Is 'Blue Valentine' becoming one of the darlings of Cannes this year?

Well, in some circles it definitely is. For example, here's what Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger had to say after leaving his screening:

I’ve just come out of a screening of Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and I am now completely gutted. I had heard from colleagues who saw it at Sundance that it was intense, but nothing really could have prepared me for this utterly devastating, completely believable marriage drama. It’s been a while since I saw an on-screen couple as convincing as Gosling and Williams, and if there’s any justice, they’ll both earn their second Oscar nominations for their raw, arresting performances. (Gosling scored a Best Actor nod for Half Nelson, while Williams was recognized in the supporting actress race for Brokeback Mountain.) The film, which I hear has been re-edited since Sundance, will definitely get hit from some quarters as being “too depressing” (there’s no semi-uplifting Precious-style ending here) but I hope that critics, moviegoers, and Oscar voters will deem truth a more important criterion than sunniness. If the seemingly impassioned response from the crowd at today’s Cannes screening is any indication, the new cut was a success.

-Excellent news for this flick and the buzz it built out of Sundance...thoughts?

The director of 'All Good Things' buys back his film from The Weinstein Company...

...potentially calling into question whether we are now more or less likely to see this film hit in 2010. Here's the story from the Los Angeles Times:

Director Andrew Jarecki ("Capturing the Friedmans") has cut a deal to get the domestic theatrical rights to his feature debut "All Good Things" from the Weinstein Co. and is looking for a new U.S. distributor for the movie.

"All Good Things," starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst is inspired by the true story of Robert Durst, the scion of a wealthy New York family who was acquitted of killing his neighbor and whose first wife vanished into thin air. Durst at one point took to dressing as a woman, and he has provided plenty of fodder for the New York tabloids over the years. Jarecki has brought the same meticulous approach to "All Good Things" that he used with the critically acclaimed documentary "Capturing the Friedmans," which was about a New York family that is rocked by accusations of pedophilia. The director spent years investigating all aspects of the case, and the movie spans about three decades of Durst's life.

"All Good Things" was filmed in 2008. There was talk that it was headed for a fall 2009 release, but that never materialized. There have been debates between Jarecki and the Weinstein Co. for some time about how best to release the movie.

"We had a different strategy for how we wanted to release the picture," said David Glasser, a senior executive at the Weinstein Co. who also oversees distribution. "He purchased the rights back," Glasser said, adding that, "this is not something we normally or traditionally do."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Jarecki, who founded Moviefone, spent several million dollars to regain the U.S. rights. Weinstein Co. paid $6 million to $8 million for the film, a person familiar with the situation said.

While the Weinstein Co. will not release the movie in the U.S., it did keep international rights for the film, as well as the basic cable television rights. Jarecki got the pay television rights back.

"It was very amicable and friendly," Glasser said.

Jarecki's team at Creative Artists Agency have been meeting with potential distributors and hope to have a deal in place shortly.

-Thoughts on this unique deal?

'Blue Valentine', one of the hits of Sundance, gets picked up by The Weinstein Company!

Also, 'Hesher' found a home too, with Newmarket. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:


Harvey Weinstein has been given a "Blue Valentine" from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams at Sundance.

The Weinstein Co. nabbed U.S., Canadian and Pan-Asian satellite territory rights to Derek Cianfrance's romantic drama starring the pair in a low-seven-figure deal.

WME Global chief Graham Taylor was in an anxious huddle at a restaurant off Main Street well after midnight Thursday with "Blue Valentine" producers (and his personal valentine) Lynette Howell, Jamie Patricof and Alex Orlovsky, (the team behind the 2006 Sundance hit "Half Nelson") as all-night negotiations were going down. IFC Films and Sony Pictures Classics were also said to be in the mix.

Some 12 years in the making, "Blue Valentine" chronicles a disintegrating marriage between Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams), told in flashback. The tough, poignant and occasionally brutal film has moved audiences and critics alike since its Sunday night Eccles premiere.
Weinstein has been out in full force at screenings with Weinstein Co. international head David Glasser and their acquisitions team. The studio was the only buyer to acquire a 2009 Toronto title, Tom Ford's "A Single Man," and shepherd it to success this awards season. The company also is eyeing "The Tillman Story."

Glasser led negotiations for the studio with Taylor, who sealed the deal a day after his WME Global closed a $1 million-range sale on the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Natalie Portman-toplined "Hesher" to Newmarket Films.

-I'm quite anxious to see both, but 'Blue Valentine' has gotten some awards-caliber reviews, so that's now near the top of my 2010 "must see" list...thoughts?

The Sundance flick 'Blue Valentine' gets a Poster

Thoughts?