Thompson on Hollywood

Weinstein Co. Up Against the Wall

The real problem with The Weinstein Co. isn't the economy or debt restructuring issues, although that does not help. The Weinsteins are running out of time, because since they launched TWC in 2005 with plans for investor Goldman Sachs & Co. to raise $500 million in equity and $500 million in debt, they've been following an out-of-date business model. When Harvey says "we invented it," he's right. But that doesn't mean that the old Miramax model still works.

By Anne Thompson
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June 8, 2009 7:10 AM
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Cannes: Winners and Losers

Who came out ahead and behind on their Cannes jaunt this year?

By Anne Thompson
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May 31, 2009 3:02 AM
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Tarantino Update

In my interview with Quentin Tarantino, he admits that he plans to go back to the editing room with Inglourious Basterds this June. He rushed the movie, getting it done in less than a year to make Cannes, and delivered a cinephile's fantasy:

By Anne Thompson
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May 25, 2009 8:25 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Tarantino Talks

As Cannes wound down, writer-director Quentin Tarantino sat down for an interview about his long-awaited World War II opus, Inglourious Basterds. We talked about issues of structure, length and purpose:

By Anne Thompson
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May 23, 2009 7:37 AM
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Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds Plays Cannes

Nowhere but Cannes would 2500 media urgently assemble in one place to see a movie at 8:30 AM. As Quentin Tarantino himself said at the jam-packed Inglourious Basterds press conference, "There's no place like Cannes for filmmakers on the face of the earth. It's Cinema Nirvana during this time here on the Riviera. Cinema matters. It's important. Even when people boo --out of passion--it's not just images glazing over you. All the world film press on the planet earth, America, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, even Canada--that's a country--something about them all being here, you drop the movie--bam!--at once everyone weighs in at the same time...I'm not an American filmmaker, I make movies for the planet earth and Cannes represents that."

By Anne Thompson
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May 20, 2009 9:29 AM
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Cannes Watch: Rocky Indie Terrain

There's considerable uncertainty heading toward Cannes this year. While the global theatrical market is strong, the indie sector is still fragile--and shrinking. With DVDs sinking and piracy on the rise, financeers and foreign sales agents don't know what's safe anymore. Many companies had coasted on funds they had already raised, but now reality is sinking in: new money is hard to find.

By Anne Thompson
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April 30, 2009 6:28 AM
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Tarantino Hypes Inglourious Basterds on American Idol

Tuesday night, American Idol mentor Quentin Tarantino returned to the show sporting a Nazi haircut. Needless to say he didn't miss a chance to hype his World War II action epic set to debut at Cannes, Inglourious Basterds, with new footage. Here's the clip featuring Brad Pitt and Mike Myers as a British military mastermind who plots to wipe out Nazi leaders. The Weinstein Co. opens the movie stateside August 21.

By Anne Thompson
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April 15, 2009 8:26 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Vanity Fair Photo Gallery

Vanity Fair has posted a glorious photo gallery of shots by Brigitte Lacombe taken on the set of Quentin Tarantino's new movie Inglourious Basterds--which I cannot wait to see at Cannes. Enjoy.

By Anne Thompson
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April 3, 2009 5:39 AM
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Cannes: Tarantino Will Deliver Inglourious Basterds

As I wrote sometime back, Quentin Tarantino is committed to delivering his World War II epic Inglourious Basterds for Cannes. The writer-director has loved going to Cannes ever since Pulp Fiction won the Palme d'Or in 1994, and had long wanted to debut Basterds there. Last year we had a blast hanging out with Marina Zenovich and Tim Robbins at the Hotel du Cap.

By Anne Thompson
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April 1, 2009 6:12 AM
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Top 25 Active Directors: Did EW Get it Right?

EW loves lists like this one, the top 25 active directors, designed to inspire healthy debate. Did they get it right? And what do they mean by active, exactly? "Most talented, in-demand directors behind the camera today?" They're trying to have it both ways--it's a power list measuring fame, heat, influence and at the same time, a qualitative measure of talent.