The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 100

1 2 Friday, May 1995 WEEKEND PREVIEW The Atlanta Journal The Atlanta Constitution CINEMA IN SUBURBIA a a mm Am till. li I 1 By Mark Binelli FOR THE ly i i i vv Mil ''V i I i i lv i 4 Photos by DWIGHT ROSS JR. Staff Signmaker Walter Komar (left) puts finishing touches on signage at Marietta Star Cinema. Above, theater owner George Lefont (left) talks with Steve Newton, president of Cine Vision, which provides equipment to theaters. Mindy Ciorrocco stops by Le- j- font's table to ask about the scheduled opening.

"Fifteen years ago, the lines would go all the way back to the parking lot," she said, peering -out the window at the covered walkway leading past her bar to the theater. Added Lefont hopefully: "Maybe they'll come back." I Mark Binelli is an Atlanta-based free-lance writer. The build- ing houses three theaters, one at 450 seats an average size for a theater today, according to Lefont and two at 220 seats. Lefont also owns the Garden Hills Cinema and the Screening Room, both specializing in art films, and the reduced-admission Plaza Theatre; all three theaters are located in- town. "Other people in the industry were a little puzzled, because my theaters have been so associated with Midtown and Buckhead," said Lefont of his newest location.

"But I was looking at a number of locations in Cobb and elsewhere Fulton, DeKalb and I thought this was a great area." Lefont said the Marietta Star will show a mixture of family-oriented features, mainstream crowd-pleasers and more special 3H SHflBSH rara et's begin with an unlikely art cinema sultan George Le-font, sipping coffee at Rocco's Pub. The Marietta sports bar known for serving up "the best chili in Georgia" at least, according to the sign on the front window becomes a neighbor to the theater-owner's first foray into suburbia with today's grand opening of the Marietta Star Cinema. Located at 1355 Roswell Road, across the street from Harry's Farmers Market in the Town Country shopping plaza, the Marietta Star will feature second-run films at a reduced admission: $1 before 6 p.m., $1.50 after 6. As added incentive for moviegoers, free soft drinks will be included with popcorn purchases through the end of June. This week's films are "Pulp Fiction," "Outbreak," "Little Women" and "The Brady Bunch Movie." "It looks like an Olympic project around here," admitted Le-font during a tour, late last week, of the sull-in-shambles theater.

The 40-year-old movie house, a simple, single-story building hidden in a far corner of the plaza, was known as the Town Country Theater before closing last fall. Depardieu, Arquette to join 'Secret Agent HOLLYWOOD REPORTER I EW YORK Gerard De-l pardieu and Patricia Ar-I quette are about to join Bob Hoskins in the film "Secret Agent." The deal is in "final negotiations" and only "a day away" from being concluded, according to sources. Christopher Hampton, who adapted the script from the Joseph Conrad novel, will direct and Norma Heyman is Agent" will begin shooting in June. TOUCHSTONE GETS Eric Champnella and Keith Mitchell have sold "Ufer" to Touchstone and Caravan Pictures for an estimated mid-six-figure sum, sources said. "Ufer" is loosely based on the life of Bob Ufer, the voice of Michigan football.

The story covers the final years of Ufer's life, during which time he teaches a young college student how to live. Champnella and Mitchell, whose credits in- elude Richard Gere's "3,000" and "Eddie," in which Whoopi Goldberg stars, will also write the script. IT'S A DOG'S LIFE: "The Chase" director Adam Rifkin will helm Theodore Taylor's popular dog story "The Trouble With Tuck." The story, adapted for the screen by the director's mother, Michele Rifkin, is based on a true story about a blind dog who gets his own Seeing Eye dog. Rifkin is aiming to go into production on the picture after he wraps "Barb Wire," which stars Pamela Anderson. "I'm really excited about he said.

"It's a touching story of triumph that appeals to adults as well as children." "Priest' Shouldn't Be -D) tan. NtWSWtLK ized art films "that might not be chosen to play in Cobb County" for example, the upcoming "Heavenly Creatures," an acclaimed drama about a pair of murderous New Zealand schoolgirls. Of course, there will be limits. "Russ Meyer's not on my schedule," said Lefont with a laugh, referring to the breast-obsessed cult filmmaker who recently appeared at Garden Hills. Back at Rocco's, co-owner 1 II in The previous owners gutted the place, leaving Lefont with quite a renovation job.

"We're putting in new seats, drapes, projection equipment, everything from soup to nuts," said the black-clad, 20-year theater vet, who might've looked more at home at a German expressionist film festival than amid the grinding, pounding chaos of builders scrambling to make a deadline. iillil'JIillMi iiiMuiJiii.iiLi 1 FOR SHOWTIMES. PLEASE CHECK THE MOVIE DIRECTORY OR CALL THEATRES sonny, no pusses on coupons accepted this engagement. at wr opdiMG. nm DOLBY gTERicJIHa IN SELECTED THEATRES FEATURED AT SELECT THEATRES AMC THFATFRS GENERAl CINEMA COBB PLACE 8 MERCHANTS WALK BARRETT PKWY NW INTSCT JOHNSON FERRY 120 816-4262 971-1310 REGAl CINEAAS AMC THEATERS PEACHTREE CNRS NORTHIAKE FEST.

8 6 1 35 PEACHTREE PKWY 4043 LAVISTA RD 416-6911 816-4262 UNITFD ARTISTS STOREY'S MIDTOWN CINEMAS 8 NATIONAL 7 93 1 MONROE AVE 1285 8 OLD NAIONA1 HWT 872-6100 762-9636 AMC THEATERS GENERAL CINEMA PHIPPS PLAZA 1 4 AKERS MILL SQ 3500 PEACHTREE RONE HWY41N. S0U1H Of 1-235 816-4262 955-1795 GENERAL CINEMA REGAL CINEMAS SANDY SPRGS AT PARKSIDE REGAL CINEMA 10 SANDY SPRINGS CIRCLE 1050 POWDER SPRINGS RD 851-1890 514-1824 STOREY'S SHANNON 7 GA 138 1-85 SOUTH 969-0606 UNITED ARTISTS ROSWELL MALL 608 HOLCOMB BRDG RD 998-1700 REGAL CINEMAS LITCHFIELD'S AUSTELL AUSTEll RD FLOYD HURT 438-2274 CINEPIEX ODEON SOUTHLAKE FEST 6 1564 SOUTHIAKE PKWY 986-5050 GENERAL CINEMA HAIRSTON VILL8 MEMORIAL Dft 9 HAJRSTON RD 879-6224 STOREY'S DELK 10 2654 DELK RD. 850-6910 UNITED ARTISTS NORTH POINT MARKET 6500 N. POINT PKWY. 6630770 REGAL CINEMAS LITCHFIELD RIVERDALE INlSCTOFI38iIAYIURRD 473-9674 REGAL CINEMAS COVINGTON SQUARE 8 COVINGTON HW8 PANOLA RD 593-2600 CINEPIEX ODEON STONE MTN FEST 1825 ROCKBRDGE RD 986-5050 STOREY'S 12 OAKS FOUR BUF0RD HWY AT CLAIRMONT 321-3601 STOREY'S SNELLVILLE OAKS 14 2125 E.

MAIN ST. 972-SHOW GEORGIA THEATRE CO. UNITED ARTISTS PARK 12 COBB GWINNETT SANDY PLAINS 4 SHMIOWFORD GWINNETT MALI 971-1200 623-1120 DEANZA LAND LEISURE UNITED ARTISTS STARLIGHT D.I. CNN CENTRE 6 2000 MORELAND AVE SE CNN CENTER 627-5786 827-4000 UNITED ARTISTS SOUTH DEKALB SOUTH DEKALB MALI 241-6147 UNITED ARTISTS GREENS CORNER CIN 4975 JIMMY CARIER EkVD 925-1376 WBM I iiifuiiiiif i i iM.i'LV Jm'ii i.iii. i iiiM j.

nir.is.ki.ujj.' i iT.Ti 1 It HilllJII FOR THEATRES SHOWTIMES CALL 333-FILM Now UNHID AHIIbl iI3 lUlL'VitVMJ MIDTOWN Showing! 31 MOTOM DflVt Me- 4 55 9:45.