It’s become an annual rite of the
And it's become an equally favored rite that the media then huddles at parties and screenings in the hours that follow to throw light and shade on them.
There was plenty of both Friday night on the Croisette after Weinstein showed off new trailers from a number of upcoming films. The presentation can be a valuable barometer in several ways, as it was (positively) for “
On Friday, after bringing up Naomi Watts, costar of the summer comedy “St. Vincent,” and
“St. Vincent.”
“The Giver.” Everyone else is getting into the young-adult genre game, so why not Weinstein/Dimension too? Lois Lowry’s book about a supposedly perfect world and the boy who comes to learn about its past, and then disrupt its present, has some built-in appeal, but most of these YA adaptations fail, and
“Southpaw.”
"Paddington." A surprisingly adorable scene of a CG bear as it makes mayhem in the bathroom. It's not clear if this film can hold its own with the Christmas biggies, especially since Paddington is more Brit than Yank, but the trailer was more endearing than many of us expected.
“Suite Francaise.”
“The Underdogs.” You’ve been waiting for an animated movie that doesn’t come from
“The Imitation Game.”
“Macbeth.”
“Big Eyes.” The most anticipated title on Weinstein’s fall calendar — and as of now its big awards hope — the fact-based movie about Walter and Margaret Keane stars
Basically, Weinstein has some interesting fall titles but no big awards swing. And not mentioned was Olivier Dahan's "Grace of Monaco," the embattled Grace Kelly film that saw its French cut — which Weinstein heavily disliked — screen to disastrous response on the Croisette Wednesday.
What's happening with the film now? I hear that Weinstein will be taking the version he cut before the festival, which brings a lighter touch to the proceedings, welcome some (nominal) input from Dahan and release it in the U.S. It's a version that's very different from the melodramatic French cut. In a way it's all played out brilliantly: Weinstein gets to release the movie he wants -- he has closed the deal for the right to release a different version in the U.S. And he gets to do it with a nice second-chance narrative to go along with it -- "Come see the movie that's totally different than the one you heard about in Cannes," will be the subtext. Or just the text.
Friday’s presentation — which saw Weinstein tout a partnership in China that will see AFI and
"After you get back from Jordan and talk to 10 kids about movies they love, it makes you proud to be part of this industry," he said.