'Adventureland' Apr 2, 2009
What(ex: pizza or concert). Where(ex: 85004, Phoenix). (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Back to the future in Hollywood Mar 23, 2009
Even the high-brow Miramax ("Doubt") and Fox Searchlight ("The Wrestler") appear to be tilting more heavily toward the pack-'em-in middle. Miramax is about to release "Adventureland," a teenager comedy billed as a romp on par with "Superbad" from 2007. (International Herald Tribune)
Saturn Noms Unveiled Mar 12, 2009
(Changeling) (Universal) () (Miramax) () (First Look Studios) (Iron Man) (Paramount / Marvel). Best Supporting Actor. (IGN FilmForce)
Jen, John Coming to NYC Feb 24, 2009
His guests included Clare Danes and Hugh Dancy, Miramax chief Daniel Battsek who just hosted his own bash for Doubt and for director Mike Leigh at the new London Hotel, plus a natty and healthy Dominick Dunne, Milla Jovovich, Peggy Siegal, a whole gang from The Reader including Stephen Daldry, David Kross, producer Donna Gigliotti, and Frost/Nixon writer Peter Morgan (he also wrote The Queen). Why weren t some of these people at the annual Beverly Hills Hotel bash for the Motion Picture Fund. (Fox News)
5 questions with Viola Davis Feb 22, 2009
by John Metz - Feb. 20, 2009 12:00 AM McClatchy Newspapers. DALLAS - Viola Davis seemingly has rocketed onto the scene with her strong performance as Mrs. Miller in "Doubt," a role that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Newsweek: Weinstein on 'Reader,' who will win Feb 18, 2009
This one begins 12 years ago, when the then-head of Miramax was pulling an all-nighter to care for his sick daughter. As she slept, he started to read Bernhard Schlink's "The Reader," a novel about a teenage boy in postwar Germany who falls for an older woman with a sinister past. (MSNBC -- Movies)
Blu-ray: A viewers' guide Feb 17, 2009
I couldn't fit in every standout release in the list above, so here are another dozen: "Band of Brothers" (HBO), "Batman Begins" (Warner), "The Bourne Trilogy" (Universal), "Dark City: Director's Cut" (New Line), "The Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition" (Warner) "The Last Emperor" (Criterion), "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (Disney), "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax), "Planet of the Apes: 40th Anniversary Collection" (Fox) "Sleeping Beauty" (Disney), "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount),... (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
More Business Stories Technology Headlines Oscars guessing game goes online Feb 17, 2009
"And I'm doing this website that I created from scratch, and all of a sudden a publicist calls me one day from Miramax and wants to talk to me about coverage. At the time I was shocked; now it's old hat." O'Neil meanwhile said that the Oscar blogs have evolved from merely predicting the winners and losers: in some cases they have actually helped shape the line-up of nominees. "We've affected the races, definitely," O'Neil said. (Yahoo! Asia News)
MORE: Eight scene-stealers to keep an eye on Feb 16, 2009
Penn by Focus Features; Rourke, Ledger, Cruz and Davis by AP; Winslet by The Weinstein Co.; Streep by Miramax Films; Shannon by Reuters. Posted. (USA Today -- Life)
It's the year of the actor at the 81st Academy Awards Feb 16, 2009
Meryl Streep is up for a best-actress Oscar for her performance as a nun in Doubt. By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY The poster for the 81st edition of the Academy Awards proclaims Sunday night's telecast (ABC, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT) as "The Biggest Movie Event of the Year.". (USA Today -- Life)
Top 250 Movies of 2008 Feb 10, 2009
There Will Be Blood (Par Vantage-Miramax) ... No Country for Old Men (Miramax-Par Vantage) ... Smart People (Miramax). (Variety)
Scary Movie 4 Feb 8, 2009
It marks the first chart-topper for the new company founded by the former Miramax bosses ... "We have a formula that works," says Bob Weinstein, co-founder of the Weinstein Co., launched last year by Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein after they split with Miramax's Disney parent. (Xinhuanet, China -- Entertainment)
Spielberg and Disney reportedly near a deal Feb 8, 2009
Miramax, another Disney division, is having modest box-office success with "Doubt" but is a shadow of its former self. Disney has been quietly weighing the sale of the unit. (International Herald Tribune)
Safran bows digital offshoot Mar 31, 2008
Paramount, Nickelodeon, Fox, Disney, New Line, Lionsgate, Miramax, MTV and Turner Broadcasting ... Paramount, Nickelodeon, Fox, Disney, New Line, Lionsgate, Miramax, MTV and Turner Broadcasting. (Hollywood Reporter)
Slanguage Dictionary Mar 28, 2008
" conglom -- conglomerate; "Miramax was a privately owned company until it was acquired by the Disney conglom ... mini-major -- Big film production companies that are supposedly smaller than the majors although such companies as Miramax, Polygram and New Line compete directly with the big studios; "The producers are in talks with several studios, including the mini-major New Line.". (Variety)
SHOTGUN STORIES Mar 28, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008 Last Update: 09:05 AM EDT. March 28, 2008 -- AS a general rule, I avoid rec ommending movies with brothers named Son, Boy and Kid. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Hollywood Assassination: Secret Screenplay 'Exposes' Indie Film World Mar 28, 2008
That s because Biskind s book was unkind and inaccurate appraisal of the Sundance Film Festival, Redford and the old Miramax Films, including the Weinstein brothers. Related. (Fox News)
MGM's Parent hires Cale Boyter Mar 27, 2008
Sands, the former chief operating officer of DreamWorks and Miramax, was brought in by Sloan in 2006 to leverage the MGM library for distribution platforms and to create new content opportunities for the studio. Boyter spent the past 10 years at New Line working on such projects as "Elf," "Wedding Crashers" and "A History of Violence." He joined New Line in 1998 as an executive assistant and most recently shepherded "Semi-Pro," the Gavin O'Connor-directed "Pride " and "Journey 3D: To the Center... (Variety)
'Whos' on first at box Mar 25, 2008
But it also enjoyed strong word-of-mouth publicity in cinemas dominated by English-language crowds, where business picked up strongly over the course of the weekend, said Weinstein Co. co-founder Harvey Weinstein, whose had found success with foreign-language films such as "Cinema Paradiso" and "Amelie" when he ran Miramax. Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Co. plan to gradually roll "Under the Same Moon" out to more theaters in the coming weeks. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Does Profanity Reign Supreme? Mar 23, 2008
But wait: The same Robert Iger just last summer announced that Disney would bow to members of Congress and drop all smoking scenes from its family films and discourage such scenes in its Touchstone and Miramax pictures. Why would those requests for less smoking be a reasonable and admirable cause worth endorsing, but pleas for less swearing are an unbearable oppression. (Human Events Online)
The talented Mr. Minghella: Late director crafted ambitious epics Mar 19, 2008
The English Patient (1996, Miramax, $20) ... Cold Mountain (2003, Miramax, $15). (USA Today -- Life)
New Lantos venture takes aim at Alliance Mar 15, 2008
Their main competition is long-time colleague Victor Loewy, now head of Alliance Films, who has contracts with Hollywood studios such as New Line Cinema, Miramax Films, the Weinstein Co. and Focus Features. These produce some of the biggest films made in Hollywood each year. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Shaye kept New Line afloat Mar 7, 2008
The parallels with the Weinstein's Miramax Films and parent Disney are unavoidable ... "You're seeing the dethronement of personality in favor of low-cost, low-risk, lower-exposure, controllable people," says one ex-Miramax staffer. (Variety)
City of Men Review Mar 4, 2008
Miramax takes you back to the City of God. IGN reviews City of God follow-up and speaks to director Paulo Morelli. (IGN FilmForce)
Majors vow to reclaim Oscar spotlight Mar 3, 2008
Feb. 29, 2008, 5:08pm PT More Oscars News Studios need to rethink strategies2/29/2008 H'wood grumbles that show needs overhaul2/29/2008 Music, foreign, docu categories under fire2/29/2008 Miramax widens release after Oscar wins2/26/2008 Telecast nabs smallest audience on record2/25/2008 For the past few years, the studios niche divisions have dominated the Academy Awards ... The niche divisions Focus Features, Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, etc ... Miramax was aggressively pursuing kudos... (Variety)
Fathers and Sons in Gloom Above Rios Sunny Beaches Mar 1, 2008
Vantoen Pereira Jr./Miramax Films ... Directed by Paulo Morelli; written (in Portuguese, with English subtitles) by Elena Sorez, based on a story by Mr. Morelli and Ms. Sorez; director of photography, Adriano Goldman; edited by Daniel Rezende; music by Antonio Pinto; art director, Rafael Ronconi; produced by Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, and Mr. Morelli; released by Miramax Films. (New York Times)
NB stylist celebrates 'killer bob' with own Oscar party Feb 28, 2008
(Richard Foreman/ Courtesy of Miramax Films). Videos. (Globe and Mail)
Oscar party circuit Feb 26, 2008
At the end of the night, the Disney/Miramax contingent and many others repaired to the Bar Marmont on Sunset for a loud, raucous party dominated by infectious 80s dance music ... Photo: Ratatouille director Brad Bird with his wife and his Oscar on the way out of the Governor's Ball and heading toward the Miramax post-Oscar party at Bar Marmont ... Tonight I did go to a lovely Miramax fete at the unfinished penthouse at Sunset Boulevard's Luckman Plaza, a 60s classic designed by Charles Luckman... (Variety)
News Analysis In Los Angeles, Oscar Statues Become a Popular Export Feb 26, 2008
Daniel Battsek, chief executive of Miramax, and Peter Rice, president of Fox Searchlight, are both British and both in the thick of things. This year Miramax had a piece of No Country, There Will Be Blood, and Diving Bell and the Butterfly. (New York Times)
A wall of publicists surrounds Hollywood Feb 25, 2008
Old hands trace its roots to Miramax Films, where the co-founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein made a breakthrough in 1995: Pumped up with financing from a new corporate parent, the Walt Disney Company, the Weinsteins used an already well-honed promotional machine to help snag seven Academy Awards nominations for "Pulp Fiction.". "You couldn't help but notice their presence, and it wasn't simply ad-driven," said Tony Angellotti, a Los Angeles-based publicist who worked with the Weinsteins and now... (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
A long, violent journey for Coens Feb 25, 2008
Throughout the film's long theatrical run, Rudin and Miramax Films kept reminding auds, critics and Oscar voters of that literary and cinematic pedigree ... Miramax's marketing campaign delicately balanced the film's high culture against its crowd-pleasing genre elements ... ("No Country"'s $30 million cost was split by Paramount Vantage and Miramax. (Variety)
Box office boost for 'Country' Feb 25, 2008
"No Country," like "There Will Be Blood" -- which won for actor and cinematography -- is a Miramax-Paramount Vantage co-production. Miramax is domestic distrib of "No Country"; Vantage is domestic distrib of "Blood.". (Variety)
Vantage Point tops box office Feb 25, 2008
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. New Line, Warner Independent... (The Palm Beach Post)
Check out other offerings from Oscar's top filmmakers Feb 25, 2008
Limiting his literary revamps merely to those films on DVD, he's adapted the Claire Bloom-Anthony Hopkins version of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1973, MGM/Fox, G, $15) and the Michael Caine version of Graham Greene's The Quiet American (2002, Miramax, R, $15) ... Page will next be seen in Miramax's comedy Smart People, out April 11, with Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church. (USA Today -- Life)
Meet the Maritimer who gave Bardem his bob Feb 23, 2008
(Richard Foreman/ Courtesy of Miramax Films). MONCTON His name may not be recognized by many Canadians, but Paul LeBlanc of New Brunswick is a hairstyling legend, a status that could be solidified in Oscar gold this weekend as the architect of Javier Bardem's "killer hair" in No Country For Old Men. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Modest films, niche marketing reshape box office, Oscars Feb 22, 2008
Film: No Country for Old Men Studio: Miramax Gross receipts (in millions): $61 ... While Disney releases Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, its Miramax division puts out grown-up fare such as No Country for Old Men and Gone Baby Gone, a crime-thriller that earned a supporting-actress nomination this year for Amy Ryan ... By Richard Foreman, Miramax. (USA Today -- Life)
Madonna, Moore to fill party gap Feb 22, 2008
Documentary Assn. hosts its annual DocuDay screenings at the WGA. Both Miramax and Focus/Universal will be having dinner parties for their nominees. And Academy governor Charles Bernstein chairs the Society of Composers ists annual reception at a member's BevHills home for the music nominees. (Variety)
NY health ads urge new rating system for films with smoking Feb 20, 2008
Just last summer, Walt Disney Co. said it would ban smoking from all family-oriented Disney brand films in addition to discouraging smoking in films from its Touchstone and Miramax studios. Tobacco is featured in three out of every four G, PG and PG-13 rated movies and 90 per cent of R-rated movies, according to research from the American Legacy Foundation, a non-profit created with money from tobacco litigation in the U.S.. (CBC News)
Oscar will love Old Men Feb 20, 2008
Ditto No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, both collaborations between Miramax and Paramount Vantage. One sweeping statement that all but the most wide-eyed would endorse is The Oscars exist to sell movie tickets. (MSNBC -- News)
Countdown to Oscar Feb 19, 2008
Two leading films, No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood, were co-productions of Paramount Vantage and the independent Miramax. Atonement comes through Universal-distributed Focus Features. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Transcript: Forbes.com Buzz Feb 19, 2008
No Country for Old Men from Miramax landed eight nominations as well. But just because the Academy enjoyed the dark flick from the Coen brothers doesn't mean audiences have. (Forbes -- Business)
Underdogs take slow path to Oscar honors Feb 18, 2008
The Miramax/Paramount Vantage co-productions long journey began unusually early, at the Cannes Film Festival in May ... If Miramax had opened it a few weeks later, it would not have done nearly as well ... (Blood was also a Paramount Vantage/Miramax co-production. (MSNBC -- News)
'Jumper' leads box office Feb 18, 2008
Palm Beach Post - News from The Associated Press. Feb 17, 11:16 PM EST. (The Palm Beach Post)
Oscar faves 'Blood,' 'Country' bring Hollywood to Texas Feb 18, 2008
The hybrid Western/crime drama/action film has grossed more than $60 million in theaters and is due on DVD March 11 (Miramax, $30). Nominations: Eight. (USA Today -- Life)
Berlin fest short on hot pics Feb 16, 2008
With the exception of Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky," which Summit sold to Miramax and much of the rest of the world, the festival offered little help to buyers. The main competition's other standout film "There Will Be Blood" is a Miramax release in international territories and not available to indie buyers. (Variety)
New on DVD: Oscar nominees and old favorites Feb 15, 2008
Gone Baby Gone* * * * (out of four), 2007, Miramax, rated R, $30; Blu-ray, $35). Also "Go, Ben, Go," as Affleck directs brother Casey on a screen jammed with acting triumphs, starting with Amy Ryan's Oscar-nominated turn as New England's anti-Mother of the Year. (USA Today -- Life)
The 800-lb. Golden Gorilla Feb 15, 2008
Harvey Weinstein was so expert at campaigning when he and his brother Bob ran Miramax Films that, the prevailing wisdom has it, he cajoled his way to a Best Picture prize for the modest Shakespeare in Love over Steven Spielberg's odds-on favorite, Saving Private Ryan. Since the great majority of the voters live or work in the Los Angeles area, there is little motive to reward foreign-language films. (Time.com)
Tolkien Estate Seeks Rings Bling Feb 13, 2008
Zaentz originally owned the film rights to Tolkien's trilogy but licensed them to Miramax, which in turn passed the project onto New Line. New Line refused to say whether the Trust's legal action would have an immediate impact on the development of The Hobbit features. (E! Online)
Tolkien heirs battle for profits Feb 13, 2008
Zaentz licensed the rights to a live-action version to Miramax 19 years later. After that the package passed to New Line. (Guardian Unlimited -- Film)
`Fool's Gold' Nets $21M in Treasure Feb 12, 2008
"No Country for Old Men," Miramax, $2,214,933, 1,202 locations, $1,843 average, $58,263,567, 14 weeks ... Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Classics are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox,... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
A star's death can be a boost or a hurdle for a film Feb 8, 2008
Brandon Lee, Bruce's son, was killed at 24 by a faulty prop gun in 1993 while filming The Crow (Miramax, $20). There was enough footage to make it to release. (USA Today -- Life)
Blanchetts Oscar hopes blowin in the wind? Feb 7, 2008
Blanchetts Oscar hopes blowin in the wind. - Oscars 2008- msnbc. (MSNBC -- News)
Before Oscar falls, catch up with Bardem's other films Feb 6, 2008
So before then, DVD makes it possible to explore or review Bardem's healthy career, which includes enough potboilers to boast two comedies about phone sex: Mouth to Mouth (1995, '97 in the USA; Miramax, R, $15) and Between Your Legs (1999, TLA, unrated, $15). Among Bardem's best movies is Pedro Almod. (USA Today -- Life)
Oscar directors shun studio shackles Feb 6, 2008
Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," for example, was shot for around $10 million, financed by Pathe Pictures and picked up by Miramax at Cannes; Jason Reitman spent only $7 ... As for Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," and Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men," both were built on co-production deals between Paramount Vantage and Miramax and reported $25 million budgets. (Variety)
Hannah Montana 3-D concert tour movie scores big at box office Feb 5, 2008
"No Country For Old Men," Miramax, 2,201,984, 1,273 locations, 1,730 average, 55,148,960, 13 weeks ... Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox... (Sioux City Journal, IO)
'Hannah' Holds Box-Office Sway With $29M Feb 5, 2008
"Hollywood's box-office roll continued, with the top-12 movies taking in $101.5 million, up 43 percent from Super Bowl weekend a year ago. Movie attendance so far this year is up nearly 11 percent, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.1. "Hannah Montana Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," $29 million.2. "The Eye," $13 million.3. "27... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Oscar nominees gain big box office Feb 4, 2008
Vantage and partner Miramax had been waiting until Oscar noms to begin aggressive expansion, and the move paid off ... Miramax's "No Country for Old Men" and Warner Bros ... "No Country" -- which added another win to its war chest this weekend with the Producers Guild of America top trophy -- has the second highest cume of the five picture nominees after "Juno." Film, released in early November, is another Miramax-Vantage co-production. (Variety)
TWC taps Solomon as its first COO Feb 4, 2008
Weinstein compared Solomon's role to that played by Rick Sands in the prior regime at Miramax. "He will add a tremendous amount to the company," Weinstein said. (Variety)
`No Country' wins another top award Feb 3, 2008
The film was released by Miramax/Paramount Vantage ... This photo released by Miramax shows actor Josh Brolin in a scene from 'No Country. (Yahoo News)
Slow burn keeps 'Old Men' simmering Feb 2, 2008
"No Country for Old Men" is a textbook case of a release campaign ripped out of the old Miramax Films playbook, with a contemporary Internet twist ... It's grossed $52 million to date, $18 million of that by the end of Nov. And Miramax is looking to notch a $70 million domestic haul, even if the film doesn't win best picture on Feb. 24 ... From Cannes in May through the current Oscar season, Miramax prexy Daniel Battsek and producer Scott Rudin -- ripe with wisdom from last year's successful... (Variety)
Parker to produce art-world 'Runway' Jan 30, 2008
The Magical Elves team of Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz -- whose credits include Bravo's "Runway," "Top Chef" and the upcoming revamp of "Top Design" -- had been developing their own art project with former Miramax Television exec Eli Holzman for some time when they hooked up with Parker and her partner, Alison Benson. Latter duo had been developing their own take on the art world as well. (Variety)
Challenging fare means little buzz for best-picture nominees Jan 30, 2008
3 million people have seen No Country (from Miramax and Paramount Vantage, a division of Viacom Inc.) and 2 million have seen There Will Be Blood (also from Paramount Vantage), compared with the approximately 51 million who saw the third Rings picture in theaters by Oscar night. I had someone ask me the other day, 'Are academy voters out of touch in honoring these films that aren't popular with audiences. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Coen Brothers Win Top Directors Guild Prize Jan 29, 2008
Miramax ImageEthan and Joel Coen on the set of "No Country For Old Men". THE MOVIES. (NBCSandiego.com, CA)
'Rambo' defeated by 'Spartans' Jan 28, 2008
"This film has been a long time coming," said Harvey Weinstein, noting that his brother Bob bought the "Rambo" rights at auction when they were running Miramax, and the new film only got going when Lerner became involved more recently. "Based on these numbers, there should be another one.". (Variety)
Joel and Ethan Coen Win DGA Feature Film Award Jan 27, 2008
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM --------------------------------------------------- JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN No Country For Old Men (Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage) The Coens' Directorial Team: Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Graf First Assistant Director: Betsy Magruder Second Assistant Director: Bac DeLorme Second Second Assistant Director: Jai James This is Mr. Joel Coen's and Mr. Ethan Coen's first DGA Award. Joel Coen was previously nominated for Fargo (1996). (Primezone Releases)
