Madison

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <script type="text/javascript"> //OwnerIQ var __oiq_pct = 50; if( __oiq_pct>=100 || Math.floor(Math.random()*100/(100-__oiq_pct)) > 0 ) { var _oiqq = _oiqq || []; _oiqq.push(['oiq_addPageBrand','Lycos']); _oiqq.push(['oiq_addPageCat','Internet > Websites']); _oiqq.push(['oiq_addPageLifecycle','Intend']); _oiqq.push(['oiq_doTag']); (function() { var oiq = document.createElement('script'); oiq.type = 'text/javascript'; oiq.async = true; oiq.src = document.location.protocol + '//px.owneriq.net/stas/s/lycosn.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(oiq, s); })(); } //Google Analytics var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount','UA-21402695-19']); _gaq.push(['_setDomainName','tripod.com']); _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar',1,'member_name','crazy4caviezel',3]); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); //Lycos Init function getReferrer() { var all= this.document.cookie; if (all== '') return false; var cookie_name = 'REFERRER='; var start = all.lastIndexOf(cookie_name); if (start == -1) return false; start += cookie_name.length; var end = all.indexOf(';', start); if (end == -1) end = all.length; return all.substring(start, end); } function getQuery() { var rfr = getReferrer(); if (rfr == '') return false; var q = extractQuery(rfr, 'yahoo.com', 'p='); if (q) return q; q = extractQuery(rfr, '', 'q='); return q ? q : ""; } function extractQuery(full, site, q_param) { var start = full.lastIndexOf(site); if (start == -1) return false; start = full.lastIndexOf(q_param); if (start == -1) return false; start += q_param.length; var end = full.indexOf('&', start); if (end == -1) end = full.length; return unescape(full.substring(start, end)).split(" ").join("+"); } function generateHref(atag, template){ atag.href=template.replace('_MYURL_', window.location.href.replace('http://', '')).replace('_MYTITLE_','Check%20out%20this%20Tripod%20Member%20site!'); } var lycos_ad = Array(); var lycos_onload_timer; var cm_role = "live"; var cm_host = "tripod.lycos.com"; var cm_taxid = "/memberembedded"; var tripod_member_name = "crazy4caviezel"; var tripod_member_page = "crazy4caviezel/id32.htm"; var tripod_ratings_hash = "1745983390:13e4dcdb69b92dcdc00661cb165534e0"; var lycos_ad_category = {"find_what":"country and wide"}; var lycos_ad_remote_addr = "209.202.244.9"; var lycos_ad_www_server = "www.tripod.lycos.com"; var lycos_ad_track_small = ""; var lycos_ad_track_served = ""; var lycos_search_query = getQuery(); </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type='text/javascript'> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; (function() { var gads = document.createElement('script'); gads.async = true; gads.type = 'text/javascript'; var useSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol; gads.src = (useSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js'; var node = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; node.parentNode.insertBefore(gads, node); })(); </script> <script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/95963596/TRI_300X250_dfp', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-ad-1450204159126-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.defineSlot('/95963596/TRI_above_728x90_dfp', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1450204159126-1').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.defineSlot('/95963596/TRI_below_728x90_dfp', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1450204159126-2').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.enableServices(); }); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> (function(isV) { if( !isV ) { return; } var adMgr = new AdManager(); var lycos_prod_set = adMgr.chooseProductSet(); var slots = ["leaderboard", "leaderboard2", "toolbar_image", "toolbar_text", "smallbox", "top_promo", "footer2", "slider"]; var adCat = this.lycos_ad_category; adMgr.setForcedParam('page', (adCat && adCat.dmoz) ? adCat.dmoz : 'member'); if (this.lycos_search_query) { adMgr.setForcedParam("keyword", this.lycos_search_query); } else if(adCat && adCat.find_what) { adMgr.setForcedParam('keyword', adCat.find_what); } for (var s in slots) { var slot = slots[s]; if (adMgr.isSlotAvailable(slot)) { this.lycos_ad[slot] = adMgr.getSlot(slot); } } adMgr.renderHeader(); adMgr.renderFooter(); }((function() { var w = 0, h = 0, minimumThreshold = 300; if (top == self) { return true; } if (typeof(window.innerWidth) == 'number' ) { w = window.innerWidth; h = window.innerHeight; } else if (document.documentElement && (document.documentElement.clientWidth || document.documentElement.clientHeight)) { w = document.documentElement.clientWidth; h = document.documentElement.clientHeight; } else if (document.body && (document.body.clientWidth || document.body.clientHeight)) { w = document.body.clientWidth; h = document.body.clientHeight; } return ((w > minimumThreshold) && (h > minimumThreshold)); }()))); window.onload = function() { var f = document.getElementById("FooterAd"); var b = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0]; b.appendChild(f); f.style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('lycosFooterAdiFrame').src = '/adm/ad/footerAd.iframe.html'; // DOM Inj Ad (function(isTrellix) { var e = document.createElement('iframe'); e.style.border = '0'; e.style.margin = 0; e.style.display = 'block'; e.style.cssFloat = 'right'; e.style.height = '254px'; e.style.overflow = 'hidden'; e.style.padding = 0; e.style.width = '300px'; var isBlokedByDomain = function( href ) { var blockedDomains = [ "ananyaporn13000.tripod.com", "xxxpornxxx.tripod.com" ]; var flag = false; for( var i=0; i<blockedDomains.length; i++ ) { if( href.search( blockedDomains[ i ] ) >= 0 ) { flag = true; } } return flag; } var getMetaContent = function( metaName ) { var metas = document.getElementsByTagName('meta'); for (i=0; i<metas.length; i++) { if( metas[i].getAttribute("name") == metaName ) { return metas[i].getAttribute("content"); } } return false; } var getCommentNodes = function(regexPattern) { var nodes = {}; var nodesA = []; var preferredNodesList = ['a', 'c', 'b']; (function getNodesThatHaveComments(n, pattern) { if (n.hasChildNodes()) { if (n.tagName === 'IFRAME') { return false; } for (var i = 0; i < n.childNodes.length; i++) { if ((n.childNodes[i].nodeType === 8) && (pattern.test(n.childNodes[i].nodeValue))) { var areaName = pattern.exec(n.childNodes[i].nodeValue)[1]; nodes[areaName] = n; } else if (n.childNodes[i].nodeType === 1) { getNodesThatHaveComments(n.childNodes[i], pattern); } } } }(document.body, regexPattern)); for (var i in preferredNodesList) { if (nodes[preferredNodesList[i]]) { if( isTrellix && nodes[preferredNodesList[i]].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode ) { nodesA.push(nodes[preferredNodesList[i]].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode); } else { nodesA.push( nodes[preferredNodesList[i]] ); } } } return nodesA; } var properNode = null; var areaNodes = getCommentNodes( new RegExp( '^area Type="area_(\\w+)"' ) ); for (var i = 0; i < areaNodes.length; i++) { var a = parseInt(getComputedStyle(areaNodes[i]).width); if ((a >= 300) && (a <= 400)) { properNode = areaNodes[i]; break; } } var propertyName = getMetaContent("property") || false; if( isTrellix && (properNode) ) { e.src = '/adm/ad/injectAd.iframe.html'; properNode.insertBefore(e, properNode.firstChild); } else if( isTrellix && !( properNode ) ) // Slap the ad eventhought there is no alocated slot { e.src = '/adm/ad/injectAd.iframe.html'; e.style.cssFloat = 'none'; var cdiv = document.createElement('div'); cdiv.style = "width:300px;margin:10px auto;"; cdiv.appendChild( e ); b.insertBefore(cdiv, b.lastChild); } else if( !isBlokedByDomain( location.href ) ) { var injF = document.createElement('iframe'); injF.style.border = '0'; injF.style.margin = 0; injF.style.display = 'block'; injF.style.cssFloat = 'none'; injF.style.height = '254px'; injF.style.overflow = 'hidden'; injF.style.padding = 0; injF.style.width = '300px'; injF.src = '/adm/ad/injectAd.iframe.html'; if( b && ( !isTrellix || ( typeof isTrellix == "undefined" ) ) ) // All other tripod props { var cdiv = document.createElement('div'); cdiv.style = "width:300px;margin:10px auto;"; cdiv.appendChild( injF ); b.insertBefore(cdiv, b.lastChild); } } }( document.isTrellix )); } </script> <div id="tb_container" style="background:#DFDCCF; border-bottom:1px solid #393939; position:relative; z-index:999999999!important">  <style> .adCenterClass{margin:0 auto} </style> <div id="tb_ad" class="adCenterClass" style="display:block!important; overflow:hidden; width:916px;"> <div id="ad_container" style="display:block!important; float:left; width:728px "> <script type="text/javascript"> if (typeof lycos_ad !== "undefined" && "leaderboard" in lycos_ad) { document.write(lycos_ad['leaderboard']); } </script> </div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> if (typeof lycos_ad !== "undefined" && "slider" in lycos_ad) { document.write(lycos_ad['slider']); } </script>  <div id="FooterAd" style="background:#DFDCCF; border-top:1px solid #393939; clear:both; display:none; width:100%!important; position:relative; z-index:999999!important; height:90px!important"> <div class="adCenterClass" style="display:block!important; overflow:hidden; width:916px;"> <div id="footerAd_container" style="display:block!important; float:left; width:728px"> <iframe id="lycosFooterAdiFrame" style="border:0; display:block; float:left; height:96px; overflow:hidden; padding:0; width:750px"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="001c8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><U><B>back to Articles</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>"Caviezel Country"</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Caviezel Country"><U>home</U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Madison</div> <div> <B>Madison Movie </b></div> <div> Filmmakers in Madison for movie on 1971 Gold Cup </div> <div> <I>12 September 1999</I> </div> <div> <B>By Mary Spillman </b></div> <div> <B>Associated Press </b></div> <div> MADISON, Ind. -- All eyes are upriver on this late summer day. </div> <div> Hundreds of people line the riverbank, squinting at a speck of yellow on the water just beyond the bridge. Anticipation mounts as a low rumble steadily builds. This is why they've been waiting. </div> <div> Seconds later, the Miss Madison hydroplane roars by. </div> <div> "Cut! Stand by! He's going to do it again," shouts the man with the megaphone. </div> <div> And again. And again. </div> <div> It's all in a day's work for the crew and the extras who are filming "Madison," a movie about the town that rallied together to win the 1971 Gold Cup hyrdoplane race on the Ohio River. </div> <div> The vintage boats are not the only draw. Actor Jake Lloyd, fresh from his success as Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace, headlines the cast along with James Caviezel of "The Thin Red Line." </div> <div> There are no light sabers or pod racers here, but that doesn't dim Lloyd's love of the script, which has the classic David vs. Goliath theme found in "Hoosiers" and "Breaking Away." </div> <div> Lloyd plays the son of Jim McCormick (Caviezel), a small town air-conditioning repairman who leads an effort to refurbish an aging boat that defeats the hydroplanes entered by wealthy, corporate sponsors. </div> <div> "It's a true story and it's real," said an enthusiastic Lloyd. "I think it's one of the coolest things I've ever read." </div> <div> The story line may be good, but action also appeals to the 10-year-old actor and it's hard to be nonchalant about boats racing down the river at speeds close to 150 mph. </div> <div> "The vintage ones, the thunderboats I love those! I like the new ones, too, but the old ones are probably the best because you can actually feel all the energy and you can hear it," he said. </div> <div> Lloyd intends to take a ride in one -- probably the Budweiser boat because he says it has two seats -- before he leaves the shoot. But on this day, he'll be filmed over and over on two wheels, riding a bike down a road that slopes toward the dock. </div> <div> Souped-up muscle cars -- late 1960's Malibus, Camaros and Mustangs -- line the street that's been "dressed" to look as it did in the early 1970s. Spectators who've joined the fun by wearing tie-dyed shirts and bell-bottom jeans buy bottled pop and hot dogs for 1971 prices. </div> <div> They walk back and forth in a carnival-like atmosphere, watching as the moviemakers film a pancake breakfast scene and then some racing. Anyone who's interested may appear in some of the crowd shots. </div> <div> "It's so unusual for an independent film to have this detail," said Jane Rulon, director of the Indiana Film Commission, who's also on hand to watch. "It's as if they're making an action movie on an independent budget." </div> <div> Movie director Bill Bindley, who's originally from Indianapolis, is using local crews for much of the work. The fact that he's able to do that speaks volumes about a budding Indiana film industry that Rulon is nurturing. </div> <div> "You build the film community from within," said Rulon, "The crew base grows with the industry." </div> <div> Feature film-making also boosts the local economy. </div> <div> Safety crews who normally work at the Madison Regatta on the July 4th weekend are on hand for emergencies. There are divers in wet suits, fire-dousing equipment and paramedics. </div> <div> Area seamstresses join the costume designer in assembling the thousands of costumes and accessories that are needed. Restaurants and caterers feed the hungry crew and spectators, and hotels are booked solid until the film wraps up next month. </div> <div> "I think it would be fair to say at least $1 million dollars will be spent in the area, maybe $2 million," said Rulon. </div> <div> That's big money for this historic river town, population 12,000, that now relies on tourists to help fill the economic void left by industry that's moved elsewhere. </div> <div> The movie's message of fighting for survival in the face of adversity also may give new hope to race fans who've grown accustomed to the bad luck that's followed the present-day Miss Madison. </div> <div> When an assistant director told the extras to look disappointed when the Miss Madison engine stalled, the irony wasn't lost. </div> <div> "That won't take a lot of practice," observed one onlooker. "People around here are used to that," he said. </div> <div> The community-owned boat placed second in the consolation heat of this year's Indiana Governor's Cup and it flipped during the Thunderfest race at Barrie, Ontario. </div> <div> The hometown Regatta was the only race for the Miss Madison in 1998 because of a lack of money. The town even has considered giving up the race. </div> <div> "Boat racing is an ongoing equation of dollars," said Bob Hughes, president of Miss Madison, Inc. "Sponsorships are hard to come by in recent years and the movie could be very advantageous," he added. </div> <div> "The boat is the floating Chamber of Commerce of Madison. It's a good tool to advertise the city and the Regatta." </div> <div> Filming of "Madison" should be complete in November. The movie likely will be released next year.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Rising star Jim Caviezel and little big man Jake Lloyd ride the waves in Madison. </div> <div> By Larry Terenzi </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="06d1e240.gif" border=0 width="30" height="36" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> hey're an unlikely pair, Jim Caviezel and Jake Lloyd. The soulful Caviezel's been on the slow route to stardom, first gaining attention in The Thin Red Line and then earning popular success in last year's sleeper Frequency. Lloyd, of course, hit the ground running in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. So when they sit side by side in a hotel suite at the Sundance Film Festival, what you see is the contrast. </div> <div> Caviezel's 32 and still enjoying his anonymity, while the 11-year-old Lloyd loves being the popular kid. Lloyd's got a nanny, Caviezel's had to deal with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder throughout his life. Caviezel prefers to shoot hoops, whereas Lloyd likes to carve up the slopes with his snowboard. So perhaps it's appropriate that the pair plays a father and son trying to bridge the generation gap in Madison, a rousing, fact-based film about hydroplane boat racing that premiered at Park City. </div> <div> The wholesome Caviezel, wearing a white polo shirt and tan slacks, spoke slowly and deliberately with Mr. Showbiz, his eyes piercing even through thick glasses. Lloyd, with his mother looking on, cracked wise and, fittingly, spoke about thrill-seeking, while Caviezel was more low-key, focusing on the spiritual nature of his life. </div> <div> In both this film and your last one, Frequency, you deal with father-son issues. Did you call on your relationship with your own dad? </div> <div> Jim Caviezel: I guess I really don't think too much about it as I'm going through it. I look at, like, when I was a young man, my dad didn't express things that much. But I've come to realize the things he did for me were more important than saying, "I love you." He showed it. This character [in Madison] is similar to that. He was attached to his roots, he couldn't ever leave that, and he showed his son the values of that life. c There's a generational gap there, and I'm trying to bring that gap together and be able to communicate. That was similar to Frequency. </div> <div> Did you guys get to ride the hydroplane boats? </div> <div> Jake Lloyd: No, did you? </div> <div> JC: Oh, yeah. A lot, yeah. </div> <div> What's that like? </div> <div> JC: Did you ever see a bird hit a window? I kept seeing that, the window being the water. [Smacks his hands together] Going splat. You have no idea how fast they go until you get in that boat. It's just a blur. </div> <div> How fast do they go? </div> <div> JC: The top speed I probably went was 135 miles per hour. And the top speed I'd ever been on in a boat was 60. These boats will go up to 180. One little blow from the wind makes the weight come up a certain way, and it can topple the boat. The nitrous systems they use can explode. Most of these guys that went into the hall of fame went in dead. It's just the odds. There was no protective gear, no cover. Putting a seatbelt on a guy, if it wrecked and flipped over, it would crush him. c I admire a lot the nerve that they have. Since 1992, when they put the capsule on, they haven't had any fatalities, but when you're out there, you have no idea a boat could go that fast. </div> <div> Did you ever watch the races at Seafair? </div> <div> JC: Oh, yeah. c I remember the Washington Cup when Nixon was president, the race where the president hands [over] the trophy; three racers died in that one race. </div> <div> Are you guys thrill-seekers? </div> <div> JL: Yeah. You won't catch me jumping out of a plane, though. Or off a bridge; that's just illegal and I wouldn't do that. [Laughs] </div> <div> Bungee jumping? </div> <div> JL: No, [there's] the fact that it can snap. Nuh-uh. Snowboarding is fine with me, because if I hit a tree, that's my fault. My parachute getting stuck around my leg, that's not my fault. </div> <div> Did you ever do anything like that, Jim? </div> <div> JC: Uh, you know, I did a few things when I was younger. I think, more so now, that if I have to do any of those things, I just do [them] when I'm required to for a film. I just save up for that. </div> <div> How do you control your fear? </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="06ec5a30.gif" border=0 width="197" height="163" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> JC: Well, these drivers are all really good at what they do. And the fact that not many people can do what you do is fun. The thrill of it all is wonderful. Sure, there's that other side of it. It's like asking a fighter pilot, "Twenty-five percent of your guys get killed in a 20-year period; do you still want to be a fighter pilot?" Well, nobody thinks they're going to be part of that 25 percent. </div> <div> What about your fear? </div> <div> JC: When we were doing The Thin Red Line, I asked guys that fought how they controlled their fear. "Well, you just do it," they said. You get up and you do it, you can't think about it, or else you freeze. </div> <div> Did you pal around on the set? </div> <div> JC: No, I didn't like him much. We didn't get along too well. [Laughs] </div> <div> JL: No. [Shakes his head] I wished he'd just leave me alone. </div> <div> What did you do? </div> <div> JC: We played some video games. </div> <div> JL: Yeah, Command and Conquer. </div> <div> JC: We tolerated each other when we needed to. </div> <div> JL: I luged down a hill on a skateboard. That was fun. </div> <div> JC: Yeah, he got hurt. </div> <div> What happened? </div> <div> JL: Where our trailers were, there's this hill that was behind it. So I'd hike up, take my skateboard with me and lie down and coffin-ride it down. It was fun until, well, even after I wrecked, it was still fun after that. I'd do it again if I had the chance. </div> <div> Is your life much different after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Jake? </div> <div> JL: Uh, I'm here. That's a major change. </div> <div> JC: It was interesting. Remember that day when the school bus drove by? You'd think that The Beatles were on the side of the street. </div> <div> JL: I got such a big head after that. Six feet round. </div> <div> Jim, could you have handled monster success when you were 11, like Jake? </div> <div> JC: I don't know. I guess hindsight is 20/20. I don't know. I can tell you this much: I did get a big head when I was his age. I got a big head because of basketball, when I started developing a game. But then I played against the older boys and they kind of thumped me, so that was my learning stage. I never got a big head again. I appreciate that in my life. That was the small fame I had in my little community. I couldn't say, but he's got wonderful parents. They're always there. One thing about Jake is he's a pretty regular kid. We talked about computer games and sports and whatnot. He's just a regular Joe. He's not spoiled in any way. I'm saying this because his mother is right here. </div> <div> JL: Except for the psychotic fits I have every once in a while, but other than that c </div> <div> Who puts you in your place, Jake? </div> <div> JL: That would be Josh, my nanny. He keeps me from getting too big of a head. </div> <div> Jim, how has your spirituality helped you deal with this industry? </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="06fc5a30.gif" border=0 width="197" height="163" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> JC: It's everything you are. You know, people perceive you a certain way, but the big thing is what you do in private - that's who you really are. There are many things, offers, temptations, out there in this business. When you're in the wrong mind-set, you'll say, "What can I get away with?" But because I know someone above is always watching out, and watching me, and I know who I am, it keeps me pretty focused on what I want to get out of this life. And this business has been a gift and I'm not going to get one more film than I'm supposed to get. There's a certain amount and that's it. There's only going to be so many out there that go with the fiber of what I like to do. So I don't really have much to worry about. And it's been relatively simple for the fact that most people don't know who I am and I can get away with being anonymous for now. But definitely, that is something that I have to always maintain. </div> <div> Jake, are you just looking to have fun and go to school? </div> <div> JL: Fun and school don't belong in the same sentence. But yeah, I've gotten pretty bored with school. I like working. I like to get away from school every once in a while. But then there's mom, legal guardian until I'm 18, who says, "No, you can only do stuff in the summer." I'm 11; I need to be 18. </div> <div> You need to go to school, son. </div> <div> JL: No, I know I need to go to school. I'm going to continue to go to school. But I need to do some more films. I like filming. </div> <div> What do you like best? </div> <div> JL: The fact that I can go and be someone else, unless the character is a lot like me. It's nice on Madison because I'm a little bit more popular than my character, Mike, was. He was the kid from the small town; I'm the kid from Hollywood who goes here and there and people know me. I don't know them, but they know me. And I don't really have to worry about that popularity thing. </div> <bR> <div> Thursday January 25 4:47 PM ET</div> <div> Film buyer's busy day yields little luck at Sundance </div> <div> By Bob Tourtellotte </div> <div> PARK CITY, Utah(Reuters) - At 8:30 on Wednesday morning inside her room at the Sundance Film Festival (news - web sites), Arianna Bocco's phone rings, but she doesn't want to answer. Still, it's her job to take calls, so she picks up the phone. </div> <div> In the next 10 to 15 minutes, Bocco fields six calls from agents selling movies, and the veteran film buyer instinctively knows something is up. </div> <div> Bocco, vice president of acquisitions and production at New Line Cinema, figures the first round of ``clean up'' work has begun at Sundance, the United States' top film festival and market for independent moviemakers. </div> <div> As the chief buyer for New Line's specialty group, Fine Line, both of which are units of newly merged AOL Time Warner Inc., Bocco knows that today there will be decisions to make on what films to buy and what films to let pass by. </div> <div> ``Clean up'' is her way of saying the first round of films up for sale have been seen by buyers. Sales agents have priced the films, buyers have responded, and agents whose movies haven't already been scooped up are coming back for a second chance. </div> <div> The sometimes frenzied bidding that happens at Sundance has begun, yet Bocco hasn't seen any films this year that suit Fine Line -- maybe they aren't well-crafted, have no clearly defined audience or marketing hook, or contain the plot and characters audiences find in a major Hollywood film vs. and independent. </div> <div> ``Most are good, but most are flawed from a buyer's perspective,'' Bocco told Reuters during a day of trudging around Park City that gives a glimpse at how acquirer's work. </div> <div> Indeed, by the middle of the festival's 10-day run, only three films have been bought -- offbeat cop movie ``Double Whammy,'' a comedy about a group of state troopers called ``Super Troopers,'' and the family drama ``In the Bedroom'' -- at prices ranging from a reported $1 million up to $3 million. </div> <div> A Cautious Market In 2001 </div> <div> Many film buyers are circling around movies cautiously due to the wide range of films here, from typically low-budget, indie works to the Mick Jagger/Lorne Michaels-produced thriller ''Enigma,'' which cost about $20 million to make. </div> <div> The acquirers are watching audience reaction at screenings here, yet trying not to get caught up in the ``Festival Fever'' that sometimes causes frenzied bidding for films that audiences don't like later on in theaters. </div> <div> They are reading critical reviews in industry newspapers Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. They are waiting for Sundance to hand out awards for best drama and documentary, direction, writing and an audience favorite, among others. </div> <div> Good reviews, awards, a clearly defined story appealing to a certain audience and well-known actors all provide tools the buyers can use to help market the films. </div> <div> But if a film doesn't sell during the festival, the market is not over. Executives like Bocco head back to Los Angeles or New York for a second round of ``clean up'' where over the next few weeks, they take second looks at movies and make offers. ''You Can Count on Me,'' came out of Sundance last year without a buyer, but has become one of this year's indie hits. </div> <div> By 11:30 a.m., Bocco is sitting inside the Starbucks coffee shop on Main Street with a team of Fine Line executives going over schedules and talking about films. Armed with what she calls her ``Bible,'' a phone book with the names of films, sales agents and their numbers -- Bocco is on the phone, talking price and marketability. At noon she has to be up the street at a theater where she's promised an agent she'll see the film ''Madison.'' </div> <bR> <div> ***Madison release news below!!***</div> <div> Premiere Sets Slate of First Film Releases</div> <div> Wed Feb 27, 3:33 AM ET</div> <bR> <div> By Michael Fleming</div> <bR> <div> NEW YORK (Variety) - One year after its formation, the Premiere Marketing & Distribution Group has set its first slate of 10 releases, including films starring Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Kim Basinger.</div> <bR> <div> TPM&DG was hatched by Mitchell Goldman, former New Line Cinema president and chief operating officer of distribution and marketing.  For a set distribution fee, the company provides distribution on 2,000 U.S. screens for mainstream product, plus a minimum $16 million in marketing. The benefit for financiers is that they hang on to their film copyrights.</div> <bR> <div> "We have the same upside as studios, which make most of their money through distribution fees, but we won't put it into overhead and production," Goldman  said. "The numbers will work well for us if we pick the right pictures and do the right job in marketing and distribution.</div> <bR> <div> "Producers can retain ownership of their films, which is something they'd never get at a studio. ... We have a deal with Sony for video and DVD and with Showtime for cable, and the combination makes our fees competitive to studios."</div> <bR> <div> Goldman said TPM&DG will place its films with all the major chains, trying to slot pictures where they won't get crushed by big-budget studio fare.</div> <bR> <div> For instance, the company chose June 7 for its first release, "Slap Her, She's French," a Melanie Mayron-directed teen comedy about a girl (Piper Perabo) whose popularity is endangered by a French exchange student.</div> <bR> <div> "Early June is usually light, and with 'Spider-Man' opening May 2 and 'Star Wars' May 15, there should be plenty of screens available in early June before the studios come out with July 4 product," Goldman said. "Theater chains like Regal, AMC and United Artists have told us they need and want the product."</div> <bR> <div> TPM&DG chose the usually slack time of Aug. 23 to release "Madison," an action film involving hydroplane boat racing, starring Jim Caviezel, Jake Lloyd, Mary McCormack and Bruce Dern. </div> <bR> <div> As for 2003, it will bow "Tales Not Told," a thriller that marks the directorial debut of veteran producer Debra Hill on Jan. 10. Feb. 21 brings "Aurora," a Martha Coolidge-directed drama starring Basinger, Joaquin Phoenix and Mandy Moore, about a handsome drifter who becomes involved with a mother and daughter in a Southern coastal resort.</div> <bR> <div> There are several films on the launch pad. "The Wedding Contract" is a comedy to be directed by Robert Greenhut, from a script by Howard Franklin, starring with Murray, Weaver and Isabella Rossellini. </div> <bR> <div> "The Legend of Mulan," at $80 million the most expensive English-language picture produced in China, is about a 6th-century peasant girl who poses as a male soldier to fight the invading Huns. Stanley Tong ("Rumble in the Bronx") directs and Chang Chen ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") plays the male</div> <div> lead. </div> <bR> <div> "Not Human," a horror thriller about scientists trapped in a sealed biodome with a dangerous, genetically created being, will be directed by Steve Haberman from a script he wrote with Rudy DeLuca. </div> <bR> <div> "One Way Split," a Julian Simpson-directed heist drama, has Hugh Jackman in negotiations to topline.</div> <bR> <div> "Preacher," an adaptation of a comic book about a preacher who stands between good and evil forces in an apocalyptic battle, will be directed by Rachel Talalay ("Tank Girl").</div> <bR> <div> "The Prince" is a drama about an undercover cop infiltrating the underworld in San Francisco, to be directed by Preston Whitmore ("Lockdown").</div> <bR> <div> The next 14 releases from the distribbery are also in the planning stages.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>