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The New York Times Keeps Churning Out New Movies
Filed under: Deals, Newsstand, Miramax
Now that the newspaper and magazine business has become what they call "economically challenged," everyone is on the hunt for some new revenue streams and Hollywood seems to be paying off. The current deals will see NYT writers share in the profits of the movie deals. But unlike the past, the newspaper will be the broker of the deals, instead of just subsidizing the articles, only to watch the writer hit a big pay day after optioning the piece.
The latest deal with Miramax marks the 15th property (that's right: 15) that the NYT has sold to studios since it first signed up with ICM. Some of the other high profile deals included a football vehicle for Jack Black, a political suspense tale that was purchased by Paramount for Tom Cruise (but I guess we all know how that particular deal probably turned out) and the recently announced J.J Abrams thriller. But the NYT is not alone in looking for bucks on the big screen; high profile papers like The Wall Street Journal have also been getting in on the act.
So is it official? Has Hollywood become so strapped for fresh ideas that they can only make it to their front doorstep for something new? Sound off below on this trend and tell us what you think.
Move Aside Brangelina, Miramax is Headed for the 'Prom'
Now Variety reports that Miramax films have sealed the deal to bring This Strange Thing Called Prom to the big screen. However, they've only got the premise right now. Either they're going to create their own idea from this story, or move on and get the rights from each of the kids involved. As of now, no producer or writer has been attached.
If you're not familiar with Brooke Hauser's article, it follows a bunch of high school seniors at an international high school who are getting ready for prom. Instead of the usual band of promgoers, these kids come from all over the world, areas from Venezuela to Poland. But it's not all magical dances and perfect memories, and the experience "ranged from magical to miserable." But what's particularly cute about this story is that it's a bunch of international students who know nothing of prom coming together, researching the world of prom, and throwing their own. Just their discussions on what prom should be are worth the read.
And here's to hoping they keep the story and diversity in tact.
New 'Blindness' Trailer Online
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Cannes, Movie Marketing, Miramax, Trailers and Clips
UPDATE: Here's the trailer in Quicktime quality.
Of all the films I'm looking forward to this fall, Blindness ranks fairly high up there. Canadian distributor Alliance has just made available a full trailer that proves to be fairly intriguing, as an optometrist (Mark Ruffalo) and his seemingly immune wife (Julianne Moore) cope with an inexplicable epidemic of sight loss.
I'm a sucker for most anything vaguely apocalyptic, and while this very well could turn out to be akin to watching the first act of Children of Men through a milk-filled mask (which I've done, mind you), the prestige behind the project* says otherwise. We have acclaimed screenwriter Don McKellar adapting Nobel-Laureate José Saramago's novel, with Academy Award nominee Fernando Meirelles directing a cast that also includes Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Alice Braga, and Sandra Oh.
I must say, going off that taste and last spring's teaser, I still like the look, sound, and feel of this one, especially Moore's little retort (you know the one), and that's not to mention that any trailer which employs John Murphy's underrated score from last year's Sunshine to set a rightfully ominous tone is always fine by me. We'll get to see (sorry) what trials and tribulations await the world on September 19th.
*Not to mention Rocchi's review of the film from its Cannes world premiere.
What's in Harvey Weinstein's Recycling Bin?
Filed under: RumorMonger, The Weinstein Co., Michael Moore, Miramax
So what is Harvey Weinstein throwing away? Lots of copies of screenplays, naturally, as well as daily sheets (prepared by an assistant, no doubt) listing phone calls he needs to make or return. As you might imagine, the roster of people seeking Weinstein's attention is staggering, with actors, agents, lawyers, producers, and reporters all vying for his time. Michael Moore called him on April 25 and Weinstein didn't return the call for over a month. I'd say being able to ignore Michael Moore for a full month is the very definition of power.
Strangely, Weinstein's e-mails are printed out for him to peruse. (Maybe he gets eye strain from looking at a computer monitor? Maybe he just likes wasting paper?) There were some pretty interesting tidbits in the copies he tossed, including lots of stuff about the Weinstein-produced Project Runway, if you're into that.
Revisiting 'Brideshead Revisited'
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Casting, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Miramax, Cinematical Indie
One of my favorite classic novels, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, is coming your way in a new adaptation starring what looks to be a perfectly suited cast. Matthew Goode, (Match Point, The Lookout) stars as Charles Ryder, the tale's protagonist and narrator, who befriends the wealthy Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw). When Sebastian brings Charles for a visit to his family's estate, Brideshead Castle, Charles meets Sebastian's sister, Lady Julia Flyte (Hayley Atwell, Cassandra's Dream).
Emma Thompson plays Lady Marchmain, Sebastian and Julia's aristocratic mother, a Roman Catholic for whom her husband, Lord Marchmain, converted his faith from Anglican; in the book, at least, Catholicism is an influence on both the lives and conversations of the characters, especially Lady Marchmain, who uses the duel thumbscrews of guilt and manipulation to control others ... this is a character Thompson can really sink her teeth into, and I look forward to seeing her take on the role.
Weinsteins Turn All Their Movies Into Broadway Musicals
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Music & Musicals, Exhibition, The Weinstein Co., Miramax, Cinematical Indie
These certainly aren't the first movies to be
So far, it appears TWC is only adapting Miramax films, from back when the Weinsteins were in charge there, but maybe one day we'll get to see "Grindhouse: The Musical" or a stage adaptation of Fanboys (maybe it can even hit the stage before theaters, at the rate it's going).
Indie Weekend Box Office: 'War, Inc.' Dominates
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Sony Classics, Box Office, Miramax, Cinematical Indie, Samuel Goldwyn Films
Roger Spottiswoode's drama The Children of Huang Shi (Sony Pictures Classics) did not fare any better with our critic, Nick Schager, who felt that the film is "a TV movie in disguise, a handsomely staid affair that prefers skin-deep elegance to psychological or historical substance." Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as a reporter that helped a school of orphaned children in 1937 China; Chow Yun-Fat plays a rebel and Radha Mitchell a nurse. Opening at seven theaters, The Children of Huang Shi averaged $6,036 per screen.
Good returns were also enjoyed by Joachim Trier's Reprise (Miramax), which expanded to 14 theaters in its second week and took in $6,614 per screen, and Claude Lelouch's Roman de Gare (Samuel Goldwyn), which added 11 more locations in its fifth week and increased nicely to $4,485 per screen.
Indie Weekend Box Office: 'Reprise' and 'Sangre' Lead the Way
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, IFC, Box Office, Miramax, Cinematical Indie, Paramount Vantage, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Roadside Attractions
Mexican film Sangre de mi Sangre (AKA Padre Nuestro) (IFC Films) nestled into the #2 spot, earning $8,500 at one theater in Manhattan. The film follows two teenagers, one honest, one dishonest, trying to reach their disparate goals (reuniting with family, making money). Eric D. Snider noted: "The trouble is that the film is so bleak as to be almost hopeless ... Its grimness is not matched by its excellence."
Cinematical's Erik Davis raved about German director Christian Petzold's Yella (Cinema Guild) when he saw it at the Berlin film festival last year: "Like a drug, Yella slowly creeps on you long after the end credits roll, takes hold of your body and doesn't let go until you're convinced it was one of the best films this year's Berlinale had to offer." Opening at two theaters, the film made $3,450 per screen.
Despite good reviews (82% positive at Rotten Tomatoes), Georgina Garcia Riedel's How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (Maya Releasing) failed to make an impact, opening at 84 theaters and marshaling just $1,040 per screen, per Mr. Klady's estimate.
Interview: 'Reprise' Director Joachim Trier
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Podcasts, Interviews, Miramax
Dressed in an impeccable suit and a pair of hip trainers, Joachim Trier looks like one of the characters in his acclaimed film Reprise. He seems like one of Reprise's characters, as well; bright, self-aware, given to both bold pronouncements and sly moments of self-deprecation. Trier's film won accolades on the festival circuit and even won Norway's Amanda award for best direction and best screenplay; chronicling the lives of two best friends with shared ambitions of literary glory, Reprise manages to be clever without being cool, hip without being insular, and conveys both the better natures and the human flaws of its characters. It's also startlingly funny, and while all the hip narrative touches in the film are clearly deliberate, they manage to be cool without ever for a moment seeming cold.
Trier spoke with Cinematical in Los Angeles about writing Reprise, the challenges of getting a European film to an American audience, the universal fashion code of Fred Perry shirts and how he's already said "No" to the idea of remaking his own film for American audiences. This interview, like all of Cinematical's podcast offerings, is now available through iTunes; if you'd like, you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:
(Interview transcribed after the jump)
Review: Reprise
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Theatrical Reviews, Family Films, Miramax, Cinematical Indie
Philip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klouman-Hoiner) are best friends. They're both aspiring novelists. And at the beginning of Reprise, they both stand, hesitant, on the street in front of a mailbox, and put their manuscripts in. And the camera follows their hopes and aspirations into the darkness, and the film rockets forward, a narrator detailing the reception of their novels and what that does to their lives, who finds acclaim and who does not, the setbacks and triumphs of each of their careers, with jump cuts and film clips and rambling elaborations and bizarre left-field concepts and rapid-fire narration piled one atop the other. And then we're back in the here-and-now, as Phillip and Erik stand in front of the postal box, looking slightly abashed, wondering what exactly it is they're supposed to do next. Maybe what we saw was a dream, or a lie; we're going to have to wait and see what happens next, just like they have to.
Directed by Joachim Trier, Reprise is one of the most brilliant, heartfelt, exciting and exuberant feature film debuts in recent memory, and works not just as a demonstration of Trier's substantial talents but also as a superbly-made collaboration. Trier co-wrote alongside Eskil Vogt, and the film's ensemble (including Lie, Klouman-Hoiner and Viktoria Winge as Phillip's gamine girlfriend Kari) is also superb, down to seemingly-minute supporting roles that are nonetheless perfectly cast, like Eindreide Eisvold's all-seeing but hardly certain dry tone as the narrator.