Thoughts, notes, observations on the everyday nonsense of American Pop Culture from one of the most not-hip people on the face of the planet...

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

So long to Miramax as we know it

As I'm sure most movie aficianados know by now, Bob and Harvey Weinstein are leaving Miramax after 12 years with the Disney partnership. Miramax was, by far, the best thing to happen to Disney since Daddy Walt drew Mickey Mouse and they get to keep the company even after its heart/soul/brain/talent base leaves. But what will it be worth?

Harvey Weinstein is arguably the best mind in the movie business. His 26 years at Miramax may be the mos tpofilif of any Hollywood figure ever. He has a talent for attracting talented (and unknown) people, an ear for new ideas and a knack for marketing and tweaking that can make almost anything an Oscar-winning hit. Even those who know very little about movies can know this: Just about every movie or director you've liked or heard about in your time existed because of Miramax and Harvey Weinstein.

Without him, the world might not have known Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith or the adorable Matt Damon/Ben Affleck combination.

You can see the full list of Miramax films here....but I know that without Miramax, some of my personal favorite movies might not have been made. There'd be no Chasing Amy or Pulp Fiction, no sex, lies and videotape, Farenheit 9/11, Shakespeare in Love, Muriel's Wedding, Chicago,Playing by Heart (guilty pleasure alert!), Strictly Ballroom....you get the picture.

Most importantly, despite my own favorites, Miramax made Hollywood more accessible for independent and foreign movies like recent hits Amelie, The Station Agent and Rabbit-Proof Fence. It's because of this company that its competition, Lions Gate, Fox Searchlight and the like, even were created and why independent films started winning Oscars (and lots of 'em).

So it's the end of a big era. For now. The Weinsteins wil go on and take their creative friends with them. But who knows what will come of what might be one of the best movie houses in history?

The movie world watches and waits.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>You can see the full list of Miramax films here....<<

Actually, it is not the complete list of Miramax films. It only goes back to about 1991. There were many films prior to this, like "My Left Foot," for example.

I wish I could find a complete Miramax list.

11:55 PM CDT

 

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