the weinstein co. Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Sin City is the series that just can't catch a break. Last week, IESB.net was reporting that the Weinstein Company / Dimension had lost the rights to Sin City, and that the franchise was being quietly shopped around. The rumors were hotly denied by the Weinsteins ... but now The Hollywood Reporter is saying the same darn thing.

While the Weinsteins continue to maintain that they hold the rights, producers all around town are saying that Frank Miller's "estate" has been shopping around those same rights. It's unclear if they have lapsed due to the failure to renew or move on the property, but it seems strange that they could have expired so soon.

This is a rumor that I think we all hope comes true. I'd like to see Sin City land at a studio willing to actually put A Dame to Kill For into production instead of just talking about it. It's been four (count 'em, four) years since Sin City, with "production starting in a matter of weeks!" reports being issued every three months or so. The talent remains enthusiastic and attached. Fans are clamoring for the rest of the sleazy series. It's a no brainer for any other studio, but the Weinstein Company seems to believe delaying films until the end of the world is a sound business principle.

What would you like to see ultimately happen with the next Sin City movie, and who do you think would take the best care of it?

Just as the Inglourious Basterds teaser talk died down, and "I want my scalps!" faded from Facebook and Twitter updates comes "Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France ..."

Yep, Basterds has a new tagline, and we've got something else to whet your appetite for Nazi carnage, as three brand new bloody posters have debuted online. Their origin is a little murky -- Empire is claiming them as an exclusive, as is IGN and Ain't It Cool News, but they're here now, and can be found in our Basterds gallery:





Striking, aren't they? Everyone will have a favorite! (Mine's the rifle.) Whatever you think of the teaser, you can't deny that they're a little bit brilliant. Quentin Tarantino's posters are always things of beauty, and especially welcome in a world of increasingly bland and Photoshopped floating heads. Will these become staples of dorm rooms and film fanatic dens like the Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill posters have? In fact, if you're one of those who still has Pulp Fiction framed on your wall, I suggest you replace it with one (or all) of these. Not only will guests assume that by idolizing Tarantino you know buckets about grindhouse cinema and spaghetti westerns, they'll also realize you're in favor of Nazi smackdowns and scalpings. You'll be the coolest person they know.

Interviews with Viggo Mortensen are a rather rare and wonderful thing -- or at least ones that don't get all coy and snarky over his remarkable intelligence and publishing company. So, when I saw Capone's interview with Mortensen over at Ain't It Cool News, I had to share it with you all.

His thoughts on the upcoming Good are too long and interesting to crop and paste here -- but what I will post is his disappointment over The Road being delayed. Despite starring in the film, he is unsure what's going on with it. "My understanding is that they know that they've got a story that a lot of people want to see, because of the book. And, the people that read the book, which are many, were very moved by it and by this relationship between this boy and this man, in particular, in that setting. And, I think that they are really aware of the fact that they've got one chance to do it, and if there's any little things that they still want to work on a little more, to get it just right, whether it's the music --I don't know what it is -- a variety of things, they want to do it right. And, if you rush it out before you feel in good conscience it's there ... So, I am disappointed. I wanted to see it. I want to see how it is."

He's also concerned that the film might be released at the wrong time of year, and is hoping for a fall release. "What I hope they don't do is then just put it out in February or something. I hope they wait and do it at the right time. I don't know." (Yes, Weinstein Co. Release The Road in the fall, please. No February or March dump!)

As I mention every chance I get, we at Cinematical looooove Steve Conrad's scrappy little comedy The Promotion. And now we have the official poster (courtesy of those folks over at The Weinstein Co.), which contains the words that are music to our ears: "Coming This June." Of course it's a Weinstein Co. special, so you never know, but this is certainly a good sign. The film recently had a promo screening here in Philadelphia (probably another good sign), and I convinced a few prominent local critics to attend. That means that if they didn't like it, they probably now hate me. But so be it.

According to the Weinstein Co. website, The Promotion -- which remains my favorite film of the year -- has an official release date of June 6th. And if you promise to go see it, I promise I'll shut up about it for a while.

Who's really behind the campaign to boycott all Weinstein Co. films until the original cut of Fanboys is shown in theaters? And are they the same group of people everyone thinks is behind this whole thing? I'll leave it at that. As you've probably already noticed, the whole Fanboys debacle heated up once again today when a press release announcing the Weinsteins plans to release both versions (cancer version, non-cancer version) of the film on DVD, while they "explore" theatrical options, hit the inbox of every movie blogger in the known universe.

This came on the heels of a potential boycott of the latest Weinstein Co. release, Superhero Movie, by a group of Star Wars fans who simply want to see one version -- the original version -- of their beloved Fanboys up on the big screen. Since the press release, the group has responded with plans to still go ahead and stage two large Superhero Movie protests this Friday in New York and Los Angeles. According to a Cinematical source close to the production, no one involved in the film (producers, director, etc ...) were made aware of these newest developments prior to the press release hitting the public. And apparently some folks are pissed.

They're pissed the film is being yanked around. They're pissed at the lack of progress. And they're pissed that the new director brought on (Steve Brill) knows jack about Star Wars. Seriously. Word has it the dude never even saw the original Star Wars when he was hired to re-shoot Fanboys. (But that's a rumor, it hasn't been confirmed and you didn't hear it from me ...)

We've had to wait a little bit, but the LA Times reveals today the title and plot description of Kevin Smith's new comedy -- Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Pic, which will most likely begin production this coming February in Minnesota, is described by Smith as being "a bawdy sex comedy with heart." Picked up by The Weinstein Co. after Smith had only written the title, Zack and Miri Make a Porno will chronicle two friends (yes, Zack and Miri) who, upon reaching their 30s with nothing to show for it, lots of rent problems and a 15-year high school reunion looming in the distance, decide to try and ignite an amateur porn enterprise. I imagine that might be a bit tricky in Minnesota ... during the dead of winter.

Smith goes on to say that it's ".... dirty, with nudity. But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity." But before he dives into that, Smith hopes to first shoot his "horror" flick Red State for a measly $3 million. Aiming to give that flick a "naturalistic, drive-in feel," it appears the plot will center on a group of outsiders who stumble into "fundamentalism gone to the extreme" somewhere in Middle America. But that's all we know so far; apparently, Smith is keeping the Red State script a secret from everyone and, those interested, need an invite from Smith in order to read it. An interesting sidenote is that Rosario Dawson (who starred in Clerks II) is supposed to give it a read this week, which may or may not mean there might be a role for her somewhere in there.

Personally, I think both ideas have potential (although this isn't the first time the whole "amateur porn" angle has been used in a comedy). Honestly, I know the jokes will be funny; I'm more curious about who he casts. Will Smith call up some of his regulars, or will we get to see some fresh faces? Will he dip into the Apatow pack for Zack and Miri? Oh, and Kevin (since I know you're reading this), do drop your pals at Cinematical a line when you have some casting news (erik@cinematical.com) -- we'd love to hear from you.

In an attempt to solve their little box office problem, it appears The Weinstein Co. tested the waters this past weekend with Grindhouse; in some cases, Planet Terror and Death Proof were screened separately, while in other theaters they were screened together, but with an intermission instead of those fake trailers. The final verdict? Nothing changed. In fact, business got worse. (And it's strange, because everyone I've spoken with that saw it over the weekend said their theater was pretty packed.) According to JoBlo, they spoke to someone buried deep within The Weinstein Co. (where the vibe around the office could probably best be described as somber) and word is they've officially abandoned all plans to re-release Grindhouse later this summer as two separate films. Yay!

Harvey Weinstein reminds me of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in a lot of ways, in that he hates to lose ... especially with his best team on the field. It's possible he still has something up his sleeve regarding the Grindhouse theatrical release, though chances are folks are now looking toward the DVD. If you ask me, we'll probably see the films split up on DVD initially before receiving some sort of super deluxe extended version of Grindhouse at a later date. Here's my question: How will the Grindhouse snafu affect the rest of this summer's slate? Even though most of you felt the low box office figures had more to do with content than length, reports claim studios are contemplating trimming some of their films down.

In the last day or so, I've heard that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix might be getting chopped before hitting theaters. And, today, word is spreading that Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End comes in at just under three hours. Will Disney cave to the Grindhouse pressure and trim their film as well? It's highly unlikely, but I'll be curious to see if the always dangerous three-hour mark becomes the next "no fly zone" in Hollywood from here on out. What do you think?

Depending on which source you believe -- there's about a ten-thousand dollar difference -- Grindhouse is either holding onto the tenth spot for the weekend or it has slipped into eleventh place, behind Wild Hogs. With Friday estimates included, the film's total cume is $16.7 million; that gives it a second-weekend drop of 74%, which is just terrible any way you slice it. The per-screen average for the film is $494, which as Deadline Hollywood points out, means its "playing in near-empty theaters." If these numbers hold for Saturday, then more Americans will have turned out this weekend to see Redline, which is a movie I never gave a moment's thought to until I had to edit a review that someone did for this website yesterday, than Grindhouse, which arrived in theaters with major advertising campaign fully supported by the national media and all of the fanboy-support that the online community can muster. Wow.

I don't expect the failure of Grindhouse to have any effect on Robert Rodriguez's career, frankly. He is currently prepping Sin City 2, which is a film that will undoubtedly do big business and be well-received and erase memories of Grindhouse, but I wonder how the failure will affect Quentin Tarantino. Are the Weinsteins going to gamble on fronting his war movie, Inglorious Bastards, or are they going to gently push him towards a less expensive-sounding endeavor? Will they chalk this whole thing up to the bad taste of the American public and continue to support their signature star, much the way Warner Bros. supported Stanley Kubrick all those years? I certainly hope so.

In an attempt to grab a taste of every niche market out there, the Weinstein boys are looking to go where no Jew has gone before -- their forming a faith-based distribution label, and have partnered with Christian shingle Impact Entertainment on a first-look production deal. Yes folks, the Weinstens are on a quest to find Jesus in hopes the man will bring them lots and lots of money. Is it just me, or is this whole deal just a tiny bit odd? Then again, the Weinsteins are businessmen, and if there's a hungry audience out there, you bet they're going after them -- regardless of whether or not they celebrate Chanukah.

In a deal that's similar to the one they forged with Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson (oh yes, the boys have officially gone urban as well), The Weinstein Co. will finance, co-produce and distribute approximately six theatrical titles per year, as well as a number of straight-to-DVD releases through their homevid label Genius Products. Oh, but they're not the first giants to jump into the holy water-filled pool, Fox has already announced their own faith-based division, FoxFaith, in which the studio will help distribute (but not produce) 12 films per year.

The first two theatrical gigs for TWC will be adaptations of The Penny, by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford, and The Christmas Candle, by Max Lucado. Says Bob Weinstein about the deal, "This is a rapidly emerging and important area in the entertainment industry, and this deal fits perfectly into our strategy of acquiring and producing films that target niche audiences." I have no problem with that, so long as they eventually throw us Jews a bone too. Oh wait, perhaps that's asking a bit too much from a couple of boys named Weinstein. Oh well.