The Playlist

Bradley Cooper Enlists 'Chef' John Wells For New Cooking Drama

By Edward Davis
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May 2, 2013 6:52 PM
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2 Comments

News

The story of “Chef” is rather complicated, but let’s have a go at it. And before we get there, do not confuse this with the very-similarly sounding “Chef” project that Jon Favreau is now attached to. Written by “Eastern Promises” screenwriter Steven Wright, “Chef,” is a cooking comedy/drama that’s been in development for some years. It interested David Fincher and Keanu Reeves for a while a few years back, but the project never gained enough traction (Fincher’s short attention span went elsewhere). Owned by the house of Weinstein, Bradley Cooper became involved in the lead after Harvey Weinstein figured their “Silver Linings Playbook” went swimmingly well (Oscar noms for Cooper, over $100 million domestically, etc.). Cooper then tried to enlist his “Place Beyond The Pines” director Derek Cianfrance, and while he toyed with the idea of making it his next film, the “Blue Valentine” filmmaker eventually decided it was not for him (you can read about that in our interview with him here).

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New Behind-The-Scenes Clip Shows Tantalizing First Footage From Bong Joon-ho's Post-Apocalyptic 'Snowpiercer'

By Drew Taylor
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April 29, 2013 9:37 AM
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3 Comments

News

The summer movie season is nearly upon us, but one of the most hotly tipped summer movies (at least for film fans of a certain ilk) still doesn't have a release date in America: Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi extravaganza "Snowpiercer." The Weinstein Company bought the domestic rights to the movie, which concerns a train traversing a post-apocalyptic, snow-covered earth, and initially had planned to release it this summer, when the movie rolls out globally. But they haven't said much, so god only knows when it will wash up on American shores. Until then, a recently released behind-the-scenes clip (courtesy of The Film Stage) gives us our first look at "Snowpiercer" in motion.

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The Weinstein Company Booking 'Suite Francaise' With Michelle Williams & Matthias Schoenaerts

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 16, 2013 10:00 AM
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3 Comments

News

The Weinstein Company are carrying an impressive 2013 slate with "Grace Of Monaco," "August: Osage County," "Salinger," "Fruitvale," "The Butler" and "The Grandmaster" all dated, and "Snowpiercer," "Lowlife" and "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" (hopefully) expected this year as well. And it seems they are looking ahead to 2014, as they've picked up a movie that already boasts a promising pedigree.

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Watch: Trailer For Jonathan Levine's Debut 'All The Boys Love Mandy Lane' Finally Getting U.S. Release This Summer

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 8, 2013 4:49 PM
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1 Comment

News

Let's say you're a first time director, and you go to the Toronto International Film Festival hoping that maybe your film will get noticed and perhaps land a modest distribution deal. Now imagine that it's a hit, and none other than The Weinstein Company come calling with plans to release your movie through their Dimension Films shingle. Awesome! Or so it would seem to anyone, but this was 2006 and director Jonathan Levine -- who would go on to make "The Wackness," "50/50" and "Warm Bodies" -- found himself in a curious situation with "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane." He had a hot distributor for his movie, but they got cold feet after "Grindhouse" flopped, and sold his picture to Senator Entertainment...who went out of business. But now the movie has come full circle.

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The Weinstein Company Sets Oscar Release Dates For Nicole Kidman's 'Grace Of Monaco,' Meryl Streep In 'August: Osage County' & More

By Rodrigo Perez
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March 2, 2013 12:22 PM
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6 Comments

News

Maybe they were reading our Premature Oscar Predictions? Just days after our series ended, looking way far at the horizon of next year's potential Oscar nominees, The Weinstein Company has dated four films of their late fall awards season hopefuls. Obviously, those films were going to land in Oscar season regardless, but kudos to our features for being on point; Harvey and co. will be driving hard the very films we had touted as potentially strong contenders for next year's Academy season.

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The Weinstein Company Bolster This Year's Oscar Slate With Star-Studded Doc 'Salinger'

By Charlie Schmidlin
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February 28, 2013 9:39 AM
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1 Comment

News

It can safely be said that Harvey Weinstein no longer needs to try too hard. After nudging “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Django Unchained” toward their Oscar wins Sunday night, and even snagging FLOTUS to deliver the Best Picture award? No need. But the famed producer's key to success is persistence, and he's now moved to award another filmmaker's for his.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Lion King' Beats Back 'Moneyball,' Boy Brawler 'Abduction' To Keep #1 Slot

By Gabe Toro
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September 25, 2011 4:35 AM
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8 Comments

"Hakuna Matata!" proclaims Disney, discovering what amounts to an entirely new revenue stream. “The Lion King 3D” has taken the crown decisively for the second straight weekend with $22 million, amidst some otherwise heavy fall competition that was a lot buzzier and, without a doubt, more expensive. The original plan was to play the film for two weeks, but after ten days, it’s been far and away the biggest movie attraction, and the film will be extending its stay at the multiplexes which could add nearly $40 million to the coffers.

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The Weinstein Company Picks Up Sean Penn's Goth Holocaust Dramedy 'This Must Be The Place'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 21, 2011 7:57 AM
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0 Comments

Lionsgate Nabs Midnight Madness Horror Flick 'You're Next'The biggest WTF movie so far this year has been Paolo Sorrentino's followup to his acclaimed "Il Divo," the Sean Penn starring "This Must Be Place." Premiering to a very mixed reception at Cannes this spring (that's sort of putting it kindly), the story follows a (seemingly) barely functioning goth rocker (Penn doing his best Robert Smith impression) who finds out his father he hasn’t seen in 30 years is dead and then goes on a road trip to find the SS Officer who made his life hell when he was imprisoned at Auschwitz. No, really, that's the plot. But it seems the Weinsteins know a challenge (or a bargain) when they see one, picking up the North American rights to the film.

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Weekend Box Office: Families Complete The Circle Of Life, Pack Theaters For Movie They Own On DVD

By Gabe Toro
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September 18, 2011 3:49 AM
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17 Comments

Right now, some jerk at Disney is finding a way to use the term “circle of life” to define how they can release “The Lion King” anytime, and it will always make money. A 3D re-issue of the film became the number one weekend attraction by a very wide margin with $29 million, a huge middle finger to those who claim audiences are looking for something “fresh” or “new.”

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Review: 'I Don't Know How She Does It' Is A Pained, Unfunny, Politically Questionable Bore

By Drew Taylor
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September 13, 2011 10:58 AM
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3 Comments

One of the "charmingly neurotic" tics of the main character of "I Don't Know How She Does It," played brittlely and with affected strain by Sarah Jessica Parker, is making to-do lists. Since the year is 2011 and editing software has come a long way, we see her visualize the list as the prepares for sleep – everything from arranging her daughter's play date to doing some Kegel exercises (yes, seriously) – with words and small images appearing tattooed on the ceiling of her bohemian chic Boston apartment (accompanied by a never-ending stream of voice-over narration). While watching "I Don't Know How She Does It," which at a swift 89 minutes still feels longer than the "Three Colors" trilogy combined, you'll be tempted to make a similar mental inventory of things that you could (and should),instead of watching this wretched claptrap, which we're fairly certain has single-handedly set the feminist cause back a good 35-40 years.

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