Archive for the ‘Miramax’ Category
Filed under: Documentary, The Weinstein Co., Quentin Tarantino, Miramax, Cinematical Indie
Here’s a curious story we missed when it was first posted by the New York Times last week. So thanks to Simon Dang at The Playlist, who likely himself caught the article late via yesterday’s correction. Apparently there are two competing documentaries in the works about the independent film king Harvey Weinstein. And one of them is to be made by Quentin Tarantino.
The main focus of the Times piece is on the other film, which is being developed by Barry Avrich. He’s the director of the 2005 doc The Last Mogul, about agent-turned-studio head Lew Wasserman, and he’s reportedly just received funding for his $1 million-budgeted expose, currently titled Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project.
And sure, that project sounds plenty interesting, particularly as it’s being planned as an uncensored look at a “a brilliant, feared, charming and yet loathsome character,” who is completely unsupportive of Avrich’s topic of choice, regardless of how the former Miramax and present Weinstein Company head will be portrayed. But the Tarantino business is what we’re all really intrigued about, right?
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino to Document Harvey Weinstein?
Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Miramax
Just two weeks ago I covered the re-release of Goodfellas, and stressed the redundancy of questioning whether it was still as good as a movie as it was when it was initially released in 1990. Meanwhile, last week Buena Vista Home Entertainment re-released their Blu-ray for Gangs of New York, a film whose status is most decidedly not as assured, even among Martin Scorsese’s biggest fans.
But even though I planned to do a “Shelf Life” column on the film, it seemed more important to pencil it in for this week’s “Making The (Up) Grade,” because those who do actually like the film have long-disliked its DVD and Blu-ray iterations, and are probably more interested in knowing if the new release redeems the poor quality of its predecessors. (That said, I reserve the right to revisit Gangs of New York in future weeks to see whether or not my initial love for it proves founded or not.)
What’s Already Available:
Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Miramax
Just two weeks ago I covered the re-release of Goodfellas, and stressed the redundancy of questioning whether it was still as good as a movie as it was when it was initially released in 1990. Meanwhile, last week Buena Vista Home Entertainment re-released their Blu-ray for Gangs of New York, a film whose status is most decidedly not as assured, even among Martin Scorsese’s biggest fans.
But even though I planned to do a “Shelf Life” column on the film, it seemed more important to pencil it in for this week’s “Making The (Up) Grade,” because those who do actually like the film have long-disliked its DVD and Blu-ray iterations, and are probably more interested in knowing if the new release redeems the poor quality of its predecessors. (That said, I reserve the right to revisit Gangs of New York in future weeks to see whether or not my initial love for it proves founded or not.)
What’s Already Available:
Filed under: Deals, Executive shifts, The Weinstein Co., Miramax
Miramax Films was born in the late ’70s, the child of Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The brothers, chilling in Buffalo, had produced a number of rock concerts over the years, and in 1979 (using their parents’ names Miriam and Max) they used their cash to create Miramax Films and feed their love of cinema. The projects that would follow included The Thin Blue Line, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Pulp Fiction, and Clerks. In 1993, they sold the company to Disney, and in 2005, they left their fully grown company to create a new shingle — The Weinstein Company. Now they want their baby back?
According to Deadline Hollywood, London sources have told the site that Harvey wants to buy Miramax back from Disney, and is already working towards that goal. Since Disney isn’t doing anything with it, assumption suggests that this should be able to move forward. Harvey has already grabbed Miramax executives Peter Lawson and Lucas Webb, which is certainly a step towards the goal.
The original break from Disney was due to feuds with Michael Eisner, who left the company himself in 2005. No Eisner, no fued … Will the Weinsteins be successful? And if they do, would moving back to the world of Miramax renew their fame and success like The Weinstein Company failed to do? Is there that much in a name, even if it’s named after one’s parents?
Filed under: Executive shifts, Disney, Distribution, The Weinstein Co., Miramax
Well, so much for that. Right on the heels of the Deadline news that the Weinsteins wanted their Miramax back, The Wrap reports that the studio is closing. The New York and Los Angeles offices are being shut down, eighty people are losing their jobs, and there’s no buyout in sight. It seems Disney didn’t respond to buyout options, although Bob Iger said he would sell the studio outright for the oh-so-reasonable price of $1.5 billion.
Harvey said of the news: “I’m feeling very nostalgic right now. I know the movies made on my and my brother Bob’s watch will live on as well as the fantastic films made under the direction of Daniel Battsek. Miramax has some brilliant people working within the organization and I know they will go on to do great things in the industry.”
More than a name is dead. There are six movies waiting for distribution, three of which we’ve noted before.
Continue reading Miramax Dies … What About the Remaining Projects?
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, Sony Classics, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, Cinematical Seven, Lists, Miramax, Paramount Vantage
I guess it’s a moderate spoiler to admit that tonight’s Cinematical Seven was intended to correspond with today’s home video release of the Sam Rockwell sci-fi drama, Moon, but even if I’ve tipped you off as to what the movie reveals within twenty minutes, I hope that not knowing the exact how’s and why’s of his situation intrigue you enough to still check it out. The reason I and others were so high on it was because Rockwell gave such a uniquely multi-layered performance as his lonely astronaut that I wanted to celebrate other notable dual performances by a single actor.
For the record, I’ve left off David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers because, well, I haven’t seen it yet — nor Multiplicity, while we’re being honest here — and I opted to exclude split-personality performances, similarly impressive though they may be (after some reluctance, I just had to take A History of Violence out of the running before all sorts of Jekyll/Hyde-esque condemnations came my way (Viggo’s great in that all the same)).
As usual, your comments/suggestions are welcome, and as usual, we didn’t snub anyone or anything on purpose. Except for the Eddie Murphy romps. They’ll probably get their own Cine 7 someday.
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, Sony Classics, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, Cinematical Seven, Lists, Miramax, Paramount Vantage
I guess it’s a moderate spoiler to admit that tonight’s Cinematical Seven was intended to correspond with today’s home video release of the Sam Rockwell sci-fi drama, Moon, but even if I’ve tipped you off as to what the movie reveals within twenty minutes, I hope that not knowing the exact how’s and why’s of his situation intrigue you enough to still check it out. The reason I and others were so high on it was because Rockwell gave such a uniquely multi-layered performance as his lonely astronaut that I wanted to celebrate other notable dual performances by a single actor.
For the record, I’ve left off David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers because, well, I haven’t seen it yet — nor Multiplicity, while we’re being honest here — and I opted to exclude split-personality performances, similarly impressive though they may be (after some reluctance, I just had to take A History of Violence out of the running before all sorts of Jekyll/Hyde-esque condemnations came my way (Viggo’s great in that all the same)).
As usual, your comments/suggestions are welcome, and as usual, we didn’t snub anyone or anything on purpose. Except for the Eddie Murphy romps. They’ll probably get their own Cine 7 someday.
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Sony Classics, Universal, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, James Bond, Lists, Miramax, Best/Worst, War, Daniel Craig
Cinematical is about to launch into our best-of-the-’00s series, with a different writer tackling a different genre over these last few weeks of the aughts (or whatever it was we decided to call this decade). Yours truly has been tasked with sifting out the most exciting action flicks these years have had to offer, and in the list-making equivalent of flinching, I’ve decided to divide them up by superlative instead of ranking them in order of awesomeness.
Oh, and before you comment away about what’s missing (which we do want), I have left off The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United and The Incredibles, so they may be included in any superhero or animated list to come. If those movies are left off those lists, then by all means, give them hell. I might even join you.
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Sony Classics, Universal, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, James Bond, Lists, Miramax, War, Daniel Craig
Cinematical is about to launch into our best-of-the-’00s series, with a different writer tackling a different genre over these last few weeks of the aughts (or whatever it was we decided to call this decade). Yours truly has been tasked with sifting out the most exciting action flicks these years have had to offer, and in the list-making equivalent of flinching, I’ve decided to divide them up by superlative instead of ranking them in order of awesomeness.
Oh, and before you comment away about what’s missing (which we do want), I have left off The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United and The Incredibles, so they may be included in any superhero or animated list to come. If those movies are left off those lists, then by all means, give them hell. I might even join you.
Filed under: Other Festivals, Miramax
Several months ago while Quentin Tarantino promoted Inglourious Basterds, he mentioned that he might only make a few more films before he retires because, as he said, he didn’t want to make “old man” movies. If anyone is unclear as to precisely what an “old man” movie is, they need look no further than Everybody’s Fine, Robert De Niro’s latest film, about a father trying to reconnect with his adult children after the death of his wife.
De Niro, once an indisputable fount of actorly integrity and hard work, has in recent years played a series of characters that either demanded little of his oft-discussed commitment, or exploited his persona as an intimidating figure both on and off screen. And while the character he plays here indicates a return to the kind of character work that made him a screen icon, there’s no denying that the film itself is the cinematic equivalent of career achievement award, which is why Everybody’s Fine is well-done and effective but too treacly to be truly powerful.
