by Scott Weinberg
Those who love to hate the Weinstein brothers might be having a ball with the news: Bob & Harvey will soon be shown the door, while Disney will keep most of the films and the "Miramax" moniker. Most analysts point to the one-two punch of fiscal disappointment that were "Cold Mountain" & "Gangs of New York" as the straw that broke the partnership's back (I still say it was "Fahrenheit 9/11"), but the simple truth is this: ALL the other movie studios are now beating the 'boutique boys'' at their own game. Fox Searchlight invested $16 million to make "Sideways" - while Miramax spent over $60 million on "Duplex." But the brothers Weinstein were also responsible for several damn good films, so let's not spend time kicking the boys while they're down. Let's instead take a look at what the movie fans get out of this divorce.
Ask any horror fan about which distributor is stingiest with their release dates, and they'll undoubtedly point to Dimension (which, of course, is the "genre arm" of Miramax). We geeks are still steamed over the ridiculous mishandling of movies like Below and Equilibrium...but at least those movies got a theatrical release (however skimpy and self-defeating they may have been) and a DVD date, too!
Many other Miramax/Dimension titles have not been so lucky.
So if Miramax and Disney are set to go their separate ways seven months from now (which they certainly are), then what's to become of the Miramovies that are currently in production? What of the movies that are already, as they say, in the can? Well, hey, let's take a look at 'em!
The Actors - Picked up in turnaround from Dreamworks in 2001, the flick's been released all over the universe, but not in North America. Weird. (Dir: Conor McPherson / Starring: Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Natasha Richardson & Alan Rickman)
Backwater - Expect this low-budget swamp slasher to go direct-to-video, but I've seen nothing concrete just yet. (Dir: Jim Gillespie / Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson & Bijou Phillips)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer - This third of most tenuous "sequels" has been delayed more often than a flight to Baghdad, but was recently awarded with a July 19th DVD date. (Dir: Lance Mungia / Starring: Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, Tara Reid, Emmanuelle Chriqui & Dennis Hopper)
Cypher - From the director of the original Cube comes a great little sci-fi mind-twister. (I'm far from the only movie geek who's both seen and enjoyed this movie.) Why Bob say on this flick for so long is anybody's guess, but the flick will escape from the vault and land on DVD shelves come August 8th. (Dir: Vincenzo Natali / Starring: Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu & Nigel Bennett)
The Dark - Another ghostly kid who might be from beyond the graaaaave movie. Producer Paul W.S. Anderson calls it similar to Don't Look Now. Ahem. Due for a UK release next month, but presently AWOL in the States. (Dir: John Fawcett / Starring: Sean Bean & Maria Bello)
Deep Blue - This well-received documentary about our planet's oceans has been released pretty much everywhere outside North America. What gives? (Dir: Andy Byatt & Alastair Fothergill)
Derailed - Nearly complete (presently in post-production), this thriller about a businessman who misses a train has a fate TBD; the brothers might be able to take it with them, or Disney might want it for themselves. Expect there to be a delay in its arrival either way. (Dir: Mikael Håfström / Starring: Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel & RZA)
Dracula 3: Legacy - July 12th for this DVD release. And for those scoring at home, this is the third entry following Dracula 2000 and Dracula 2: Ascension. (Dir: Patrick Lussier / Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Jason London, Roy Scheider & Rutger Hauer)
The Great Raid - Originally set for a late 2003 release, this war movie has been bumped non-stop, and was recently penciled in for December of this year, most likely as some sort of Awards Bait, but since Bob & Harvey hit the road at the end of September, the release date was just bumped up to the summer. (Dir: John Dahl / Starring: James Franco, Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes & Connie Nielsen)
Hellraiser: Deader - June 7th sees the video release of this long-on-the-shelf horror sequel. Despite the fact that the past several Hellraiser flicks pretty much sucked eggs, the horror fans do not like being teased, so this comes as good news for my blood-soaked brethren. P.S. This is part 7 in the Pinhead parade. (Dir: Rick Bota / Starring: Doug Bradley, Kari Wuhrer & Marc Warren)
Hellraiser: Hellworld - And September 8th for the next installment. The Pinhead posse rejoices. Expect this eighth entry in the Hellraiser series to be the last, because I don't think Disney's going to be churning 'em out at this rate. Or at all. (Dir: Rick Bota / Starring: Doug Bradley, Katheryn Winnick & Lance Henriksen)
The I Inside - Amnesia, time-travel, murder. Sounds interesting. It was originally scheduled for release in 2004, but you can get it on DVD in just a few weeks (3/8/05). (Dir: Roland Suso Richter / Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Polley, Robert Sean Leonard, Piper Perabo & Stephen Rea)
Mindhunters - This flick's had more release dates than a pigeon coop. (Zing!) First it was April 2003, then August, then January of '04, then September, then it was rumored for a DTV release before getting rescheduled for March 2005...and then it was bumped to May of this year. And after all this trouble...the flick's hardly worth the effort. (Dir: Renny Harlin / Starring: Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Patricia Velasquez & Kathryn Morris)
The Nameless - Completed in 1999, this horror film from the director of Dimension's own Darkness will hit DVD the same day as that film: April 26th. (Dir: Jaume Balagueró / Starring: Emma Vilarasau & Karra Elejalde)
Proof - Previously scheduled for a December 2004 release, it was yanked - and who knows when it will show up? I bet it's some day prior to September 30th, 2005. (Dir: John Madden / Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis & Jake Gyllenhaal)
Prophecy: Forsaken - And also September 8th for this one, which is Part 5 in the series. Nothing like satanic DTV horror sequels to ingratiate yourself with your bosses, especially if your bosses run the Walt Disney company. (Dir: Joel Soisson / Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Kari Wuhrer, Jason London & Tony Todd)
Prophecy: Uprising - June 7th for the release of the latest angels-vs.-devils affair. This one is part 4 in the series. (Dir: Joel Soisson / Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Doug Bradley, Kari Wuhrer & Sean Pertwee)
Prozac Nation - Based on the novel by Elizabeth Wurtzel, the film got snapped up by Harvey in late 2001. A circuitous series of crazy controversies found the film pushed back numerous times, and it will now premiere March 19th - on the Starz cable channel. Not nearly a good film, but it does feature something worth selling: Ms. Ricci naked! Set those VCRs, guys! (Dir: Erik Skjoldbjærg / Starring: Christina Ricci, Michelle Williams, Anne Heche & Jason Biggs)
Undertaking Betty - Already released overseas as Plots with a View and originally set for a July '04 release, this one's been MIA in North America (and from what I hear, it's for good reason.) (Dir: Nick Hurran / Starring: Christopher Walken, Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Lee Evans & Jerry Springer as himself)
An Unfinished Life - A modern-day western drama with an impressive cast. Originally scheduled for late 2003, yanked, moved to late '04, yanked, presently in limbo (for now). (Dir: Lasse Hallstrom / Starring: Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez, Josh Lucas & Camryn Mannheim)
And what with all these internal problems, what becomes of The Matador, a surprisingly solid dark comedy starring Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan that was snapped up by Harvey at this year's Sundance Film Festival...for over $7 million? The release will have to wait a little while; the Weinsteins' more recent acquisitions may or may not accompany the brothers as they start a new studio...or maybe Disney will just buy the damn things off 'em. Same story holds true for the Aussie horror flick Wolf Creek, Steve James' Reel Paradise and Stephen Frears' Mrs. Henderson Presents.
But don't shovel any dirt upon the Weinsteins just yet. Ironically enough, 2005 looks to be one of their more promising (Cursed notwithstanding...obviously):
March - The Amityville Horror (co-production with MGM), Dear Frankie & Hostage
April - Sin City
May - Mindhunters (maybe)
June - The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl & Cinderella Man (w/Universal)
July - The Brothers Grimm & The Underclassman
September - Art School Confidential (w/MGM)
Already in the Weinstein pipeline or pre-production are Kevin Smith's The Passion of the Clerks, The Departed (which is a remake of Infernal Affairs and, reportedly, has Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg attached), Anthony Minghella's Breaking and Entering, and Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards, movies that will most likely act as flagship productions for the Weinsteins' next company. Plus, once they're shown the door at Disney, the brothers will still hold a huge severance package, those percentage points they snagged on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and rights to the Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie franchises! Still, expect the negotiations to continue in fevered fashion.
So the Disney-Miramax marriage is truly doomed and divorce proceedings are currently in full swing...and for those who think I'm just dancing on the Miramax grave, please trust that I am not. Sure, Harvey's done some really stupid things in the past (mostly to his foreign films), but this is also the guy who has Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez behind him, and apparently these filmmakers are planning to stick with the Weinsteins .wherever they may end up. And no matter what you might think of the Brothers Weinstein, it's still kind of sad that they can't keep the brand name, since it was named for their parents - Max and Miriam. Maybe the brothers could name their next company...Maxiam?
Needless to say, I did not just pick all this information directly from my sponge-like brain, so allow me to cite my various sources: The New York Times, (and again), The L.A. Times, The New York Observer, ComingSoon.net, Greg's Previews at Yahoo!, Upcoming Horror Movies, Movie City News, and (of course) The IMDb. (Corrections or updates: scott@hollywoodbitchslap.com )
link directly to this feature at http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=1385
originally posted: 02/26/05 22:42:09
last updated: 02/27/05 00:48:59
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