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. 

Boxoffice: What are the challenges and benefits of going into foreign territories? 

think the challenge is trying to change our corporate culture and develop 

WARNER: i 

into a global exhibition company. And with that comes ail the management strains that 

[that scale of endeavor] puts on an organization. But the potential of the marketplace, or 

the risk versus rewards, are very high, because most of the markets that we are going in 

are very, very much underscreened. And as we develop the state-of-the-art cinemas in 

the marketplaces, we feel that we will achieve results similar to those in markets such as 

England and Australia and inner Germany, where the market was really underscreened, 

and exhibitors went in and built, and of course the attendance has doubled and tripled 

in those marketplaces. 

Boxoffice-. And you want to reproduce those results! 

WARNER: We want to reproduce those results around the world! 

§g| 

Mav, 1997 69

70 BflXfJFFIfE 

ShoWest '97/lnternational Extra 

ANATOMY OF A 

MERGER 

At ShoWest '97, BOXOFFICE is a Witness to 

History by Ray Greene and Kim Williamson 

together the 

Putting May issue of 

BOXOFTICE is always an interesting 

challenge in that its primary purpose is 

to alert exhibition to the golden networking 

opportunity presented each year by the 

SfiowCanada convention, while 

its secondary theme is to wrap up 

various types of unfinished business 

related to ShoWest, 

ShowCanada's urmffiliated but 

nonetheless significant cousin to 

the south. 

While most publications which 

cover ShoWest tend to focus on 

such benchmarks of that annual 

show as the studio-sponsored dining 

events, the vast exhibition-related 

trade show and the 

star-studded final night awards 

event, many stories that may have 

even more lasting impact on 

global exhibition occur in the 

margins of the official show 

schedule, where private meetings 

and business discussions occur 

every minute of each show day. 

With that in mind, BOXOFTICE 

editors Ray Greene and Kim Wdliamson 

determined that they 

would keep their eyes open at 

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: A.J. Weststrate talks to BOXOFFICE at ShoWest. 

ShoWest '97 for a single story that could he build will be called the Palais de Cinema need look at the enomious success that the 

given extra play in the pages o/BOXOFFICE, 

both as a way ofgetting important first-hand 

news to our audience and in order to find a 

symbolfor the hundreds ofother bits ofsignif- 

Alhambra, and it will house eight state-of-theart 

theatres in the Dutch town of Vlissingen. 

And the contracts launching this new team on 

Berts have already had. And there's nothing in 

Holland that's that same way. This is going to 

be the first one built with their formula. So if 

it's a success elsewhere in the world, why not 

icant industry business which occur out ofthe 

limelight at ShoWe.st each year. 

On thefinal day ofSho We.it, in a nondescript 

our two 

restaurant off the lobby of Bally 's, 

intrepid editorsfound what they were looking 

for when they were witnesses to a piece of 

exhibition history as Decatron's legendary 

managing director Joost Bert and A.J. "Ad" 

We.it.itrate of Holland's Cinema Groep executed 

thefinal contractsfor a unique partnership. 

The Cinema Groep/Decatron compact 

will combine Decatron 's vast experience with 

Cinema Groep 's deep understanding of the 

Dutch marketplace in an alliance that just 

might mark a new beginning for the way the 

people of Holland go to the movies. The first 

the Dutch scene were .signed right before 

BOXOmCE's bulging eyes. 

And so, on these pages, Kim and Ray bring 

you eyewitness interviewsfor a breaking piece 

ofinternational exliibition new.s. Like the .long 

says, this could be the start of something big. 

And we were there, .m you didn 't have to be. 

BOXOFFICE: I understand you have an 

interesting announcement to make. 

AJ. WESTSTRATK: Well, it's a quite big 

announcement for Holland. As you know. 

there's a very successful Belgian company 

called Decatron, run by the Berts. They 're very 

successful in Belgium and in France already, 

and now we' ve made up a joint venture to open 

our first cinema in Holland. Construction will 

be starting in a few months and 

will finish toward the end of this 

year. 

BOXOFFICE: How many 

screens? 

WESTSTRATE: There are 

going to be eight screens with 

about 1 .500 seats. 

BOXOFFICE: Located? 

WESTSTRATE: In the 

south of Holland, in Vlissingen 

[English name: Flushing], in the 

province of Zeeland. And the 

cinema there now has only 500 

seats, so it's going to be three 

times as big. 

BOXOFFICE: A Dutch exhibitor 

once said to us that The 

Netherlands didn't need 

multiplexes, that there were 

enough screens and nothing 

needed to change. Why do you 

thinli this development will better 

serve the moviegoing public? 

WESTSTRATE: You only 

in Holland? I think (exhibitors) are waiting too 

long [to multiplex the country), and there's too 

little competition in Holland. 

BOXOFFICE: Do you envision there will 

be more theatres in Holland from this joint 

venture? 

WESTSTRATE: Well, 

we're going to 

look to see what the market is, and when there 

arc good sites we're going to try, of course. 

JOOST BERT: I think, together with Ad as 

a partner, we will be aggressive in the Dutch

a 

! 

Mav. 1997 71 

market. We are now working on some sites that 

we can't discuss for the moment. But as soon 

as everything is secured we will announce 

them. As a Flemish family, working together 

with Ad, we are very thrilled. We know we are 

doing the right thing for the Dutch market. We 

have found somebody in Holland who is on 

the same frequency, who has the same ideas of 

quality—who's willing to go to the extremes 

in providing comfort, who's willing to go to 

the extremes in what people are asking for 

If some guy from Holland said that about 

theatres, that's not true. The need for comfort 

is a universal feeling everywhere. People appreciate 

leg space, appreciate a big screen, 

af^reciate state-of-the-art presentation. And 

that's what we're going to do. I'm quite surprised 

to find someone Uke 

Ad, who really starts with 

what's going to be a big investment—we're 

talking between 

9 million and 10 

million Dutch guilders— 

very big investment for that 

part of the country. And I'm 

quite sure that we will be very 

successful with that theatre. 

And fix)m this theatre we will 

start on—Ad, how many 

other projects? 

WESTSTRATE: About 

1 projects in total, and hopefully 

we'll be a big market 

player in a few years over in 

Holland. 

BOXOFTICE: 

Do you 

have an estimate ofthe total 

number of screens your 

jomt venture will have at 

buUd-out? 

WESTSTRATE: About 

100, 120. 

BERT {laughing] : It's nice to hear that. Ad 

The more the merrier 

BOXOFnCE: In one of the seminars on 

ShoWest's international day, they talked 

about how the megaplexing phenomenon 

doesn't necessarily work in the European 

market Do you agree with that statement? 

BERT: I think that multiplexing and 

megaplexing will work in Holland. Eventually, 

it will come. Whether it will be us or 

somebody else, multiplexing and megaplexing 

are coming to Holland. We are not the fu^t 

in Holland with a multiplex—Pathe, the 

French company that took over Cannon/MGM, 

is already successful with its cinema 

in downtown Rotterdam. So that proves 

that the formula of multiplexing works. 

BOXOFTICE: What are the parameters 

about this particular build that add up to 

success? How does it fulfill the formula that 

you need to have a successful multiplex in a 

place like The Netherlands? 

BERT: It's extremely—Î won't say "difficult," 

that's not the word—but where we start 

with is Ad, it's in his hometown. It's a small 

town. The catchment area is very small. And 

in the town of Vlissingen, how many inhabitants 

do you have? 

WESTSTRATE: A hundred thousand. 

BERT: Well, it will draw. It will draw at 

least in an area of 50 to 60 kilometers. I think 

it may take away some business from 

[Decatron's theatre in] Antwerp. We have so 

many Dutch people traveling for one hour 

coming from cities like Utrecht, all the way 

down to Antwerp. So in some ways we will 

lose some patrons, maybe, to the new cinema. 

BOXOFFICE: Gaughter) But better to 

lose it to yourself than to some other guy. 

BERT: But I'm very much thrilled that 

we've found Ad, who's thinking the same way, 

who's "crazy" enough to invest. .. Ad is the fu^t 

one to do this. So we're going to do it better 

than Pathe, we're going to do it better than 

anybody else, any other players in the Dutch 

market. 

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Cinema Groep's Weststrate and Joost Bert shal

72 BOXOFnCE 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS 

PACIFIC OVERTURES 

NOTES FROM THE PACIFIC RIM by Susan Lambert 

LEAD STORY: JUDGEMENT DAY IN SOUTH KOREA FOR U.S.DISTRIBS 

SEOUL—Columbia TriStar, 20th Century Fox, United Intl. Pictures (UIP), 

Warner Bros, and Buena Vista were all found guilty of anticompetitive practices 

by the Korean Fair Trade Commission. A KFTC official, Im Young-jun, issued a 

warning to the Seoul branches of the top five U.S. film distributors. The officials 

admitted their wrongdoing and were granted leniency. If convicted again, each 

would be subject to a fine or ordered to shut down its South Korean branch 

offices. 

South Korea has become one of the top ten foreign markets for United States 

product since UIP pioneered direct distribution in 1 988, amid much protest from 

local companies. The anticompetitive practices involved the withholding of ads 

from two Seoul-based newspapers which U.S. companies withdrew from because 

they felt they were paying 30 percent more than locals were for ads. Local 

independent distributors, including Hana Media and Kwak Kyung-hee claimed 

that was not true. The U.S. companies were paying for ad agency services and 

missed cost-saving measures implemented by the locals who are equally frustrated 

by the high prices of movie ad rates. 

Meanwhile, more U.S. companies are looking to get in on the lucrative South 

Korean market. Polygram Filmed Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are in 

talks about a three-year, co-financing joint venture to distribute 10-12 big budget 

Hollywood films per year in the country. The deal may involve a third-party 

South Korean company, and Paramount is in discussion with several major 

players about a possible arrangement. Many Seoul-based distributors are interested 

in working with the U.S. companies, but may be leery since they feel they 

have been burned before with deals that involved high price films which did not 

perform well. 

SATOSHI ISEKI HEADS UP HERALD 

TOKYO—Satoshi Iseki, the head of NDF, a production financing 

company, has taken over as head of the international department 

at Nippon Herald, an independent distributor. Iseki left Nippon 

Herala 12 years ago and will now also serve on their board of 

directors. He will be in charge of acquisitions and financing for 

Herald, which owns a 10 percent stake in NDF, where Iseki will 

continue to run operations. NDF has 10 films in production, including 

Chen Kaige's "Assassins," a thriller about a plot to assassinate 

Shih-Huang-Ti of the Ch'in Dynasty. Based on the book "Shiji," 

"Assassins is considered to be the most expensive movie ever 

made in Asia with a budget of US$30 million. 

AUSTRALIA MERGES FILM AGENCIES 

SYDNEY—The state government of Queensland will merge its 

two principal film agencies into one. Film Queensland, a statebased 

project and talent development agency, will join with the 

Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC). The PFTC is 

noted for its aggressive marketing campaign to bring offshore 

productions to Queensland for location filming. Arts Minister Joan 

Sheldon said the restructure will "refocus" funding away from 

corporate services and administration to more "front line services," 

such as arts organizations and producers. 

In other news, Australian animation and production company 

Energee Entertainment won the movie and merchandising rights to 

the classic Queensland book "The Magic Pudding." Energee, which 

beat out such contenders as Disney and Jim Hensen Productions, 

plans to turn the children's book, about a pudding that can be eaten 

forever, into an animated feature. The book, written by the late 

Norman Lindsay, will be adapted by children's writer Morris 

Gleitzman. 

KIWI COMMISSION NAMES HARLEY 

AUCKLAND—Dr. Ruth Harley OBE, former 

chief executive of the television funding 

body. New Zealand On Air, was named to head 

New Zealand's Film Commission. Harley is 

also a former national media director of the 

Saatchi and Saatchi ad agency. The Commission 

helps promote a strong New Zealand 

voice in film. 

SHOCHIKU AND CINEMARK 

MAKE MOVIX 

KOBE—On March 20th, 

Shochiku Co., 

Ltd. and Cinemark International Inc. opened 

their first joint venture multiplex theatre in 

Kobe, Japan. The state-of-the-art seven-plex 

features stadium seating, oversized screens, 

THX and digital sound. Next up will be a 

twelve-screen theatre in Kyoto. Shochiku and 

Cinemark share equivalent ownership of a 53 

percent interest in Shochiku Cinemark Theatres 

(SCT), which will operate under the trade 

name Movix. The remaining 47 percent is 

owned by a consortium of prominent Japanese 

companies including Orix Corp., Taisei Corp., 

Obayashi Corp., Shimizu Corp., Nishimatsu 

Corp., Toda Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Lotte Co. 

Shochiku is a leading distributor, exhibitor 

and producer of movies. It currently owns and operates over 200 

screens, making it the second largest movie exhibitor in Japan. 

Cinemark is the fourth largest movie exhibitor in the world with 

1 ,525 screens in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Chile. Torn 

Okuyama, president and chief executive officer of Shochiku stated 

that merging the resources of the two companies makes great 

business sense. "Our expertise and knowledge of the Japanese 

marketplace combined with one of the fastest growing global exhibition 

companies will make SCT a leader in the Japanese exhibition 

market." For more on Movix, see our interview with Cinemark 

International president, Tim Warner, pg. 69. 

WARNER MYCAL BREAKS NEW GROUND 

TOKYO—Warner Mycal Cinemas, a joint venture between the 

Japanese supermarket chain Nichii and Warner Bros, and the first 

circuit to build a multiplex in Japan, plans to open 39 new screens 

at five more sites this year. That would bring Warner Mycal 

Cinema's screen total to 96. Despite an overall 7.5 percent drop at 

the Japanese boxoffice last year, Warner Mycal's admissions were 

up 15 percent indicating its strategy of building sites in suburbs and 

small urban areas may well prove to be a success. The five new 

sites include a nine-screen, 2,124 seat build in the Shinyurigaoka 

Vivre department store outside Tokyo, a free standing multiplex in 

Niigata and retail-merged outlets in Hiroshima, Hokkaido and 

Hyogo Prefecture. 

DO YOU HAVE AN EXHIBITION-RELATED NEWS 

ITEM ABOUT THE ASIA-PACIFIC MARKET? ,,, 

E-MAIL SUSAN LAMBERT IN CARE OF M 

boxoff@earthlink.net 

JHHJ

Boxoffice Magazine 

presents 

NovieFbne's Moviegoer Activity Report 

FOr the Month of February 1997 

MovieFone^ (777-FILAf) ami 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. Viefollowing infomiation represents the most requested theatres and exhibitors on MovieFone. 

Top 10 Exhibitors & Theatres 

Rank 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Most Requested Exhibitors 

Exhibitor 

Cineplex Odeon 

United Artists 

Sony 

AMC 

General Cinema 

Century 

Cinemarl< 

Mann 

National Amusements 

Regal 

Totai Requests 

724,528 

723,150 

605.269 

588,764 

373,897 

250,230 

178.449 

165,489 

153,852 

122,183 

Last Month's 

Ranic 

2 

3 

1 

4 

5 

6 

8 

9 

7 

14 

Ranic 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Mariiet 

NY 

BO 

NY 

BO 

1_A 

BO 

NY 

PH 

BO 

NY 

Host Requested Theatres 

Theatre 

Sony Lincoln Square 

Sony Cheri 

CO Ziegfeld 

Sony Assembly Sq. 

AMC Century 14 

Sony Copley Place 

CO Chelsea 

UA Riverview Plaza 

NA Circle Cinema 

Sony Orptieum 

Total Requests 

69,586 

50,216 

43.488 

35,508 

31,003 

29,692 

29,244 

28,388 

26,173 

26,162 

Last Month's 

Ranic 

1 

5 

45 

11 

4 

8 

3 

16 

37 

10 

Totai 

Requests 

New York 

1,068,228 

Los Angeles 

698,973 

Dallas 

551,499 

San Francisco 

381,071 

Boston 

340,923 

Chicago 

292,284 

Philadelphia 

289,582 

Miami 

278,212 

Toronto 

205,486 

Phoenix 

197,275 

Houston 

160,886 

San Diego 

136,132 

Ranic 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

Most Requested Theatres Per Screen 

Totai Last Month's 

Theatre (# streens) Requests Rank 

CO Ziegfeld (1) 43,433 2 

CO Chelsea West (2) 20,520 5 

UA Continental 3(1) 7,535 52 

Mann Village (1) 15,697 3 

Mann Chinese (3) 20,506 9 

Vista Theatre (1) 5,387 34 

GCC Norfhpark 1 & 2 (2) 7,487 1 

Landmk Inwood (2) 7,022 9 

UA Galaxy (9) 18,329 11 

UA Coronet Theatre (1) 17,706 16 

Century 21 (1) 7,065 10 

UA Stonetown Twin (2) 9,457 24 

Sony Cheri (4) 50,216 1 

Sony Janus (1) 3,803 5 

NA Circle Cinema (7) 26,173 7 

CO McClurg Court (3) 22,651 4 

CO Woodfield 1 & 2 (2) 5,405 8 

Sony Webster Place (8) 21 ,454 1 

UA Sameric (4) 20,892 1 

UAWynnewood(l) 2,627 22 

UA Riverview Plaza (11) 28,388 6 

Cobb Miami Lakes (10) 14,603 3 

AMCKendallT&C(10) 14,436 12 

Cobb Kendall (9) 12,955 1 

CO York 1 8,2(2) 8,136 14 

Famous Cumberland (4) 12,394 18 

Famous Markville (4) 10,309 12 

Hark Cine Capn (1) 7.722 1 

UA Christown Mall (6) 13,566 4 

Hark Christown (5) 8,317 2 

CO Spectrum (9) 11,549 1 

CO River Oaks Plaza (12) 14,468 2 

Landmk River Oaks (3) 3,590 3 

Mann Cinema 21 (1) 4,701 2 

UA Glasshouse (6) 5,290 12 

UAHorton Plaza (14) 11,126 7 

Top 3 Actively* Requested Theatres: 

'Caller specifically requested theatre 

Key to 

ExhitMtors 

AMC AMC Theatres. Inc. 

Act If! Act lii Theatres 

Bim Blumenleld Theatres 

Carmike Carmike Cinemas, Inc, 

Century Century Theatres 

CinAm 

CityCin City Cinemas 

CinAmenca Theatres. LP 

CO Cineplex Odeon Corp. 

Cobb Cobb Theatres 

Dksn Dickinson Theatres 

Famous Famous Players 

GCC General Cinema Theatres 

General General Theatres 

Hark Harkins Theatres 

Totai 

Requests Rank Theatre (# screens) 

Kansas City 1 Dksn Glenwood (4) 

116,662 2 Dksn Westglen (12) 

3 Liberty Cinema (8) 

Seattle 1 CO Cinerama (1) 

97,467 2 Landmk Neptune (1) 

3 CO Northgate(l) 

Atlanta 1 Cannike Exchange (3) 

96,727 2 AMC Phipps Plaza (14) 

3 AMC Galleria (8) 

Minneapolis 1 Landmk Uptown Theatre (1) 

89,557 2 UA St. Anthony Main (5) 

3 Mann MN St. Louis Pk. (6) 

THal 

Requests 

12,547 

17,205 

10,813 

3.989 

3,729 

2,493 

1,495 

6.444 

3,406 

890 

4.057 

4,368 

Cleveland 1 GCC Ridge Park Square (8) 7,432 

76,472 2 Regal Severance Movies (8) 6.372 

3 Sony Cedar (2) 1 ,244 

Las Vegas 1 Century Rancho (16) 14.161 

65,062 2 Act III Boulder Station (11) 8,557 

3 Century Cinedome (12) 

Denver 1 UA Continental (1) 

64,641 2 AMC Westminster (5) 

3 AMC Tiffany Plaza (4) 

Detroit 1 AMC Southland (4) 

50,871 2 AMC Eastland (2) 

3 Star Taylor (10) 

San Antonio 1 Act III Fiesta (16) 

48.740 2 Act III Galaxy (14) 

3 Act III Crossroads (6) 

Sacramento 1 UA Greenback (6) 

46,514 2 Century Sacramento D-l (6) 

3 Century Century 21 (2) 

Cincinnati 1 SupSav Forest Fair (8) 

31,412 2 SupSav Cinemas (8) 

3 NA Showcase Eastgate (7) 

Washington, DC 1 CO Uptown (1) 

30,027 2 CO Embassy (1) 

3 COAvalon(2) 

CO Worldwide 

New York, NY 

CO Ziegfeld 

New York, NY 

Hdywood Hollywood Theatres 

Landmk Landmark Theatre Corp. 

Laemmle Laemmie Theatres 

MartftMN Mann Minneapolis 

Met Metropolstan theatres Corp, 

MJR MJR Theatre Sendee 

Muvico Miflrico Theatres 

9,254 

3,991 

2.437 

1,884 

2.274 

765 

3,604 

8,538 

7,154 

2,943 

5,906 

4,238 

1.232 

5,707 

3.693 

2,144 

1,599 

345 

475 

Last Month's 

Rank 

3. Sony Lincoln Sq. 

New York, NY 

NA National Amusements 

Pacfffc Pacific Theatres 

Regal Regal Cinemas 

Sony Sony Theatres 

Star Loeks-Slar Theatres 

SupSav Super Saver Cinemas 

UA United Artists Theatre C-rcuit 

1 

4 

5 

7 

1 

8 

13 

2 

3 

1 

16 

8 

1 

5 

14 

3 

8 

5 

1 

4 

6 

3 

17 

2 

2 

3 

1 

9 

1 

4 

1 

2 

6 

1 

2 

9

BOXOFFICE 

February March April 

MAY 

(Current)

June July Forthcoming 

FEATURE CHART — MAY 1997

8 

1 

1 

1 

1 

8 

6 

BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart MAY 1997 

APRIL 

CFP 

212-995-9662 

Hollow Reed, Dra, 1 06 min. Martin 

Donovan, Ian Hart. Dir: Angela 

Pope. 4/1 

Castle Hill 

212-888-0080 

Sicarlo (Venezuela), Dra, 1 05 

min. Gledys Ibarra, Pedro Lander. 

Dir: Jose Novoa. 

Fine Line 

212-649-4800 

Pink Flamingos, (1972 reissue), 

NC-1 7. Dir: John Waters. 4/1 

The Quiet Room, Dra, PC, 93 min. 

Chloe Ferguson, Celine O'Leary. 

Dir: Rolf de Heer. 4/18 exp. 

Roseanna's Crave, Com, PC-1 3, 

99 min. Jean Reno, Mercedes Ruehl. 

Dir: Paul Weiland. 4/18 

All Over Me, Dra, R, 90 min. 

Alison Folland, Tara Subkoff. 

Dir: Alex Sichel. 4/25 

First Looi( 

310-855-1199 

A Brother's Kiss, Dra, Nick 

Chinlund, Michael Raynor. Dir: 

Seth Zvi Rosenfeld. 

This is the Sea, Rom/Dra. Richard 

Harris. Dir: Mary McGuckian. 

Fox Searchiigiit 

310-369-4402 

Love and Other Catastrophes 

(Australia), Com, 79 min. Frances 

O'Connor, Alice Garner. Dir: 

Emma Kate Croghan. 4/4 LA 

Paradise Road, Dra, 110 min. 

Glenn Close, Frances 

McDormand. Dir: Bruce 

Beresford. 4/1 1 NY, LA, 4/25 exp 

Goidwyn 

310-282-0550 

Kissed, Dra, 80 min. Molly Parker, 

Peter Outerbridge. Dir: 

Lynne Stopkewich. 4/1 

Gramercy 

310-777-1960 

Keys to Tulsa, Thr. Eric Stoltz. Dir: 

Leslie Grief. 4/1 1 ltd 

213-467-3700 

Shiloh. Michael Moriarty. Dir: 

Dale Rosenbloom. 4/1 

Cadillac Ranch, Dra, R, 103 min. 

Suzy Amis, Christopher Lloyd. 

Dir: Lisa Gottlieb. 4/4 ltd 

Leisure Time Features 

212-267-4501 

Diary of a Seducer (France), Com, 

95 min. Chiara Mastroianni. Dir: 

Daniele Dubroux. 

Live 

818-778-3174 

The Winner, Thr. Rebecca de 

Mornay, Vincent D'Onofrio. Dir: 

Alex Cox. 

iVIiiestone Film & Video 

212-865-7449 

Woman in the Dunes (japan, 

1964 reissue), 72 min. Dir: 

Hiroshi Teshigahara. 4/1 

New Yoricer Films 

212-247-6110 

A Mongolian Tale (China), Dra, 

106 min. Dir:Xie Fei. 4/4 

Flamenco, Doc, 100 min. Dir: 

Carlos Saura. 4/25 

Nortliern Arts 

413-268-9301 

Schizopolis, Com, 99 min. Steven 

Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley. Dir: 

Steven Soderbergh. 4/1 

October 

212-539-4000 

Traveller, Dra, R, 100 min. Bill 

Paxton, Mark Wahlberg, Julianna 

Marguilies. Dir: Jack Green. 

Orion Pictures 

310-282-0550 

Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag, 

Com/Dra, R. Joe Pesci, Carol 

Kane. Dir: Tom Schulman. 4/1 

Pliaedra Cinema 

310-478-3308 

The Next Step, Dra, 90 min. Rick 

Negron. Dir: Christian Faber 

Rhino Films 

310-474-4778 

Plump Fiction, Com, 85 min. 

Julie Brown, Sandra Bernhard. 

Dir: Bob Koherr. 

Sony Classics 

212-833-8851 

A Chef in Love (Repulic of Georgia), 

Dra, 95 min. Pierre Richard. 

Dir: Nana Djordjadze. 4/25 

Theafiim 

213-368-1778 

A Chorus of Disapproval (1989 

UK reissue). Com. Jeremy Irons, 

Anthony Hopkins. Dir: Michael 

Wimer. 

Trimark 

310-314-3040 

Nothing Personal, Dra, R. John 

Lynch. Dir: ThaddeusO'Sullivan. 

Ripe, Dra. Dir: Mo Ogrodnik. 

Triumph 

310-280-8059 

Bliss, Rom/Dra, NC-1 7. Terence 

Stamp, Craig Sheffer, Sheryl Lee. 

Dir: Lance Young. 4/4 

The Assignment (formerly jackal). 

Act. Aidan Quinn, Ben Kingsley, 

Donald Sutherland. Dir: Christian 

Duguay. 4/25 

Zeitgeist 

212-274-1989 

Irma Vep (France), Com, NR, 98 

min. Maggie Cheung. Dir: Olivier 

Assayas. 

MAY 

Artistic License 

212-265-9119 

Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, 

Dra. Dir: Chrisopher Muncn. 5/2 

Artificial Eye 

212-255-1922 

Happiness (France), Com, 102 

min. Michel Serrault. Dir: Etienne 

Chatiliez. 5/16 NY 

Cinema Village Features 

212-431-5119 

Fetishes, Doc, 82 min. Dir: Nick 

Broomfield. 5/9 

Fine Line 

nowhere, Dra, R, 88 min. James 

Duval. Dir: Gregg Araki. 5/9 

Gummo., Dra. Cnloe Sevigny. Dir: 

Harmony Korine. 5/1 

Love! Valor! Compassion! Dra, 

115 min. Jason Alexander, John 

Glover. Dir: Joe Mantello. 5/16 

Letters of Love (japan, formerly 

Love Letters), Dra, 116 min. Dir: 

Shunji Iwai. 5/2 NY, 5/23 LA 

First Run 

212-243-0600 

Brothers in Trouble, Dra, 102 

min. Dir: Udayan Prasad. 5/14 

Fox Searchlight 

Intimate Relations, Dra, 1 02 min. 

Dir: Philip Goodhew. 5/9 ltd. 

The Van, Com. Colm Meaney. 

Dir: Stephen Frears. 5/23 

Goidwyn 

Paperback Romance 

(formerly 

Lucky Break), Rom/Com. Anthony 

LaPaglia. Dir: Ben Lewin. 

Rough Magic, Rom/Adv, 104 

min. Bridget Fonda, Russell 

Crowe. Dir: Clare Peploe. 

Gramercy 

Commjindments, Dra. Courteney 

Cox, Aidan Quinn, Anthony 

LaPaglia. Dir: Daniel Taplitz. 5/2 

Twin Town, ComAhr. Rhys Ifans, 

Llyr Evans. Dir: Kevin Allen 

Legacy 

Underworld, Thr. Denis Leary, 

Joe Mantegna. Dir: Roger Christian. 

5/9 

New Yorlcer Films 

La Promesse, Dra, NR, 93 min. 

Dirs: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc 

Dardenne. 5/16 NY 

Shadow Distribution 

207-872-5111 

Mondo (French), Dra, 87 min. 

Philippe Petit. Dir: Tony Gatliff 

5/23 

Sony Classics 

Broken English, Dra, 91 min. Rade 

Serbedzija, Sashka Vujcic Dir: 

Gregor Nicholas. 5/2 

Strand 

310-395-5002 

Timothy Leary's Dead, Doc, 80 

min. Dir: Paul Davids. 

Late Bloomers, Rom/Dra, 1 04 min. 

Dir: Julia and Gretchen Dyer. 5/2 

Trimark 

Sprung, Com, Tisha Campbell. 

Dir/Star: Rusty Cundieff. 5/2 

Triumph 

Truth or Consequences, Sus, Vincent 

Gallo, Kim Dickens. 

Dir/Star: Kiefer Sutherland. 5/2 

Masterminds (formerly Smart 

Alec), Act/Com. Patrick Stewart. 

Dir: Roger Christian. 5/30 

JUNE 

CFP 

The Pillow Book, Dra, 126 min. 

Vivian Wu, Ewan McGregor. Dir: 

Peter Greenaway. 6/6 


Mondo Plympton, Ani. Dir: Bill 

Plympton. 

First Look 

Different For Girls, Rom/Com, 

97 min. Rupert Graves, Steven 

Mackintosh. Dir: Richard Spence. 

Kino Intl. 

212-629-6880 

M (1931 German re-issue), 

99 min. Dir: Fritz Lang. 6/27 

Dra, 

Leisure Time Features 

Twisted, Dra, 100 min. Dir: Seth 

Michael Donsky. 

New Yorker Films 

Gabbeh, Dra, 75 min. Abbas 

Sayahi, Hossein Moharami. Dir: 

Mohsen Makhmalbas. 6/27 

Northern Arts 

Midaq Alley (Mexico), Dra, 1 40 

min. Salma Hayek, Ernesto 

Gomez. Dir: Jorge Fons. 

Orion Classics 

310-282-0550 

Ulee's Gold, Dra, R, 113 min. 

Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson. 

Dir: Victor Nunez. 

Roxle Releasing 

415-431-3611 

The Last Time I Commited Suicide, 

Dra, 92 min. Thomas Jane, 

Keanu Ropvos. Dir: Stephen Kay 

Sony Classics 

Dream With the Fishes, Dra, R, 96 

min. David Arquette. Dir: Finn 

Taylor. 6/20 

When the Cat's Away (France), 

Dra/Com, R, 95 min. Garance 

Clavel. Dir: Cedric Kapisch. 6/20 

Strand 

The Til and the Moon, Com, 92 

min. Dir: Bigas Lunas.

5 

1 

Mav. 1997 77 

BOXOFFICE Independent Feature Chart MAY 1997 

I 

JULY 

Artistic License 

La Renconter (France), Dra, 80 

min. Dir: Alain Cavalier. 

Gramercy 

Twin Town, Com/Thr. Rhys Ifans, 

Llyr Evans. Dir: Kevin Allen. 

CFP 

Guantanamera, Com, NR, 124 

min. Dirs: Thomas Gutierrez Alea 

and Juan Carlos Tabio Rey. 7/2 

Fox Searcliliglit 

star Maps, Dra, 90 mm. Douglas 

Spain. Dir: Miguel Arteta. 7/1 

Strand 

Contempt (1963 reissue), 

Dra/Com, 103 min. Brigitte Bardot. 

Dir: Jean-Luc Godard. 

Trimaric 

Box of Moonlight, 107 min. John 

Turturro. Dir: Tom DiCillo. 7/25 

AUGUST 

Cinema Parallel 

Talking To strangers (reissue). 8/2 


The Full Monte, Com, 90 min. 

Robert Carlyle. Dir: Peter 

Cattaneo. 8/1 

Goldwyn 

Napolean, Ani, C, 82 min. Voices: 

Adam Wylie, Bronson Pinchot. Dir: 

Mario Andreacchio. 

Gramercy 

How To Be a Player, Com. Bill 

Belamy. Dir: Lionel Martin. 8/1 5 

Going All the Way, Dra. Jeremy 

Davies. Dir: Mark Pellington. 

Sony Classics 

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, 

Doc, 79 min. Dir: Errol Morris. 

Strand 

Nights of Cabiria (1957 Italian 

reissue), Dra, 110 min. Giulietta 

Masina. Dir: Federico Fellini. 

Triumph 

Warrior of Waverly Street, 

Dir: Manny Goto. 8/8 

FORTHCOMING 

SF. 

Arrow 

212-258-2200 

Breathing Room, Rom/Com, 90 

min. Dir: John Sherman. 1 1/8 

Ponette (France), Dra. Victoire 

Thivisol. Dir: Jacques Doillon. 

Cabin Fever 

203-622-3449 

The Elevator, Com. Martin Sheen. 

The Secret Agent Club, Act. 

CFP 

Bandwagon, Com/Mus, NR, 103 

min. Kevin Corrigna, Lee Holmes. 

Dir: John Schultz. Sept 

Cinema Parallel 

To Have (Or Not), Dra, NR, 93 

min. Sandrine Kibberlane. Dir. 

Laetitia Masson. Fall 


Cartoon Noir, Ani. Fall 

Dove 

310-786-1600 

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 

ConVSF, 92 min. Douglas Adams. 

Dir: Neil Davies. 

Dreamworks SKG 

818-733-7000 

El Dorado: City of Gold, Ani. Dir: 

Will Finn. 

Mousehunt, Com/An i. Nathan 

Lane. Dir: Core Verbinski. 

The Peacemaker, Act/Adv. 

George Clooney, Nicole Kidman. 

Dir: Mimi Leder. Fall. 

The Prince of Egypt, Ani. Dirs: 

Simon Wells, Steve Hicker and 

Brenda Chapman. Fall '98 

Amistad, (formerly Mutiny) Dra, 

Matthew McConaughey, Anthony 

Hopkins. Dir: Steven Spielberg. 

Saving Private Ryan, Dra. Tom 

Hanks. Dir: Steven Spielberg. 

Blue Vision, Dir: Neil Jordan. 

Deep Impact. Dir: Mimi Leder 

Ants, Ani. Voice: Woody Allen. 

Paulie: A Parrot's Tale. Dir: John 

Roberts. 

Filmopolis 

310-914-1776 

In a Strange City. Winston Chao, 

Kuei-mai Yang. Dir: Chi Yin. 

Fine Line 

Didier (France). Alain Chabat. 

Dir: Alain Chabat. 

Head Above Water, Dra/Com, 

PG-13, 92 min. Harvey Keitel, 

Cameron Diaz. Dir: Jim Wilson. 

The Tears of Julian Po. Christian 

Slater. Dir: Alan Wade. 

Girl Talk, Dra/Com. Troy Beyer, 

Randi Ingerman. Dir: Troy Beyer. 

Winter Guest, Dra. Emma 

Thompson, Phylidda Lavv/. Dir: 

Alan Rickman. Fall 

First Lool( 

slaves to the Underground, Dra, 

92 min. Marisa Ryan, Jason Bortz. 

Dir: Kristine Peterson. Sum 

Mrs. Dalloway, Dra. Vanessa 

Redgrave. Dir: Marleen Corris. 

Alive and Kicking (aka Indian 

Summer). Dir: Nancy Meckler. 

The Other Side of Sunday (Norway), 

Dra. Bjorn Sundquist. Dir: 

Berit Nesheim. 

First Run 

Hamsun. Max Von Sydow. Dir: 

Jan Troell 

Six O'clock News. Dir: Ross 

McElwee. 

Project Grizzly. Dir: Peter Lynch. 

Forgotten Silver. Mock Doc. 

Dirs: Peter lackson, Costa Botes. 


Cousin Bette, Dra. Jessica Lange. 

Dir: Des McAnuff. Sept 

Ice Storm, Dra. Kevin Kline, Joan 

Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Christina 

Ricci. Dir: Ang Lee. Oct 

Oscar & Lucinda. Ralph Fiennes. 

Dir: Gillian Armstrong. Nov 

Hard Men (UK), Dra. Vincent 

Regan. Dir: J. K. Amalou. 

Polish Wedding. Claire Danes, 

Gabriel Byrne, Lena Clin. Dir: 

Theresa Connelly. 

Goldwyn 

The Big Red. Jonathan Schaech, 

Rod Taylor. Dir: Stephan Elliott. Oct 

I Love You... Don't Touch Me, 

Com, 86 min. Maria Schaffel. Dir: 

Julie Davis. 

Gramercy 

The Matchmaker, Com. jeanene 

Garafalo. Dir: Mark Joffe. Sept 

Bean, Com. Rowan Atkinson. Oct 

Body Count, Act. Ving Rhames, 

Forest Whitaker, David Caruso. 

Dir: Robert Patton Spruill. Nov 

The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges, 

John Goodman, Steve Buscemi. 

Dirs: Joel and Ethan Coen. Nov 

Kit Parker 

800-538-5838 

Coffy (1973 reissue), Dra, R, 91 

min. Pam Grier. Dir: Jack Hill. 

Live 

No Way Home, Dra. Tim Roth. 

Dir: Buddy Gioviazzo. Sept 

Wishmaster, Hor. Dir: Robert 

Kurtzman. Sept 

Critical Care, Dra/Thr. James 

Spader, Albert Brooks. Dir: Sydney 

Lumet. Oct 

Boys Night Out, Thr. Christopher 

Walken, Sean Patrick Flannery. 

Dir: Peter O'Fallow. Nov 

Movieworld Ent. 

510-244-5590 

The Killing Kind, Dra. Kirk Harris. 

The Lost Woman. Jennifer Rubin. 

New Yorker Films 

Forever Mozart, Dra, NR, 84 

min. Dir: Jean-Luc Godard. Sum 

Beaumarchais (France), Com, 

100 min. Fabrice Luchini. Dir: 

Edouardo Molinaro. Fall 

Deep Crimson, Dra, NR, 114 

min. Dir: Arturo Ripstein. Oct. 

Northern Arts 

Hearts and Minds, Thr, R, 105 

min. Danny Keogh, Patrick Shai. 

Dir: Ralph Ziman. 

October 

Kicked in the Head. Linda 

Fiorentino, Michael Rappaport, 

Lili Taylor. Dir: Matthew Harrison 

CareerGlrls, Dra. Katrin Cartlidge, 

Lynda Steadman. Dir: Mike Lee. 

Orion Classics 

This World, Then the Fireworks, 

Dra. Billy Zane, Gina Gershon. 

Dir: Michael Oblowitz. Fall 

Storefront Hitchcock, Doc. Dir: 

Jonathan Demme. 

Orion Pictures 

Gang Related, Dra, R. Tupac 

Shakur, Jim Belushi. Dir: Jim 

Kous. 9/10 

The Locusts, Dra. Kate Capshaw, 

Ashley Judd. Dir: John Patrick 

Kelley. Sept 

Independence, Dra. Dean Cain, 

Drew Barrymore. Dir: Tamra 

Davis. Fall 

Music From Another Room, 

Com. Brenda Blethyn, Jennifer 

Tilly. Dir: Charles Peters 

Stella Does Tricks. Kelly Macdonald. 

Dir: Coky Giedroy 

Rhino Films 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 

Dra. Johnny Depp. Dir: Alex Cox. 

Seventh Art Releasing 

213-845-1455 

Things I Never Told You, 

Rom/Com. Lili Taylor, Andrew 

McCarthy. Dir: Isabel Coixet. 

The Long Way Home, Doc. Dir: 

Mark Jonathan Harris. 

Shadow Distribution 

La Petite Apocalypse (French), 

Com/Dra, 1 10 min. Pierre Arditi. 

Dir: Costa-Cavras. 

Sony Classics 

The Myth of Fingerprints, Dra. 

Noah Wyle, Julianne Moore, Roy 

Schneider. Dir: B. Freundlich. Sept 

Call Me Victor (France), Com, 

PG, 100 min. Jeanne Moreau. 

Dir: Guy Jacques. 

Strand 

La Sentinelle. (France,), Thr, 144 

min. Emmanuel Salinger. Dir: 

Arnaud Desplechin. Sum 

Self-Made Hero (France), Dra. 

Matthieu Kassovitz. Dir: Jacques 

Audiard. Fall 

Full Speed, Dra, 85 min. Elodie 

Bouchez. Dir: Gael Murel. Aug 

Tara Releasing 

415-454-5838 

Mushrooms (Australia), Com, 93 

min. Dir: Alan Madden. 

Theafilm 

Dirty Weekend. Lia Williams, 

Slyvia Syms. 

James Dean: Race With Destiny. 

Casper Van Dien, Robert 

Mitchum. Dir: Mardi Rustam. Fall 

Trimark 

Chairman of the Board, Com. 

Carrot Top. Sept 

Eve's Bayou, Dra. Samuel L. Jackson, 

Lynn Whitfield. Dir: Kasi 

Lemmons. 10/17 

Prarie Fire. Natasha Henstridge. 

Zeitgeist 

Fire (India), Dra. Shabani Azml. 

Dir: Deepa Mehta. Sum 

My Sex Life... or How 1 Got Into 

An Argument (France), Com. Dir: 

Arnaud Desplechin. Sum 

Conspirators of Pleasure (Czech), 

Com. Dir: Jan Svankmajer. Fall 

Anthem, Doc. Dir:ShaineeGabel 

and Kristin Hahn.

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ADVERTISER INDEX 

Action Lighting 81 

Automaticket/Hurley Screen Corp. . 65 

C.P. IntI 45 

Caddy Products 48 

Christie Inc C-2 

Cinema Supply Co. Inc 65 

Cinetech Inc 37 

DTS (Digital Theater Systems) 13 

Dolby Laboratories Inc 9 

Electronic Creations Inc 81 

Equipment Etc 81 

Hadden Theatre Supply Co 56 

Intl. Cinema Equipment Co 63 

JBL Professional 5 

Kinetronics Corp 61 

Levi Industries 19 

Lucasfilm Ltd. (THX) 7 

Mag North Inc 60 

Maroevich, O'Shea & Coghlan Ins. 37 

Mars Theatre Mgmt. Systems .... 49 

NCS Corp 30 

National Ticket Co 60 

ORC Lighting Products 17 

OSRAM SYLVANIA C-3 

Peavey Electronics 23 

Promotion In Motion Companies, Inc. 15 

RDS Data Group Inc 57 

Ready Theatre Systems 37 

Robert L. Potts Enterprises 65 

SMART Theatre Systems 21 , C-4 

Strong IntI 33 

TSM Trade Show Mktg. (Featherllght) 31 

Texas Theatre Supply 63 

Ultra-Stereo Labs Inc 3 

Unique Telecom 56 

Willming Reams Animation Inc. ... 59 

HELP WANTED 

Expanding national circuit is lool

San 

. 

. 

. 

j 

. 

. 

pay 

. 

March, 1997 81 

EQUIPMENT WANTED 

Norelco 35/70 model 3070 "AA" for parts; need 1,000 Irwin 

Citation 2r-22" seats in good condition. (31 5) 446-9081 

PURCHASE OR TRADE: For your used theatre equipment, 

concession equipment, theatre seats. Ask atxjut our storage 

tacilities and our financing program. Premier Seating Co. Inc., 

800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail; pseating®aol.com. 

VINTAGE TUBE TYPE AMPS, woofers, drivers, horns, parts, 

from Western Electric, Westrex, Altec, Jensen, JBL, EV, Tannoy. 

Mcintosh, Marantz. Phone David at (818) 441-3942. P.O. 

Box 80371 , Marino, CA 91 1 18-8371 

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: We will purchase Century projectors 

or soundheads, new or old, complete or incomplete, for 

cash. Also interested in XL and SH-1 000. Call (502) 499-0050. 

Fax (502) 499-0052, Hadden Theatre Supply Co., attn. Louis. 

We will buy or trade for used/new equipment on any projector/soundhead/platter/lamphouse/console/speakers/lens 

and 

concession equipment. We can remove or pick up anywhere in 

the U.S. or overseas. Call (303) 298-8077 or fax (303) 296-4080. 

Tankersley Enterprises, P.O. Box 2039, Denver, CO 80201 

WE BUY TICKETING AND CONCESSION SYSTEMS! CALL 

(360) 805-9396. 

THEATRES FOR SALE/LEASE 

Beautifully restored single screen theatre in sunny Texas Panhandle. 

Only theatre in town. First run movies and live shows. 

$85,000. Call (806) 385-5987. Leave message if no answer. 

COUNT YOUR MONEY ON THE BEACH!! Award-winning 

Florida Gulf Coast theatre now for sale. Sen/ing an affluent, 

year-round, niche market, theatre has virtually no competition. 

An area landmark for over 50 years, located on valuable beach 

area property, theatre is a mix of classic architecture and 

backstage modernization. Call or fax now for fact sheet. Ask for 

Ms. Cruz at (813) 360-6697, or fax (813) 360-5154. 

MOVIE THEATER FOR SALE: Minneapolis, MN. Single 

screen. 450 seats, located on major retail street. Recent remodeling 

and restoration completed, including updated concession 

stand. Includes parking, enclosed storefront space, second 

floor office development space. Asking $200,000. (61 2) 724-0705. 

ONLY THEATRE IN TOWN: Historical theatre on the Square 

in Thomaston/Upson County, GA. Seats 525. Cafe in lobby 

opens for lunch. Office space for rent included in building. Call 

Martha Adams, Century 21 Adams-Han/ey, at (706) 647-2100 

or (706) 647-8333. 

PRICE REDUCED! NY RESORT AREA ART DECO MOVIE 

THEATRE. Continuous operation since 1 938. Seasonal operation 

could be expanded. Rehabbed 1 985. Modern equipment. 

Seats 315. Two retail spaces, currently rented. Ideal for 

owner/operator seeking supplemental income. $155,000. 

Owner financing. Call (518) 624-4812. 

San Diego, CA. Well-established discount theatre. Twin 

screens. Contact Jill Thompson, CCIM, (619) 621-9052. 

THEATRES WANTED 

Several of our clients are seeking to buy or lease multi-screen 

theatres in the eastern U.S. Call toll free; Theatre Confections 

Inc., (888) 271-0858. 

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 

NEED INVESTOR for start-up six-screen theatre in Arizona. 

Unique and large market, high demand, no competition, strong 

experienced management, premier location. Only need 50k along 

with co-signatures on building and equipment leases and small 

business loan. Receive 49 percent equity on projected net of 

almost $450,000 per year. Call S.L. Cassell at (520) 290-0480. 

DRIVE-IN CONSTRUCTION 

DRIVE-IN SCREEN TOWERS Since 1945 Selby Products, 

Inc., P.O. Box 267, Richfield, Ohio 44286 (216) 659-6631, 

800-647-6224. 

SCREEN TOWERS INTERNATIONAL New, used, 

transplanted, 

complete tower sen/ice. Box 399, Rogers, TX 76569. 

Phone; 800-642-3591. 

THEATRE SEATING 

ALL AMERICAN SEATING" by the EXPERTS! Used seats 

of quality. Various makes, American Bodiform and Stellarsfrom 

$12.50 to $32.50. Inivins from $12.50 to $30.00. Heywood & 

Massey rockers from $25.00. Full rebuilding available. New 

Hussey chairs from $70.00. All types theatre projection and 

sound equipment. New and used. We ship and install all makes. 

Try usl We sell no Junk! TANKERSLEY ENTERPRISES P.O. 

BOX 2039, 2100 Stout Street, Denver, CO 80201 Phone: 

303-298-8077 Fax; 303-296-4080. 

ALLSTATE SEATING is a company that is specializing in 

refurbishing, complete painting, molded foam, tailor-made seat 

covers, installations, removals. Please call for pricing and spare 

parts for all types of theatre seating. Boston, MA. Phone (617) 

268-2221,FAX(617)268-7011. 

"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 UPHOLSTERY: 

Call us about our new upholstered backs and cushions by mail 

program. More cost-efficient than on-site upholsterers, fast 

turn-around, quality controlled in our 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-theart 

factory. Premier Seating Co. Inc., 800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 

686-6060, e-mail; pseating©aol.com. 

ON-SITE UPHOLSTERY and replacement covers. Parts available 

for many chairs. Our "Bakers Dozen" gives you 1 3 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, 800-729-2610. 

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. 

SEAT FOAMS: All makes/all models, fast turn-around. Premier 

Seating. 800-955-SEAT; fax (410) 686-6060; pseating@aol.cofh. 

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. 

THEATRE SEAT RECONDITIONING: Total or partial theatre 

seat restoration in our 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art factory, 

featuring sandblasting, powder-coating, and in-house upholstering. 

Restore your seats or purchase from our inventory. Ask 

about our in-house financing program. Premier Seating Co. Inc., 

800-955-SEAT, fax (410) 686-6060, e-mail; pseatingeaol.com. 

THEATRE SEATS WANTED: Will buyArade for suqDlus and 

unwanted theatre seats, all makes and models. Premier Seating, 

B00-955-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 Inwln Citations competitively priced, shipped and installed. 

ACOUSTIC SOUND PANELS AND CUSTOM WALL DRA- 

PERIES available in flameproofed colors and fabrics, artistic or 

plain. CINEMA CONSULTANTS & SERVICES INTERNA- 

TIONAL. 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 

BRING THE INTERNET TO YOUR THEATRE: We are in the 

business of taking theatres like yours into the next century. We 

will build a personalized state-of-the-art website for your theatre 

circuit. Please call HP Productions at (888) 745-8303. E-mail; 

shoes@hpproductions.com. 

FRONT END INSTALLATION with frames, motors and masking 

tracks. Cy Young Industries Inc. 800-729-261 0. 

SOUND/DRAPING FABRICS IN STOCK. All new selection of 

fabrics. Installation on brackets available, or sewn in pleated 

drapes. Cy Young Industries, 800-729-2610. 

SOUNDFOLDS & CURTAINS cleaned and fireproofed on site 

$.20-$.40 per hung sq. ft. (coast to coast). Call (800) 879-231 1 

24 hours, for brochure and information. The Carpet Cleaner, 

P.O. Box 1 54, 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 

WE REPAIR AND SUPPORT the most widely used ticketing 

and concession systems. Our prices are approximately 50% 

less than our competitors. Our customers include 30% of the 

top 50 circuits and many independents. Ask about our thermal 

printer service. System Operating Solutions. (800) 434-3098. 

"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 

8 to 35MM EDUCATIONAL, Adult, Exploitation—all subjects. 

Features, shorts. Buy/sell any size collection. Archives. Box 

1 0672, Oakland, CA 9461 0. Phone/fax 51 0-268-081 1 

BUYING ACADEMY AWARD OSCARS. We sell, too. Were 

a top source for collectors of rare Academy Award statues—the 

ultimate Hollywood collector item. Our free report explains the 

Oscar market and the investment potential of this field. Call 

(423) 265-551 5, or write Jon Warren, 2401 Broad St., Dept. B., 

Chattanooga. TN 37408. 

MOVIE POSTERS BOUGHT AND SOLD. All eras, types 

wanted. Paying top dollar or will take on consignment. Free 

search service locates posters you want. Sample catalog $5. 

Collecting Hollywood, 2401 Broad St., Dept. B, Chatanooga, 

TN 37408. Phone (423) 265-551 5 to discuss your needs. 

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, IL 606100922. (312) 525-9152 or fax (312) 525-2969. 

ACTION 

DIRECT IMPORTERS-MANUFACTURERS 

TOLL l-RKh 

CANADA & U.S.^ 

800-248-0076 


Box Office "S? 

Ticketing & More... 

Windows '95 Based 

Microsoft Access Database 

Concession Sales & Inventory 

State of the Art - Reliable 

18 Years Experience 

Custom Development 

Satisfaction Guaranteed 

Electronic Creations, inc. 

Ph (619)480-1002 Fax (619) 480-6830 


ONLY $199.95 

A new conception in 38 nun spUcon 

tbMt must be soon to be boUovod. 

• Top quality 

• Inexpensive price 

• All metal — no plastic 

• Wholesale to the public 

EQUIPMENT, ETC. 

p. O. Box 1194 

Snellville, GA 30278 

Phone-(770) 979-3456 

Fax-(770) 979-0919 

Ans. Mach. 24 Hrs. A Day 


MOVIE POSTERS WANTED! I top dollar for vintage 

material. John Hazellon. 235 Morton Highway, Mineola. NY 

1 1 501 . Call toll-free -800-CAGNEY4. 

1 

MOVIE POSTERS WANTED: No collection too large or too 

small! Immediate cash payments! Top prices for vintage material! 

Call toll free: 1 -800-21 3-8431 

WOODISM: By Stephen R. Wood. Only $24.99. Available at 

bookstores, or call (702) 732-8960.

— 

The lEis IPicture 

ofthe less publicized ofthe annual events that swirl around 

Oneeach year's Oscar ceremonies is the nominees luncheon. It's 

a quaint custom—a bringing together of all the nominated 

actors, technicians and artisans from across any given year's Academy 

Awards spectrum—and one Oscar event that may even embody 

a deeper truth about the movies than the ultimate outcome of the 

Oscar race itself 

Take a good look at the photo printed on this page. Only a few of 

the faces it contains will be familiar to you. If you squint, you can 

spot Billy Bob Thornton, James Woods, Kristin Scott Thomas, a 

handful of recognizable others. "English Patient" co-producer Saul 

teamwork required to pull offeven an wnsuccessful movie is perhaps 

the most fundamental attribute of filmmaking, and though almost 

every film is inevitably run according to hierarchical management 

principles, each player in the behind-the-scenes drama performs an 

integral part. And the irony is, if everyone does his or her job 

correctly, most will remain invisible, since even the most fantastical 

movie creation seeks in some way to present an utterly believable 

and decipherable world. 

So look at these faces. For some, like this year's "Cinderella," 

Billy Bob Thornton, a 1 996 Oscar nomination is undoubtedly the 

beginning of bigger things. Others may have peaked right here 

Zaentz is that bearded gent in the top row, eight spaces in from the 

left. Brenda Blethyn of "Secrets and Lies" is in the second full row 

fix)m the bottom, eight spaces in from the right. To get to her, you 

just passed by Blethyn's director Mike Leigh and "Ghosts of Mississippi" 

supporting actor nominee James Woods—did you spot 

them? There are so many faces in this image that it's almost 

impossible to reproduce them in an easily viewable form. And many 

ofthe most famous 1 997 nominees weren' t even able to attend: Indie 

film fixtures (and "Fargo" creators) the Coen Brothers appear to have 

stayed in New York, no doubt kept at home by the complexities of 

getting their latest black comedy, "The Big Lebowski," up and 

running; "Jerry Maguire" star Tom Cruise was busy making his 

London-ba.sed Stanley Kubrick film "Eyes Wide Shut" opfxjsite 

wife Nicole Kidman; and "Shine" star Geoffrey Rush, well, he still 

lives in Australia, which is a hell of a long way to come for a free 

lunch. 

Getting eyestrain over looking for famous profiles in this shot is 

really beside the point. It's the very anonymity of the majority of 

these faces that speaks volumes about the nature of a medium which 

is so often discussed in terms only of "name" actors and directors, 

but which in fact remains the most complex of collaborative arts. A 

typical studio-produced movie employs literally hundreds, from the 

people who lay and tape down the electrical cables to the hair and 

make-up arli.sLs to accountants (who some believe may have the most 

creative job of all) to the guys who drive the catering trucks. 

Not everyone's work shows up on the screen, and not everyone's 

function is illustrious enough to warrant Oscar recognition. But the 

within this image without knowing it. One or two of these faces may 

even be capping off careers that stretch back decades, and which 

may comprise anything fixim years of steady, self-effacing craftsmanship 

to long periods of struggle and hardship and waiting for a 

lucky break that finally came at last. 

whole world loves a horserace in one form or another, and 

Thethe Oscars, through no fault of their own, are often depicted 

as the ultimate competition. Something like a billion people 

are watching each and every year, and millions of dollars are riding 

on the outcome—not just in the form of the ubiquitous office betting 

pool, but in terms of raised salaries and bigger budgets for the 

winners, and increased tojxlollar earning longevity for the nominees. 

By the time the dust clears, few aside hum the participants 

remember the nominees' lunch. 

But still, there's a truth buried in this quaint, old-fashioned custom 

of bringing together an improvised mutual admiration society comprised 

of the women and men who, for this year, have ridden that 

Hollywood hobby horse to within sight of the big brass ring. The 

law of averages being what it is, most of the people standing here 

had to know that in all likelihood they would not take home a 1996 

Oscar. But something in their eyes and smiles seems to say that's 

O.K., that it can be lived with as they head back to their normal 

professional lives. Excellence is, of course, to be cultivated and 

celebrated 

and afforded the highest accolades and most la.sting 

honors. But there's still a lot to be said for the honorable nature of 

an honest day's work. Ray Greene

i 

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 

OSRAM 

www.sylvania.com. SwU/JknllA 

Response No. 29

•^/ 

/ Only One, Cihem)a ^Stereo Prgcesson 

V tanjbe the Very Best! 

, 

« 

... which means others cannot meet the technical specifically, sound quahty, and 

advanced features of the new CSP120n from Panastereo! We liear from customers that they 

thought they were listening toa digital soundtrack when the CSP1200 was playing analog! 

That's quite a compliment! 

' 

. 

, 

VVe will be pleased to give you more information on how you can get the very best for your 

cinema and save about $1000 if you are considerir^ #CP-500. Please call (800) ,45-SMART 

or (770) 449-6698 for literature and the'name of your closest SMART dealer. 

KCSIMIMSC Ki 

' 

•

Boxoffice-May.1997

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