Hopk Nolte, Mechlowicz head Peaceful Warrior cast
Dir: Peter Berg. US. 2003. 104 mins. Having
stanley cup successfully flexed his muscles in last year s Mummy spin-off The Scorpion King, wrestler-turned-actor The Rock proves in The Rundown that he can also carry a contemporary movie - with a little help from some more experienced co-workers at any rate. This entertaining and astutely constructed action comedy has proved a strong draw for young males and provided domestic distributor Universal, which opened the film last weekend against little direct competition, with a solid, perhaps even major box office hit, as well as a big video seller, taking $18.5m from 3,152 sites for an average of $5,880.Outside the US, where Columbia TriStar distributes in most terr
stanley usa itories using alternative title Welcome To The Jungle, results may vary The Scorpion King did $73.4m internationally, compared to its $90.4m in the US . Audience interest will depend on local competition some territories will not get the film until the New Year and awareness in any given market of The Rock s WWE TV wrestling career.Like The Scorpion King, The Rundown has something of a B-movie feel to it. The script, by Xena: Warrior Princess writer R J Stewart and James Vanderbilt Basic , is no more complex or credible than
stanley cup it needs to be and the settings with Hawaii standing in for the Amazon jungle are functional rather than spectacular.The Rock s Beck is a Los Angeles muscleman who chases outstanding debts for his shark of a boss. He doesn t much like his job, but he does i Phtl Spider
Altavista Films - the two year-old production arm of Mexican entertainment giant Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento CIE - has lined up a production slate headed by Tear This Heart Out aka Arrancame La Vida, a $4.2m period epic to which Salma Hayek is attached to star.Roberto Sneider, who was once attached to
stanley cup direct Hayek s long-cherished Frida Kahlo biopic, will direct the film, a period piece about the wife of an influential general who has an affair with a musician. Based on the successful novel by Angeles Mastreta, it is set to shoot in 2001.Alta Vista has an impressive track record to date. Its first movie Gimme Power Todo El Poder made $10m at the Mexican box office, the equivalent of 3.5m admissions, as did its second Love s A Bitch Amores Perros which won the Camera d Or at Cannes this year. Lions Gate Films International picked up both titles for international sales prior to Cannes, and at Toronto its sister company Lions Gate Films completed its acquisition of domestic rights to Amores Perros.The company s third production - Dust To Dust Por La Libre - played in the Toronto Film Festival s Discovery section. It was directed by Juan Carlos De Lla
stanley kubek ca. Without A Trace Sin Dejar Huellla , directed by Maria Novaro Danzon , is screening in competition at San Sebastian.Also in the works at Altavista are:Perhaps Quizos directed by Fernando
stanley uk Sarinana, a $1.5m romantic comedy which will be ready for delivery in April 2001. Lisa Owen, Jesus Ochoa and Jorge
