In Laman's Terms: The Weinstein Co. And Its Twelve-Year-Long Struggle To Build An Animation Empire

In Laman's Terms is a weekly editorial column where Douglas Laman rambles on about certain topics or ideas that have been on his mind lately. Sometimes he's got serious subjects to discuss, other times he's just got some silly stuff to shoot the breeze about. Either way, you know he's gonna talk about something In Laman's Terms!

Last week, The Weinstein Company announced that their newest animated movie Leap! (that's hitting theaters this Friday) would be the start of a new animation division at the studio called Mizchief, so named because that's how the son of Weinstein Company head Harvey Weinstein pronounces mischief. It's the newest chapter in the story of The Weinstein Company's extensive saga of trying to become a formidable force in the world of animated family fare and finding more struggles than success in the process. When did such a quest begin? Well, to answer that question, you have to go all the way back to when The Weinstein Company started.....

3 Generations Is A Scattered And Clumsy Mess

3 Generations was supposed to come out in a general theatrical release domestically all the way back in September 2015 with the title of About Ray. After it garnered a critical thrashing at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Weinstein Company pulled it from its release schedule and it basically vanished. Then, earlier this year, it was abruptly announced that the studio would be releasing About Ray under its current title and in a smaller theatrical release under their Radius-TWC banner, which had been discontinued for over a year but was briefly brought back to life solely for the purpose of getting this feature finally released.

Underdogs Is the Worst Animated Movie You've Never Even Heard Of

Harvey and Bob Weinstein really wanted to get some payback at their old bosses at Disney, who they continuously clashed with at their times as studio heads of the then-Disney-owned company Miramax. As Harvey and Bob set out on their own with The Weinstein Company, they looked to have their own steady output of animated cinema to get back at Disney and their animated motion pictures. But in the decade since they started up the company, well, they've hardly made a dent in the world of American animation cinema. Films like Hoodwinked Too! and Escape From Planet Earth faced production woes while others experienced numerous release date delays until they were just pulled off the schedule altogether. Underdogs is in the latter category of animated cinema that comes from The Weinstein Company.

Editorial: Netflix is Making Films With Adam Sandler, But It Is Far From The End Of Cinema

It's sorta fun to see movie theater owners get all scared whenever a new way of experiencing cinema comes around. Back in late 2011, whenever Universal Pictures planned to put the long-forgotten comedy Tower Heist on Video-On-Demand services a few weeks after its release in select cities, theater owners refused to show the movie until the studio cancelled the plan. Universal wound up relenting, but a new disagreement between movie theaters and a studio seems less likely to end in a amicable manner.

Amy Adams Is A Secret Painter In Trailer For Tim Burtons New Movie, Big Eyes

How awesome is Amy Adams? I mean, seriously, she never fails to astound me in the versatility of her roles. Whether it's Enchanted, American Hustle, Her, The Muppets, she always puts in top-notch work. Her next big film is Big Eyes, the newest film from Tim Burton that has her teaming up with Christoph Waltz. Check out the trailer for it, and my thoughts on it, below!

Box Office Analysis: What Went Wrong With Sin City 2?

Box office disappointments are a common occurrence, but a genuine box office flop? Those weren't every day events decades ago, but in this day and age, they're as rare as anything else in the film business. You can thank international box office for that; so much money can be made internationally now it's almost impossible for a film to truly lose money. But they do happen once in a blue moon, like when R.I.P.D. made an anemic $33 million in America, and only $44 million internationally for a $78 million total that didn't come close to recouping its whopping $130 million budget.

Box Office Predictions: Slow Weekend Will Lead Sin City To Not Stay Victorious

After a couple weeks of major movies opening up (including two weekends in a row which each brought a $60 million opener, both in August no less!), things slow down as the season of summers does the same. Three new movies open up this weekend, but none look to do particularly notable business. Let's dive in and take a look!

Box Office Analysis: Walden Media, The Box Office Flop Factory

Few studios or filmmakers can create a dud like Walden Media. Now, admittedly, these guys aren't the only one financing the projects they find themselves in, and they don't distribute any of their projects. But they do have a hand in what films they get attached to, and the majority of them are adaptations of books that look incredibly generic in marketing materials. It's no shocker to me that the few hits they've been a part of (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) had effective marketing campaigns or the presence of Dwayne Johnson.

Benedict Cumberbatch Is World War II Genius Alan Turing In The Imitation Game Trailer

Benedict Cumberbatch has got quite a productive Holiday Season ahead of him. If he's not playing the villainous dragon Smaug in the final Hobbit adventure, you can also catch him playing a wolf companion to The Penguins of Madagascar. Or, you might just see him in The Weinstein Company's Fall drama The Imitation Game, where he plays Alan Turing, a real life figure who had was a pivotal part of World War II. The first trailer for the film was released today and you can watch it below.

Begin Again Review

First you get the music, then you get the sugar, then you get the women.

Considering all the changes the music industry has undergone in the past decade and a half, a film focusing on a music executive and his attempt to bring a new singer into the spotlight might be an excellent way to look at those changes. And if you wanna ignore that, cool. I'm sure this is a fantastic opportunity to utilize the talents of folks like Mark Ruffalo, Kiera Knightly and Hallie Steinfeld in a film that's exceptionally well written. That's that? The movie is a disappointing mixture of cliches and tediousness? Well now, ain't that a kick in the head.

Box Office Analysis: Small But Mighty! The Status of Indie Movies This Summer

Jon Favreaus film Chef has been one of the many indie movies this summer
to drum up big business

 It's actually been a pretty great summer for movies. 22 Jump Street was hilarious, Godzilla lived up to expectations and them some, and Dawn of The Planet of The Apes somehow improved on its predecessor to create one of the best movies in recent years. There's also been several movies debuting in art house cinemas that the major moviegoing public might not be aware of, but definitely deserve some recognition for their box office achievements. Without further ado, let's take a look at how the numerous smaller releases have done so far this summer.