Lasse Hallstrom and a talented cast
explore the power of Chocolat
Those who believe that chocolate truly is an aphrodisiac for life and all its wonderful pleasures will be delighted with Lasse Hallstrom's (LHALL) vibrant, new romantic comedy Chocolat (CHOCO), which opens in December.
Wednesday's trading had the Chocolat MovieStock® unchanged at a depressing H$7.90. Based on the novel by Joanne Harris, Chocolat takes place in 1959 in a small French town. The romantic story focuses on a mysterious woman who moves into town and opens a chocolate shop across the street from the church.
In no time, life in this stuffy, rural town begins to change while the social order is turned upside down in a variety of funny and heartfelt interludes. The local priest views chocolate as a sin and begins to see his power threatened by the success of the chocolate shop. But even with the priest's bellyaching, the townsfolk revel in this tasty and often life-changing treat.
The distinguished cast of this witty art-house film includes Johnny Depp (JDEPP), Alfred Molina (AMOLI), Judi Dench (JDENC), Lena Olin (LOLIN), John Wood, and Juliette Binoche (JBINO). Binoche plays the woman who brings the scrumptious, chocolate candies to town.
The picture will surely bring in a wave of critical acclaim, but it seems that investors have yet to wet their sweet tooth for this lush comedy. The stock price has moved on a positive path throughout the year, but the MovieStock has not asserted itself as a market mover. Chocolat opens in Los Angeles and New York on Dec. 15 -- primarily to receive Academy consideration for next year's Oscars -- and expands its theater count on Dec. 22 before making a wide release on Jan. 5, 2001.
For director Hallstrom, Chocolat marks his follow-up to last year's very successful The Cider House Rules, which earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. Past Hallstrom films include Once Around, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and My Life as a Dog.
Following Chocolat, Hallstrom turns his attention to the drama The Shipping News (SNEWS), a project starring Kevin Spacey (KSPAC). The pic is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx.
Both Chocolat and The Shipping News come from Miramax Films (MIRDX). Chocolat is just the type of holiday film that movie fans everywhere can enjoy, and investors might want to take a look at the MovieStock as a very realistic box-office sleeper.
Hallstrom and his delightful cast have created a charming melange of rich visuals and storytelling that blends romance and comedy together with one of the world's most beloved indulgences.
This article appeared on the HSX trading website and is dated 9/21/2000. This which explains the parenthetical "stock" symbols. Who knows? -- the stock may have increased since then.