Recalling stories more literary than cinematic -- the storm in Joseph Conrad's "Typhoon" or the deadly certainty of nature's triumph over a mere mortal in Jack London's "To Build a Fire" -- Wolfgang Petersen's film version of Sebastian Junger's best seller, "The Perfect Storm," brings the elemental, existential battle between man and nature to the screen with all the force today's cinema can muster. It's a breathtaking accomplishment, as well as a gutsy movie that gives the audience a thrill ride that can only lead to doom.

As a consequence of that fact, while this high-end action movie starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg will certainly do business, there must be concern at Warner Bros. over how a movie about an ill-fated voyage that lacks a "Titanic" shipboard romance will fare in the choppy boxoffice seas. The quality of the filmmaking, the urgency of the drama and the stripped-down, self-confident acting will certainly help overcome this potentially negative factor.

This is a story about risk-taking, the kind people do when they scale Mount Everest or challenge Antarctica. But with one crucial difference: The heroes are no extreme sports enthusiasts but rather blue-collar swordfishermen out of Glouchester, Mass. "The Perfect Storm" thrusts us into a world in which your everyday job is to risk your life so somebody in New York or Boston can dine on expensive seafood.

Specifically, it concerns the "storm of the century," which occurred in October 1991, when three rampaging weather fronts collided in the North Atlantic to create a catastrophic storm. Caught in the teeth of this monster is an overwhelmed fishing boat manned by men full of the kind of Glouchester macho and stubborn courage that made them poor opponents for such a wily and malevolent enemy.

Clooney, sporting a three-day beard, plays the hard-pressed captain Billy Tyne, seeking to overcome a run of poor catches. He's an abrupt and driven man, more at home at sea than with people.

Among his crew is rookie Bobby Shatford (Wahlberg), trying to establish a new life with a loving girlfriend, Chris (Diane Lane), after a bad divorce. Murph (John C. Reilly), dutifully supporting his divorced wife and son, is a stalwart seaman and backbone to the operation.

Bugsy (John Hawkes), a competent enough fisherman, gets lost in the social seas ashore. Bringing the only real human conflict aboard the boat is Sully (William Fichtner), a quick-tempered man and Murph's blood enemy. A fifth crew member, Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne), a Jamaican, is only sketchily characterized.

Bill Wittliff's screen adaptation has an unorthodox structure where it takes nearly an hour to get to the crux of the matter -- the battle between the ship and the storm -- and then without much preamble introduces a parallel story involving the rescue of a sailing boat containing three twits about whom we don't give a damn. There is also a running bit involving a TV weatherman (Chris McDonald) that fills in vital meteorological details, but the screen goes dead during these brief passages.

As with any good tragedy, hubris plays its role. The fishermen had ventured out to a remote area, virtually off their charts, to haul in the last catch of the season. They could wait out the storm, but the ice machine breaks and the catch -- and all its promised money -- will be lost. More tellingly, none of these New England tough guys will tolerate such sissy behavior. So they challenge the monster.

The fishing boat's battle with the perfect storm contains such nerve-wracking and brutal violence that one can barely watch the screen. As huge swells batter the ship and rip off majors chunks of hardware that get tossed about like a child's plaything, the men do what they must without self-pity or complaint.

While the New England accents come and go -- and most, including Clooney, don't even bother -- the actors deliver highly energetic, robust performances that swiftly establish their characters and their flinty relationships.

Cutting between the two stories creates momentary confusions, but the Coast Guard and Air Force joint rescue mission is certainly fascinating to watch. What impresses most in all of this is the masterly work by the whizzes at Industrial Light & Magic in simulating the weather freak-out at the heart of the story. For once, we have a film in which the FX guys dominate and yet human truth and drama shine through.

THE PERFECT STORM
Warner Bros.
Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures
in association with Radiant Prods.
Producers: Paula Weinstein, Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Screenwriter: Bill Wittliff
Based on the book by: Sebastian Junger
Executive producers: Barry Levinson, Duncan Henderson
Director of photography: John Seale
Production designer: William Sandell
Music: James Horner
Costume designer: Erica Edell Phillips
Editor: Richard Francis-Bruce
Color/stereo
Cast:
Billy Tyne: George Clooney
Bobby Shatford: Mark Wahlberg
Dale "Murph" Murphy: John C. Reilly
Christina Cotter: Diane Lane
David "Sully" Sullivan: William Fichtner
Linda Greenlaw: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Melissa Brown: Karen Allen
Alfred Pierre: Allen Payne
Running time -- 129 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13

Fourth focus: With July Fourth falling on a Tuesday this year, Hollywood gets the equivalent of a five-day weekend. That alone should help drive ticket sales as we head into the summer's second half. Of course, the more July Fourth picnics that get rained on, the happier Hollywood will be.

This July Fourth weekend boasts three high-profile openings in Columbia and Centropolis Entertainment's "The Patriot," opening Wed., June 28, and Warner Bros.' "The Perfect Storm" and Universal's "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle," both opening June 30. I took the opportunity to focus recently in separate conversations on this year's extended holiday weekend with Sony Pictures Releasing president Jeff Blake, Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman and Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco.

"The Patriot"

On the "Patriot" front, Sony's Blake told me, "We'll be in a little over 3,000 locations and on 5,000 screens. We feel comfortable at this level. Directed by Roland Emmerich, "Patriot" runs about 2 hours 40 minutes and stars Mel Gibson. Produced by Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn, its screenplay is by Robert Rodat. It was executive produced by William Fay, Ute Emmerich and Roland Emmerich. Among its long list of other stars in the R rated (for violence) period piece drama are Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs and Chris Cooper.

Asked why Sony opted to launch "Patriot" on a Wednesday, Blake explained, "It's the temptation of having a week that has the potential of beginning with a strong opening day -- because we think we certainly have initial interest in the picture -- and ends with your seventh day being the Fourth of July. We think having an opening week like that is a pretty exciting proposition. This time of year, Wednesday openings are certainly not that uncommon and usually pretty successful as long as you've got a picture with a good want-to-see."

That appears to be the case with "Patriot," which at this early point is already a 16% overall first choice in tracking research. While it's a bigger number than the 11% overall first choice that "Storm" presently has, it also reflects the advantage of having a superstar like Gibson in your film when you ask people what they are planning to see first. Clearly, Blake is resisting any temptation to make too much of "Patriot's" better tracking score. "Every week, you can assume a lot and hope for a lot, but until you turn on your computer on (opening) night, you really don't know," he pointed out. "I think we're all just doing everything we can to try to be as successful as we can on our show and holding our breath till June 28."

Having July Fourth fall on a Tuesday, Blake said, "is ideal. It's the absolute, ideal, perfect spot for the holiday. The July Fourth holiday could be interested for 'The Patriot' (because of its setting during the Revolutionary War), but normally it's not the strongest day of the holiday weekend. Obviously, fireworks and other activities come into play. So the fact that you have an unencumbered Friday, Saturday and Sunday and what's turning into really a semi-holiday Monday and then July Fourth on Tuesday, should set up a very, very powerful five days."

In terms of reporting grosses, Blake added, "We'll report on Sunday a Friday-Saturday-Sunday estimate and a five-day cume from Wednesday. But, also know, that we have a very good Monday and Tuesday to come."

Looking back to last year, he pointed out, "It was a $166 million four-day weekend with the Fourth of July on Sunday, which again is not (the) ideal for the Fourth to fall on one of the weekend days. It's not the perfect moviegoing day because of other distractions. I think everybody remembers being, perhaps, a little thrown by 'Armageddon's' opening (to $36.1 million for three days and $54.2 million for five days via Buena Vista in 1998) because their July Fourth fell on Saturday. I think people underestimated 'Armageddon' because they didn't fully understand that that was not a plus to have your Saturday be July Fourth. So it's much better placed on a Tuesday.

"Obviously, 'Armageddon' went on and did (over) $200 million domestic boxoffice despite not being (a bigger) opening on July Fourth. It's a little tricky. But last year (July Fourth weekend) was $166 million, which was the biggest weekend of the year -- and that's with July Fourth falling on a Sunday. So, I've got to admit, we're anxious to get going on this one because it figures it could be even better."

Will Blake be hoping for rain? "Rain wouldn't hurt," he laughed. "Strategically placed rain would not hurt."

Assessing this summer versus the previous one, Blake said, "I think the feeling is there's a lot of very big hits so far this year, but it's really hard to replace a 'Star Wars' (20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd.) and it will be hard in August to replace 'Sixth Sense' (Buena Vista). But that doesn't mean there won't be a lot of hits, including, hopefully, some on the Fourth of July."

"The Perfect Storm"

Talking to Warners' Fellman, he observed, "We have anticipated a fantastic weekend for a very long time, which is why we staked out that date on 'Perfect Storm.' I think the last time that the Fourth of July fell on a Tuesday was in 1995. It was the opening of 'Apollo 13' ($25.4 million for three days via Universal). The history of the weekend is outstanding in terms of gross potential. You have a five-day weekend (this year) and we all want to take advantage of it. I expect the boxoffice has the ability to expand. Last year, we had $222 million for the total week. And last year, (the Fourth was on) a very difficult day because it fell on a Sunday. When it falls on a weekend, you don't have the extra holiday and that fact doesn't help you at all. So if the product's there, the boxoffice has the ability to expand, which gives all of us the earning potential that we (want to have)."

"Storm," Fellman said, will be "on well over 3,000 locations." Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the PG-13 rated special effects adventure drama runs 2 hours 5 minutes and stars George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. It was produced by Paul Weinstein, Petersen and Gail Katz and written by Bill Wittliff based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger. Its executive producers are Barry Levinson and Duncan Henderson. Among its other stars are Diane Lane, William Fichtner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and John C. Reilly.

"Our movie's been screening great," Fellman told me. "Credit has to be given to Wolfgang Petersen and his crew. We went with Wolfgang because of his ability to deliver and he certainly has done everything possible to live up to his reputation. The movie's great."

Comparing this summer with last, Fellman commented, "You had 'Star Wars' kicking off last year. So it certainly made a big impact in the summer (and) 'Austin Powers' opened up to (nearly) $55 million (for three days and $57.4 million for four days via New Line). So now we just have to see what happens. Between 'The Patriot' and 'Perfect Storm' and 'Scary Movie' (Miramax's Dimension Films) and 'Chicken Run' (DreamWorks) and 'Me, Myself & Irene' (Fox), I think it's going to be great.

"I think the summer's going to be great, and I think there are some surprises in the back end of the summer. I know we have a movie that has just screened sensational called 'The Replacements' (directed by Howard Deutch and starring Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman). We think that that's going to be a huge hit in the back end of the summer, opening Aug. 11. And we've got 'Space Cowboys' on Aug. 4 (directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, Donald Sutherland and James Cromwell) and The 'Art of War' on Aug. 25 (directed by Christian Duguay and starring Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer and Donald Sutherland). So we're very, very solid in the backend of the summer."

Asked about the tracking scores for "Patriot" versus "Storm," Fellman replied, "We never comment on our research, however, I can assure you that obviously a lot of that information has a lot to do directly with Mel. He's a huge star and we wish him well. We have a movie that is going to stand up with the critics and stand up with the public and we're not worried about it at all. We're very pleased with our tracking."

"The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle"

Universal's Rocco pointed out that, "July Fourth being on a Tuesday, a lot of people will have Monday off, but a lot of companies will not. It's a mixed bag. However, I do believe it will make for an excellent weekend from Friday-Saturday-Sunday with a strong Monday. The Fourth of July, itself, is traditionally not a good boxoffice day if the weather is good."

The PG rated live-action/animated feature "Rocky & Bullwinkle," opening June 30 at between 2,000 to 2,500 theaters, is directed by Des McAnuff and stars Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Randy Quaid, Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Piper Perabo and Robert De Niro. Produced by Jane Rosenthal and De Niro , it was written by Kenneth Lonergan based on characters developed by Jay Ward. Its executive producers are Tiffany Ward and David Nicksay.

"Rocky & Bullwinkle," Rocco noted, "is perfect counter programming against 'Perfect Storm' and a very hard R rated 'Patriot.' It's got title recognition and two adorable characters that people relate to and it's a marketplace that can use another family film that parents will embrace because it's suitable for all young audiences."

As for the possibility of rain on the Fourth, Rocco noted, "Don't we all in this business hope for rain on holiday weekends? But since July Fourth is not a holiday that legally turns to a Monday or a Friday, it's a mixed bag as to who's available for a full holiday on Monday. Tuesday is the federal holiday."

Asked how this summer is looking to her, Rocco replied, "I think it's too soon to tell. The jury is still out. Certainly, the beginning of the season is much different because there isn't a 'Star Wars.' It's quite obvious, the boxoffice is down each weekend. But I think that when all is said and done it will turn out to be a very, very strong summer season. Look at the big hits that are set to be released, including our own 'Nutty Professor II: The Klumps' (directed by Peter Segal and starring Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson) on July 28 when the second half of the summer kicks in. Last year, everything was front-loaded into the first half of the summer. This year, everything is spaced out nicely."

The Summer to Date

With the first seven weekends of this summer already history, it's clear, as all three distribution heads pointed out themselves, that last summer had a huge advantage in "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," which went on to gross about $431 million domestically. On a week by week basis, here's a look at how the summers of 2000 and 1999 compare.

Both years saw important presummer openings in early May. Last year, Universal launched "The Mummy" to $43.4 million the weekend of May 7-9. This year brought DreamWorks' kick off of "Gladiator" to $34.8 million the weekend of May 5-7. Last year, however, the number two film, Fox's "Entrapment," did $12.3 million while this year's second ranking film, Universal's "U-571," grossed $7.8 million. Nonetheless, key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more for the weekend -- did about 2% better this year than last ($82.2 million vs. $80.6 million).

The weekend of May 14-16, 1999 saw "The Mummy" hold on to first place with $24.9 million and "Entrapment" finish second again with $9.1 million. Key films grossed $63.3 million. This year, the weekend of May 12-14 saw "Gladiator" remain number one with $24.6 million and "Battlefield Earth" (Warner Bros./Franchise Pictures) open in second place with $11.5 million. Key films grossed $80.6 million, up about 27% over last year.

Last year saw "Star Wars: Episode I" arrive the weekend of May 21-23 with $64.8 million for the weekend and a five-day cume of $105.7 million. Second place went to "The Mummy" with $13.8 million. "Entrapment" was third with $6.3 million. Key films took in $104.2 million. This year's May 19-21 weekend was topped by Buena Vista/Disney's opening of "Dinosaur" with $38.9 million. Second place went to "Gladiator" with $19.7 million. Third place saw a strong opening by DreamWorks' "Road Trip" with $15.5 million. Key films mustered $110.2 million, up about 6% from the prior year despite "Star Wars." This year's chart showed greater depth with 16 films doing $1 million or more while 1999's chart had 12 films cracking $1 million for the weekend.

Memorial Day weekend last year (May 28-31) was led by "Star Wars" with $66.9 million. Universal's "Notting Hill" opened in second place with $27.7 million for four days. "The Mummy" was third with $12.9 million. Key films totaled $136.1 million. This time around (May 26-29), Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 2" arrived to $70.8 million for four days and $91.8 million for six days. "Dinosaur" was second with $32.0 million and Buena Vista/Touchstone's "Shanghai Noon" kicked off in third place with $19.6 million. Key films enjoyed a record setting Memorial Day weekend gross of $175.9 million, up about 29% from last year.

June got underway last year (June 4-6) with "Star Wars" still first with $32.9 million, "Notting Hill" second with $15.0 million and Buena Vista's "Instinct" opening in third place with $10.4 million. Key films did $80.8 million. This year (June 2-4), "M:I-2" continued atop the chart with $27.0 million. Fox's "Big Momma's House" checked in as number two with $25.7 million and "Dinosaur" was third with $12.0 million. Key films totaled $97.4 million, up about 21% from last year.

The weekend of June 11-13 last year brought a mega-opening in New Line's "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" with $54.9 million for the weekend and $57.4 million for four days (and went on to gross about $206 million domestically). That sent "Star Wars" to second place with $25.6 million. "Notting Hill" was third with $11.3 million. Key films brought in $113.9 million. This time around (June 9-11), Buena Vista's opening of "Gone in 60 Seconds" was first with $25.3 million, "M:I-2" placed second with $17.23 million and "Big Momma" was third with $17.22 million. Key films walked off with $92.8 million, down about 10% from the prior year.

Last June 18-20 brought Buena Vista/Disney's "Tarzan" a first-place opening with $34.2 million. "Austin Powers" was second with $31.4 million and Paramount's opening of "The General's Daughter" was third with $22.3 million. Key films did $123.4 million. This year, Paramount's opening of "Shaft" stole first place with $21.7 million while "Gone" was second with $14.9 million and "Momma" placed third with $11.7 million. Key films grossed $99.6 million, about 19% less than a year earlier.

Through last weekend, the summer's top-grossing film, "M:I-2," had taken in $176.6 million and the second biggest title, "Gladiator," had done just under $159 million. Between them, they had a gross of $335.6 million. At this point last year, the summer's top grossing film was "Star Wars" with $328 million and the second biggest was "The Mummy" with $142 million. Their combined total was $470 million.

Of course, as they say, it's not over till it's over. Every summer brings its surprises. Last year, Buena Vista's "The Sixth Sense" turned up the weekend of Aug. 6-8 with $26.7 million and went on to gross about $293 million. This year's surprises are yet to arrive, but will clearly be very welcome when they do.

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Wolfgang Petersen made a classic underwater film with ``Das Boot,'' but he doesn't fare nearly as well on the surface with ``The Perfect Storm''

An attempt to do on the high seas what ``Twister'' did on great open spaces on land, this adaptation of Sebastian Junger's bestseller about some Gloucester, Mass., fishermen's battle with the storm of the century boasts a physical enormity courtesy of heavy digital effects work. But the yarn's emotional undercurrents never take hold, resulting in a picture that leaves one thinking less about the fates of the characters than about how the actors had to spend most of their working days soaking wet. Warner Bros. might be able to propel this to a big opening, but ultimate box office sales promise to fall well short of the blockbuster biz needed to recoup the $140 million budget.

In setting and substance, the picture resembles the sort of gritty melodramas about working-class people doing risky jobs that Warners used to crank out so effectively back in the '30s and '40s. And while developments in technology have enabled the contemporary production team to create a bigger and more visceral film than would have been possible decades ago, the plain truth is that today's digital wonders convey just as artificial a feel as the combination of good studio tank/rear projection/model work did then; no one seeing ``Perfect Storm'' is going to believe that what's onscreen is any less or more ``real'' than kids thought ``The Sea Wolf'' was in 1941.

Junger's nonfiction tome was based on the fate of a swordfishing boat, the Andrea Gail, which ventured far into the Atlantic in search of a big catch in the fall of 1991 and got caught in the convergence of three weather fronts that created a storm of unmatched ferocity. It's an elemental man vs. nature struggle, played out against a backdrop that, for obvious reasons, has always been difficult to film with absolute credibility and clarity.

After beginning with a low-key tribute to the thousands of Gloucester fishermen who have gone down to the sea in ships since the early 1600s, the picture settles in for a half-hour of elementary scene setting and character exposition at the Crow's Nest, a dockside dive where everyone goes to get smashed (and laid) after returning from a spell at sea. There's Andrea Gail captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney), a divorced dad whose lucky streak at finding fish has hit a sand bar, and Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), also divorced, who's got a hot thing going with the cutest girl in town, Christine Cotter (Diane Lane), herself a divorcee who wants to get her kids back and settle down with Bobby.

Also shuffled onboard are Billy's other crew members: Murph (John C. Reilly), a young salt separated from his wife and adoring young son; Bugsy (John Hawkes), a scrawny dufus who strikes out in his bid for romance even with the largest lady in the bar (an engaging Rusty Schwimmer); and Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne), a Jamaican who, in a tiresome piece of racial stereotyping is given no personality dimension other than being a stud, spends his entire shore time shagging with such vigor upstairs that it causes the ceiling light fixture in the bar to shake. Hovering on the periphery is Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), a friendly rival fishing captain who wouldn't mind becoming even friendlier with Billy.

Even though the inclement fall season is fast approaching, Billy decides to set out on one more trip to make up for his most recent disappointing haul and, out of sheer financial need, his crew signs back on; joining them this time is Sully (William Fichtner), a lout with a hair-trigger temper who develops an instantaneous, and thoroughly unmotivated, enmity with Murph.

The location photography of the town that inspired Kipling's ``Captains Courageous'' and the characters' scruffy grooming, constant drinking and smoking and heavy preoccupation with earnings establish the working-class milieu solidly enough. But the emotional links and desires, along with the motivational notations and behavioral ticks in Bill Wittliff's screenplay are perfunctory and undeveloped, as if they were items to be ticked off a checklist. After you get past the joint reason for the new trip (money) and basic domestic situation (divorced or single, mostly), no further nuances or subtext are provided as the characters prepare to face an epic struggle for survival, thereby significantly shortchanging the emotional impact and audience investment in the outcome.

When the crew's initial catches prove lackluster, Billy decides to push farther out, past the treacherous Grand Banks to the remote Flemish Cap, where they land enough swordfish to fill their hold. Unfortunately, the boat's ice-making machine goes on the blink, meaning they'll have to race directly home so that the fish won't spoil before getting to market. But staring them in the face is an astonishing tempest created (as helpfully noted by TV weatherman Christopher McDonald) when Hurricane Grace heads north from Bermuda to collide with another storm and a cold front. With his macho survival instinct and sense of professionalism in full working order, Billy thinks they can beat the storm and plows right into it, but he's unaware of its full magnitude.

Sequences of notable tension before the final onslaught include one in which Murph, his hand nastily impaled by a hook on a line, is yanked overboard and dragged underwater behind the Andrea Gail, and another in which Billy, blow torch in hand, must ride an errant outrigger in a gale like a bucking bronco to try to cast off a dangling anchor. But even here, one watches the action with heart and mind unquickened by genuine suspense, due both to the mild involvement in character and the haphazard nature of the incidents and the way they are conveyed.

The focus on the fate of the Andrea Gail is supplemented by a parallel episode about a yacht bearing three people (Bob Gunton, Cherry Jones and Karen Allen) who are the objects of a daring rescue attempt by a Coast Guard ship and an Air Force helicopter in the middle of the hurricane. Although awkwardly intercut with the main story at times, the interlude commands rapt attention by virtue of the outrageous physical feats undertaken (the chopper at one point tries a nocturnal midair refueling in virtually zero visibility) and generates more feeling for the exceptionally brave, anonymous pilots than does the central drama, which concludes on a note that can only be called refreshingly somber in the context of today's relentlessly uplifting cinema.

With the exception of Reilly, who in his full beard looks like a cuddly rat who would be at home on any vessel, the cast is merely adequate. By the second half, the men are reduced to shouting almost all their lines to be heard over the watery din, while the dressed-down but ever-fetching Lane leads the group of worrying women on the home front.

Industrial Light & Magic's special effects work is extensive and no doubt state of the art when it comes to the exceedingly difficult task of reproducing water by digital means. But even after one becomes accustomed to the rough weather's computerized look, the sense of artifice remains, which might account for some of the sense of emotional remove. James Horner's churning score never goes away, at least in the final hour, while other craft work is pro but undistinguished.

Billy Tyne ................. George Clooney

Bobby Shatford ............. Mark Wahlberg

Dale ``Murph'' Murphy ........ John C. Reilly

Christine Cotter ........... Diane Lane

David ``Sully'' Sullivan ..... William Fichtner

Michael ``Bugsy'' Moran ...... John Hawkes

Alfred Pierre .............. Allen Payne

Linda Greenlaw ............. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Melissa Brown .............. Karen Allen

Edie Bailey ................ Cherry Jones

Alexander McAnally III ..... Bob Gunton

Todd Gross ................. Christopher McDonald

Sgt. Jeremy Mitchell ....... Dash Mihok

Capt. Darryl Ennis ......... Josh Hopkins

Bob Brown .................. Michael Ironside

Irene ``Big Red'' Johnson .... Rusty Schwimmer

Ethel Shatford ............. Janet Wright

A Warner Bros. release of a Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures production in association with Radiant Prods. Produced by Paula Weinstein, Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz. Executive producers, Barry Levinson, Duncan Henderson.

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Screenplay, Bill Wittliff, based on the book by Sebastian Junger. Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), John Seale; editor, Richard Francis-Bruce; music, James Horner; music supervisor, Maureen Crowe; production designer, William Sandell; supervising art director, Bruce Crone; art director, Chas Butcher; senior set designer, John Leimanis; set designers, Doug Meerdink, Bill Taliaferro, Bruce West; set decorator, Ernie Bishop; costume designer, Erica Edell Phillips; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Keith A. Wester; supervising sound editor, Wylie Stateman; special visual effects and animation, Industrial Light & Magic; visual effects supervisor, Stefen Fangmeier; associate producers, Alan B. Curtiss, Brian McNulty; assistant director, Curtiss; second unit director, David R. Ellis; second unit camera, Walt Lloyd; stunt coordinators, Doug Coleman, Daniel W. Barringer; casting, Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins. Reviewed at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, June 21, 2000.

Even though Mark Wahlberg got some experience working with prosthetics playing a well-endowed porn star in "Boogie Nights," he's reportedly up for a human role in the upcoming remake of "Planet Of The Apes."

While Matt Damon has reportedly talked to director Tim Burton about the project, Wahlberg told Cinescape he could be reprising the role originated by current NRA president Charleton Heston (whom Wahlberg recently branded a "villain" onstage at the MTV Movie Awards).

"People tell me I'm pretty simian, but I think Tim Burton wants me to be the Charlton Heston," Wahlberg told Cinescape.

"Tim is the kind of guy where I just say yes to anything he wants me to do. I did say, 'What kind of ape do you want me to play?', and Tim has said, `You're the human'."

"The Perfect Storm" tells of the courageous men and women who risk their lives every working day, pitting their fishing boats (including the Andrea Gail) and rescue vessels against the capricious forces of nature.  Their worst fears are realized at sea one fateful autumn, when they are confronted by three raging weather fronts, which collide over and forever change the lives of the residents of Gloucester, Massachusetts and the surrounding communities.

Warner Bros. Online (http://www.warnerbros.com) will stream exclusive live coverage of the film's premiere Monday, June 26 at 7:00 PM, PT, including interviews with the star-studded cast as they make their way down the red carpet.  Following the live Webcast, this exclusive footage will be available on Warner Bros. Online's Web site throughout the film's release.  On hand for the event will be "The Perfect Storm's" stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, Karen Allen, Allen Payne, Bob Gunton, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and John C. Reilly.  "The Perfect Storm" opens nationwide on Friday, June 30.

On Wednesday, June 28, Warner Bros. Online and eBay will promote and begin the sale of the Lady Grace fishing boat, the sister vessel to the Andrea Gail and the boat used to depict her in "The Perfect Storm."  The bidding for the boat begins Wednesday, June 28 and ends Friday, July 7.  In addition to the Lady Grace, items offered on eBay will include wardrobe produced for the film, props used in the film as well as signed scripts.  An exclusive world premiere package including tickets to the invitation-only screening in Los Angeles, airfare and accommodations already sold on eBay for $4050.  Interested bidders can go directly to http://www.ebay.com or http://www.warnerbrosauction.com.

A portion of the proceeds from the online sale of the Lady Grace will be donated to The Gloucester Fund, a grassroots organization comprised of local charities serving Gloucester, Massachusetts and surrounding communities -- the areas most affected by the storm.

"This storm of 1991 had a huge impact on the residents of Gloucester, and it is our hope that 'The Perfect Storm' honors the memories of these local heroes as well as help people understand the importance of disaster preparedness," said Brad Ball, President, Domestic Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Movie fans can find more information by visiting the official "The Perfect Storm" Web site at http://www.perfectstorm.com.  The movie site showcases a six-part exclusive presentation of some of the groundbreaking state-of-the-art visual effects created specifically for the film by Industrial Light & Magic's leading software designers.  It also features an exclusive Web-only original documentary about the Gloucester residents who survived the cataclysmic 1991 storm and the fishermen who continue to navigate the area's dangerous and unpredictable seas.  Additionally, the site offers an interactive opportunity to tour the deck of the Andrea Gail fishing boat in full 360-degree perspective, as well as view exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and original production design paintings and photos, interviews with the cast and filmmakers, and a very graphic visual simulation of the impact of a 100-foot wave. Users can also obtain facts about storms and the technology used to study them, Coast Guard footage of a real rescue at sea and interviews with the rescuers, as well as extensive profiles on the people, history and culture of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures Production In Association with Radiant Productions, A Wolfgang Petersen Film starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, "The Perfect Storm."  Music is by James Horner.  The film is edited by Richard Francis-Bruce, A.C.E.  William Sandell is the Production Designer.  John Seale, ACS, ASC, is the Director of Photography.  The Executive Producers are Barry Levinson and Duncan Henderson. Based on the book by Sebastian Junger, the screenplay is by Bill Wittliff. Paula Weinstein, Wolfgang Petersen and Gail Katz produced "The Perfect Storm," which is directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

CONTACT:  Cathy Dore of Warner Bros. Online, 818-977-8864; or Kari Dahlquist of Warner Bros. Consumer Products, 818-954-3023; or Kristin Seuell, 408-558-7431, or Jennifer Chu, 408-558-7432, both of eBay.

EVERYBODY into the Oscar pool!There's major Best Picture buzz after early screenings of two impending summer blockbusters - "The Perfect Storm" and "The Patriot."
Though most - but not all - Oscar contenders are released late in the year, insiders think these two have what it takes to join the unusually strong early-season field, along with "Gladiator" and "Erin Brockovich."

"The Perfect Storm," which opens next Friday, is based on Sebastian Junger's best-seller about fishermen caught in the Mother of All Nor'easters.

It has the feel of an instant classic, unerringly helmed by Wolfgang Petersen, a Best Director nominee for the German "Das Boot" in 1983.

Screening audiences are favorably comparing the film's stunning seagoing special effects and dazzling stunt work to "Titanic."

But this truly gripping film is buoyed by an Oscar-worthy performance by George Clooney as the driven skipper of a swordfishing boat at the center of the storm.

The movie also boasts top-drawer supporting work by Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly as members of his crew - as well as Oscar-caliber cinematography and scriptwriting.

Also seriously trawling for nominations is the Revolutionary War epic "The Patriot," opening next Wednesday, which in many ways resembles Mel Gibson's 1995 Oscar winner, "Braveheart," also a summer release.

Like the earlier film, it's a sweeping period epic - 2 hours and 38 minutes long - and it contains perhaps the most breathtaking battle scenes ever committed to celluloid.

Gibson has never been better than as a South Carolina farmer who launches a guerrilla war against the Redcoats after one of his young sons is slaughtered by a rogue British officer - memorably played by Jason Isaacs, who also seems a likely Oscar nominee.

The Oscar chances of "The Patriot" could be hurt by its similarities to "Gladiator," though.

Though they take place centuries apart - "Gladiator" is set in ancient Rome - both have eerily similar story lines about reluctant farmer-warriors who wreak vengeance on psychopathic villains (Joaquin Phoenix in "Gladiator").

Ironically, Gibson passed on the part in "Gladiator" that will almost certainly net a nomination for Russell Crowe - as well as Clooney's role in "The Perfect Storm."

"Erin Brockovich," with Julia Roberts as a crusading paralegal in the "Norma Rae" mold rounds out the quartet of early contenders - and don't forget Albert Finney's stellar supporting performance as her put-upon boss.

"Erin" was released in March - a month later than 1991 Oscar winner "Silence of the Lambs" - but still awfully early in the season, to be sure. Don't be surprised if "Erin" gets re-issued later in the year. Paramount reportedly is re-releasing "Wonder Boys" at year's end to promote Michael Douglas' impressive, if little-seen, turn as a dissolute college professor in this black comedy. 

(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)-- Filmmakers Express Their Gratitude to Gloucester for Its Hospitality and Cooperation During Filming
WHO:     GEORGE CLOONEY and MARK WAHLBERG, stars of "The Perfect
         Storm," together with the film's director/producer WOLFGANG
         PETERSEN, producer GAIL KATZ and executive producer DUNCAN
         HENDERSON.

WHAT:    A special screening of "The Perfect Storm," to offer thanks
         to Gloucester and its citizens for their gracious cooperation
         while the production filmed on location and to benefit The
         Gloucester Fund, a grassroots organization comprised of local
         charities serving Gloucester, Massachusetts -- the real-life
         setting for the events depicted in Warner Bros. Pictures' new
         epic adventure.
Based on Sebastian Junger's best-selling book, ``The Perfect Storm'' tells the story of the men and women who risk their lives every working day, pitting their fishing boats and rescue vessels against the capricious forces of nature. Their worst fears are realized at sea one fateful autumn when three raging weather fronts collide to produce the fiercest storm in modern history.
www.perfectstorm.com
WHEN:    Wednesday, June 28, 2000
         7:00 pm Arrivals; 8:00 pm Screening

WHERE:   Loew's Liberty Tree Mall 20 (rear entrance)
         100 Independence Way, Danvers, Massachusetts
         --From Gloucester and other points North: Route 95 South to
         Route 128 North, Exit 24/Endicott St.; turn right off exit
         and right again at 2nd light
         --From Boston and other points South: Route 95 North to Route
         128 North, Exit 24/Endicott St.; turn right off exit and
         right again at 2nd light

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL:

         Susan Maguire, 617/247-7654

IMPORTANT NOTE:

         Press credentials must be picked up outside the theater after
         6:00 pm on the day of the premiere. There will be no
         exceptions.

Contact:
     Warner Bros. Pictures
     818/954-6217

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (Reuters) - Everything about the chilling Warner Bros. summer film ``The Perfect Storm'' is big.

The Time Warner unit is betting that the $120 million special-effects-filled film, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg along with heart-stopping 100-foot waves, will rival box office blockbuster ``Titanic.''

It is a big task -- the film about the great liner that struck an iceberg and sank became the biggest-grossing film of all time, collecting an estimated $1.8 billion worldwide. But the producers of ``Perfect Storm'' are willing to try and have mounted a publicity campaign as huge as those monster waves.

Much like the storm itself -- documented with deadly precision in Sebastian Junger's best-selling book ``The Perfect Storm'' -- the studio's PR machine unleashed wave after wave of television, radio, print and online reporters on Gloucester.

The down-at-the-heels New England port, which has been fishing since before there was a United States, serves as a backdrop and sometimes a key player in the tragedy.

``The story belongs to the town,'' Junger told reporters gathered under a white tent on a dock next to the recreated, rusting, sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. ``It belongs to those six guys and the people who survived,'' he said, referring to the six-member crew of the Andrea Gail.

``The Perfect Storm'' is the story of their hair-raising struggle at sea to survive a furious October 1991 gale: a Halloween tempest spawned by a rare meteorological combination -- a ``perfect storm'' -- that brought monster waves and wind and spread havoc across the Atlantic seaboard.

``I knew nothing of this, of the long-line fishing and the life they live and how dangerous it is,'' said Clooney, who plays Billy Tyne, the Andrea Gail's captain.

Looking Perfect

Wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a baseball cap almost as scruffy as his beard, the former star of television's ``ER'' and films such as ``The Peacemaker and ``Out of Sight'' said ''Perfect Storm'' director Wolfgang Petersen asked the cast to keep the fisherman look until the film's Los Angeles premiere on June 28.

The movie opens in Australia on June 29, across the United States on June 30 and in Europe and Asia in July.

During a three-day publicity blitz in which he and other cast and crew faced 140 journalists brought to Gloucester by the movie company from as far away as Singapore, Athens and London, Clooney laughed as he tried to explain how he learned to steer the 72-foot steel-plated, green-hulled vessel.

``I actually pounded into that dock over there a few times,'' he said, pointing to a neighboring pier with the banged-up replica docked behind him. ``But then they asked me to take it down to the rubber pier where I bounced it for a while.''

Filmmakers spent about three weeks in Gloucester shooting exteriors and some water scenes but most of the movie was filmed on a specially reconstructed sound stage on Warner Bros. lot.

``Brutal'' is how Clooney described the filming that required most of the cast to be cold and wet for six months as they were thrown from one side of the battered ship to the other.

Wahlberg said he sometimes ``wished there was a SAG rep on the set,'' referring to the Screen Actors Guild union. ``I got my ass killed and I was terrified,'' he said. Sometimes, after a 12-hour day being slammed into bulkheads and blown across and off the decks by wave machines and water dump tanks, he said he would go back to his trailer and just cry.

But he, like all the actors in the film, said they would not hesitate to work with director Petersen again.

Das Boot Is Back

A German director who first gained international acclaim with another watery film, ``Das Boot'' (''The Boat''), Petersen conceded he might have ``gone overboard with (the actors). Was it just too much? Maybe with Mark. And I did not know that because he is such a tough cookie he would not tell me.''

``This is a physical movie,'' Petersen said, and the actors all knew that before they signed up. ``This means you only get it right if the audience feels that you go through hell here, that you fight the elements and the elements are really there and the actor goes through hell with these elements. ... They were, at some points, at the end of their endurance.''

But Petersen did not test Warner's financial endurance. ''The studio, they really like me,'' he said gleefully after boasting he brought the film in for $600,000 under budget.

``In a film like that, the studio always braces for at least between $10 and $15 million over budget, because that's normally what happens with a film like that, especially with water films. We all know the 'Waterworld' case or 'Titanic,' and so on.''

``Waterworld'' (1995), starring Kevin Costner, cost $170 million to make, a record at the time, and barely broke even at the box office. ``Titanic'' wound up costing $200 million, but unlike ``Waterworld'' it set box office records.

More than half of Petersen's budget was spent on special effects and most of that went to George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic, whose computerized special effects create things that are impossible to create in real life -- like dinosaurs for ''Jurassic Park'' -- or things that are too dangerous to re-create in real life, like tornadoes for ``Twister.''

The key to doing this film, both from an economic and safety standpoint, was the computer. ``We had so many computer people, you wouldn't even know,'' Petersen said.

``Sometimes you see people on the Andrea Gail and they're ducking down with the plywood and they're computer-generated people -- small, but great actors,'' he said, laughing. A cast like that keeps commissary costs down and does not complain. ''You don't need trailers and they work beautifully and they act beautifully.''

BOSTON - In the lobby of my very chi-chi hotel, there is a man wearing a Mystery Men jean jacket, carting a Beach backpack, the ensemble topped off with a jaunty Gladiator baseball cap. I cannot, thank God, see his underwear (Dinosaur? Love's Labour's Lost?). He is here, like me, to spend the next 36 hours eating (for free), sleeping (for free) and getting mentally and physically saturated with The Perfect Storm (also free), the new George Clooney film vying for summer blockbuster status.

This is a press junket, and we are two of the 140 print and TV reporters who have flown in from around the world to get up close and personal with -- or, more accurately, in the same general vicinity as -- Storm stars George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. We'll see the film and ask questions about the film, and, after being well-fed and led from Point A to Point B like so many stuffed lambs waddling after a cellphone wielding farmer, we will take home a big, red grab-bag shoulder bag of Perfect Storm crap (Lifesavers, a Perfect Storm slicker etc. -- I resisted).

"You have the best job in the wehld!" my cab driver screamed, in a great Boston accent, when I described why I was here.

True. I admit it. I am not a miner.

But despite the lobster and a long gaze into the very blue, knee-jelly-inducing eyes of Marky Mark, I did have a recurring sense of unease, thinking: How free is this? At its best, a film junket affords a journalist an opportunity to ask some decent questions about a movie to the people who know the movie best. On the dark side, a junket can produce the kind of puff pieces that are the worst kind of entertainment writing.

The studio's hope is that, giddy from the heat radiating off the stars and slightly bleary-eyed from mowing down the perks, we'll be blinded to the fact that the product in front of us is crap-on-a-stick. (Studios discourage journalists from mentioning the machine that is the junket when they write. Hence, stories appear in newspapers in two-stoplight towns in Northern Saskatchewan that read as if the local scribe just happened to run into Al Pacino on the street and the two had a chat).

Most journalists feel they can maintain credibility while sucking the studio teat -- this is how I get up in the morning, thinking that I am somehow too smart to be suckered by a penetrating look from Marky Mark (have I mentioned those eyes yet?), or a free cosmopolitan at a rooftop bar in L.A. But it's hard not to get seduced; drinks and gazes are seductive things.

Thankfully, The Perfect Storm did most of the seducing itself. The movie is pretty good, except for the beginning and the end, both of which steer perilously close to Titanic-ish sap. But the middle, about a monster storm and the little fishing boat from Gloucester, Mass., that got caught in it, is a great adrenaline rush.

Based on the best-seller by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm is as much about the tribulations of the depressed New England fishing community as the tragic 1991 storm, and that's why we print and online journos have been bussed into Gloucester, an hour outside of Boston. (The TV press, about whom there is much sneering, has come and gone. "TV just gives stars blow jobs," scoffed one American writer from the South. Yeah, and print just indulges in frottage.)

Also, as competition heats up, studios try funkier experiments to keep the writers placated: The junket for Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach was held in Hawaii, presumably because they have beaches there. A guy tells me that at the junket for Me, Myself and Irene -- the Farrelly brothers' Jim Carrey comedy about a cop with a split personality -- journos were presented with two buses: one for Carrey's nice-guy Charlie persona; one for his pervy Hank persona. Those who got on the Charlie bus got a quiet dinner; those on the Hank bus ended up at Hooters.

Due to the subject matter, there's a slightly serious tone to The Perfect Storm junket (which is my first movie junket, though I have done TV). We invade the clapboard town in our big buses, as it was invaded last summer during filming. With quaint old diners and fishing gear stores that seem slightly dusty and sad somehow, the town does its part: It gives us great "colour" for our pieces.

After registering on the very docks where the fishermen work -- right next to the studio's version of the Andrea Gail, the boat that went down -- we scarf some lobster. Then, we're ushered to a Coast Guard helicopter rescue demonstration. More colour.

Watching from the dock, a moment of uncontrolled interaction: A 15-year-old boy named Corey asks us how he can get his hands on one of the laminated press passes hanging around our necks. He says he remembers the storm because a friend of his lost his dad.

"It's some bad memories for us," he says before he goes off to his job, and we go off to ours.

We're divided into groups of about eight journalists. I make a joke that our group -- Group 3 -- should have a mascot and a name (my suggestion: Comets). An online guy -- they're the youngest whipper-snappers at these distinctly middle-aged events -- laughs. This tent on the dock will be our home for the next five hours. One by one, the stars are escorted our way -- including Diane Lane, Junger, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio -- and for 20 or so minutes, we ask questions.

Amongst the veterans, there is barely concealed contempt for the international journalists, who, with their broken English, can take a long time to get the point. What one journalist wants out of a round table can be quite different from what another wants. At Cannes last year, the cultural divide was an abyss: "I'm from USA Today: Where'd you get those great costumes?" Poland: "Please, sir, Mr. Director, can you speak to me of suffering?"

The Perfect Storm's round tables are quite useful. The publicists don't hover, and if the actors are game, sometimes a conversational dynamic takes over so you barely notice the sea of tape recorders.

Gail Katz, the film's producer, is asked about the enormous marketing push behind this film: asked, in effect, about the helicopters and the lobster. With admirable openness, she says that the film cost US$115-million and will be opening on more than 3,000 screens next Friday, so her agenda is the studio's agenda: They want people to see it. As for the hoopla, it will die down, the journalists will be alone with their computers eventually, and the film will have to stand on its own two feet. "I don't believe you can legislate a blockbuster," she says.

And then there's Wahlberg, a man with an otherworldly dose of sex appeal. Mr. Good Vibrations looked in my eyes and answered my tongue-tied question (which sounded in my head like those Peanuts parents: Wah-wah-wah). I must admit, if anyone had asked me what I thought about The Perfect Storm at that moment I would have shouted: "The Perfect Storm rocks!", adding: "I have the best job in the wehld!"

Celebrities have star power. That is why they are stars. It's a power that should not be underestimated -- and one, readers should know, that could cloud anybody's judgment.

I think George is a nice guy, but no one else seems to like him."
-- Mark Wahlberg (talking about working with George Clooney)

Entertainment Tonight: I was just talking to GEORGE CLOONEY and he said that you owe him big time for this role. He said, "When do the payments start?"

Mark Walberg: I do, but I got him into 'Three Kings.' I was in 'Three Kings' before George was. The director did not want to hire him. That is why they had that big fight. I said, "No, I want to do this movie with George Clooney." He has since returned the favor. Now, I am indebted to him because he produced my last movie, 'Metal God.' He also just hired me to do 'Ocean's Eleven' with him.

ET: Oh my gosh, they are going to start writing about you guys. It is the affair of the century!

Mark: Well, it could be worse.

ET: You guys were soaking wet for six months doing this movie. This was brutal.

Mark: Yes, it was. Well, things could always be worse. I find myself complaining. Even though when people see the movie, they will realize that there is a lot to complain about. The day after it was over, though, I missed it. I also miss my hearing.

ET: What happened?

Mark: I had gotten two ear infections from the water, so I started wearing earplugs. The are supposed to make a mold over your ear. The water cannons are so powerful that they pushed the earplug underneath and behind my eardrum. I thought that they had just fallen out at the end of the day, but when I woke up the next morning, my head was swollen. It was like there was a baseball inside my ear.

ET: Did they take you to the hospital?

Mark: I went to a specialist, and he said that he did not want to remove it, because it would have to be surgically removed. I said, "I don't think that would be good. I have to be at work in like half an hour. WOLFGANG PETERSEN (director) doesn't want to hear any crap, so just rip it out." So, he went in with the tweezers and ripped it out. Also, the last time I went swimming in my backyard, two and a half weeks ago, I got another earache. I have permanent damage! So now, Wolfgang is going to have to put me in his next movie.

ET: He owes you. There were so many stunts in this film, a lot of physicality. However, with that shark biting your leg something had to go wrong.

Mark: Yeah, lots went wrong.

ET: Did you get hurt?

Mark: I got a couple of nicks in my leg. I was talking to the shark guy and I said, "Those teeth really look real. That is great." He said, "Yeah, feel them. They are really sharp!" I kept thinking, "Wait a second, I am supposed to have my leg in his mouth!" Of course, it is an electronic shark. So when the mouth was closed with my leg in it, the shark was not powered up yet. When they powered up the shark, they did not realize that someone forgot to tell me the mouth closes another quarter of an inch. The teeth dug right into my leg. They are yelling action and the shark is moving. I am screaming, "Cut!" They were like, "Oh, this is great! Keep rolling!"

ET: It is amazing that you survived this film.

Mark: The worst was the drowning. There was this scene in the movie, the last scene of me in the movie. I don't want to give away the ending, but I am in the storm by myself. We kept trying to get this shot; it is a real tight close up. They were having a really hard time focusing because there is so much movement of the water. After like 40 takes, they decided that they were going to get a diver to just hold my legs. He was going to hold me under the water. He is still, because the water is not moving where he is. Where I am, though, the water is going over my head and he is pulling me under. I am trying to swim away from him. It was pretty ugly. I am kicking away, and he just thinks that I am trying to tread water.

ET: So, he virtually drowned you?

Mark: Almost. I literally had to swim down there and tell him to let me go. He was one of the divers that liked me too.

ET: After the hell you went through, you still got to make out with DIANE LANE. There are rewards.

Mark: There are rewards! I also got to work on the most amazing movie I have ever seen.

ET: It is a really special film. Was it emotional for you to meet the families of the lost crew?

Mark: Very. Of course, it is a very sensitive subject. We are coming into their backyard. This is their life. I am from the Boston area, so I got accepted a little easier than the other guys. I had to talk them into liking George. I think George is a nice guy, but no one else seems to like him. I don't care what everyone else says about him. I think he is all right.

ET: Was it a distraction to be so close to home and having people coming down all the time?

Mark: It was. I am a research freak, though, so I came weeks in advance. It was really quiet before everyone got here. I got everything I needed to get out of the way. I was pretty comfortable by the time everything started to happen. I am just a regular local, too. Everyone was like, "Forget him! Where is Georgey Clooney?" That is what they were worried about.

ET: You have probably been trying to loose that accent your whole life. You finally get to use it.

Mark: Yeah, I vowed not to play a guy from Boston or to use the Boston accent. I could not see myself or anyone else passing up the opportunity to be in this film.

ET: A lot of directors that you have worked with say that you are fearless. Where does that bravery come from?

Mark: I don't have anything to loose. It is just something I commit to, and I commit all the way.

ET: This is a question for all of the ladies. Is there anyone special in your life right now?

Mark: Yes! I will share that when the time is right.

ET: When people walk away from this movie, what do you want them to take home?

Mark: There are a few things. It is a film, so I hope they are entertained. It is also like being on a boat, so hopefully they keep their dinner or whatever they had before they went in. I got seasick watching it.