THE LEFT LANE
'To End All Wars' ready to do battle
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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Despite being the opening-night movie for the Hawai'i International Film Festival, "To End All Wars," the indie film by director David Cunningham, a part-time Kaua'i resident, never did get picked up by a major studio. However, the prisoner-of-war drama, shot partly in Kaua'i, will have a two-week run at the Art House at Restaurant Row beginning tomorrow.
"We're getting it directly from the producer in Los Angeles," said Don Brown, Art House marketing director, who made connections through Hawai'i actors appearing in the movie that has Hawai'i standing in for Burma and Siam.
"... It's an interesting film. They integrate Thailand and Kaua'i, and really match the footage incredibly well."
DVD may be king, but VHS isn't going away
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The popularity of DVDs has prompted rental chains, including Viacom Inc.'s Blockbuster, to phase out the tapes. The result has been a transformation of entertainment economics — some hit films now enjoy first-weekend disc sales that surpass their box-office openings. Sony Pictures Entertainment's "Spider-Man," for example, rang up more than $190 million in DVD sales on its first weekend, compared with record ticket sales of $115 million its first weekend in theaters.
Don't get too carried away, though. With VHS players in 90 million households, Fox's Home Entertainment senior vice president says VHS is "not going away any time soon."
Role models? Parents even dunk over Kobe
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In all, 32 percent of poll respondents — teens 13 to 18 years old — identified parents as the best role models for teens. Next came teachers (15 percent), basketball star Kobe Bryant, right, (5 percent) and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey (3 percent), who tied with President Bush.
"It's apparent that while teens look up to many people in our society, it's those who are involved in their daily lives that have the most profound impact," said David Chernow, president and CEO of Junior Achievement.
