Summary
There have been unexpected successes. March of the Penguins, still playing, has been the highest-grossing film at Hilldale in the last five years or so. Nationally, it's the second-highest-grossing doc of all time, second only to Fahrenheit 9/11. It's been helped by its cross-generational appeal; crowds tend to range from families with toddlers to octogenarians. Murderball, an electrifying documentary about quadriplegic rugby players, also did well at Hilldale. (As for local speculation that the Hilldale theater might vanish due to redevelopment of the mall, AGT's director of operations, Scott Sklenar, comments, "All we know is we have a lease through 2009.")
Hollywood's great collective howl may soon come to an end with a fall movie line-up that looks stronger than the summer's, including the next Harry Potter installment. And perhaps, after a summer of The Dukes of Hazzard and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, major studio execs will crib a page from the indie playbook about making "smart movies" - but don't bet your Twizzlers on it."We're glad to have a secondary effect," says festival director [Mary Carbine]. "Audiences trust that the Film Festival will show quality, meaningful films. There's a trust factor with film festivals; they've become tastemakers. The festival circuit has become like an alternative distribution system."See the full content of this document
Extract
Box-Office Bust
Movie-going in this town has made great strides in recent years.
For one, there's the advent of stadium seating, which is a godsend for those of us barely over five feet tall. Then there's the increasing menu of foreign and independent films, spurred on by the UW-Madison Cinematheque and the phenomenal success of the Wisconsin Film Festival. Numerous films from the fest return to...See the full content of this document
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