Fruitvale Station

New Year’s Eve, 2008. Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) wakes up feeling something special in the air, and he resolves to turn his life around. Fruitvale Station tells the true story of the events on New Year’s Day, 2009 that would shake San Francisco to its core.

Oscar Grant, a hard-working 22-year-old San Francisco resident, has been waiting for the opportunity to cut ties with his criminal past, and now on the eve of 2009 he resolves to do so. He wants to be a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), a better partner to his girlfriend (Melanie Diaz), and a better father to his daughter (Ariana Neal). He just feels like today is his day, but he soon realizes that change doesn’t always come easy. After meeting up with some friends on the train, he gets into a confrontation with an old enemy and a BART officer shoots him in cold blood.

Fruitvale Station won both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the 2013 Sundance Festival Audience Award for its portrayal of the tragedy that befell Oscar Grant on January 1, 2009. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station will be released into limited theaters on July 12, 2013. This Weinstein Company drama also stars Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, and Chad Michael Murray.

 

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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

 

Some people’s lives are so incredible that they deserve to have movies written about them. Nelson Mandela is one of those people. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom follows his life story from child to inmate to president, and along the way shows us what it really means to see an ideal through to fruition.

 

Born in a rural village in South Africa, Nelson Mandela (played by Idris Elba) grew up poor during the apartheid. Based upon Mandela’s 1994 autobiography of the same name, the film focuses on his time as an activist fighting the apartheid and the resulting 27-year prison sentence he was forced to serve. Mandela was an extraordinary and oft-controversial figure whose influence extended far beyond the prison walls he spent half of his life inside. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom explores the unbreakable spirit of a man dedicated to an ideal, as well as the great deeds that hard work and determination can accomplish.

 

Written by William Nicholson and directed by Justin Chadwick, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom will be released into theaters on November 29, 2013. This Weinstein Company drama also stars Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Deon Lotz, and Terry Pheto.

 

Haute Cuisine

In a profession dominated by men, can a talented woman come out on top? Haute Cuisine stars Catherine Frot as Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from Perigord who has been given the culinary opportunity of a lifetime. Based on a true story, this French-language film explores one woman’s indomitable spirit in the face of steep opposition.

No one is more shocked than Hortense when the President of France himself appoints her to be his personal cook. She quickly makes a name for herself among the snobbish and male-only kitchen staff as both an arrogant taskmaster and a rabble-rouser. It takes all her efforts to keep the “old guard” staff in line. They are indignant at being led by a woman, and the fact that she is a rural chef only adds fuel to the fire. But despite the frequent confrontations in the kitchen, Hortense’ dishes please President Mitterand (Jean d’Ormesson, making his film debut at age 87). As the chefs battle for influence over the President’s tastes, Hortense begins to see the promises that power holds—and the dangers that lie therein.

Written by Christian Vincent and Etienne Comar and directed by Christian Vincent, Haute Cuisine will be released into limited theaters on August 16, 2013. This Weinstein Company comedy/drama also stars Arthur Dupont, Hippolyte Girardot, Jean-Marc Roulot, and Philippe Uchan.

 

Unfinished Song

Music calms us, excites us, brings us together. It can even melt the hardest of hearts. In Unfinished Song, Arthur (Academy-Award nominee Terrence Stamp) is a grumpy old pensioner who would like nothing more than to hide away from the world. Although his cheery wife Marion (Academy-Award winner Vanessa Redgrave) loves to sing and involve herself in life, Arthur wants nothing to do with it. But when tragedy strikes and Marion passes away, Arthur finally decides to join her unconventional local choir to honor her wishes and add some spice to his crotchety old life.

Unfortunately, old ways die hard. Arthur is just as embarrassed and cantankerous in the choir as we have come to expect, but he sticks with it, determined to honor his deceased wife’s request. Under the direction of the choir director, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton), Arthur’s curmudgeonly exterior begins to melt. Elizabeth shows him that there is more to life than bitterness and anger, and that it’s never too late to change your tune. Arthur realizes that he must confront the roots of his own grumpy self in order to move forward. Unfinished Song tells the hilarious and life-affirming story of Arthur’s journey towards happiness.

Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, this Weinstein Company comedic drama will see a limited release on June 21, 2013. Unfinished Song also stars Christopher Eccleston. Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and rude gestures.

 

Silver Linings Playbook

Adapted from the best-selling novel by Matthew Quick, “Silver Linings Playbook” is a comedy about love and second chances. Although life doesn’t always go according to plan, sometimes that’s okay anyway. After spending eight months in a state mental institution, 30-year-old former substitute teacher Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents (Jacki Weaver andRobert De Niro). Pat has lost everything – his house, job and wife – but is determined to rebuild his life. His one over-riding goal is to reunite with his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), despite the challenging circumstances of their separation.

Trying to remain positive and become the man his wife always wanted him to be, Pat faces an uphill battle. Then he meets a beautiful neighbor, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious woman who has her own set of mental health challenges. Eventually the two realize that Tiffany, through a mutual friend, has access to Nikki (who happens to have a restraining order against Pat). Tiffany agrees to deliver a letter to Nikki if Pat will agree to be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. Realizing it may be the only way he can communicate with his wife, Pat agrees. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between Pat and Tiffany, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

“Silver Linings Playbook” is scheduled for release on November 21, 2012 by the Weinstein Company. Directed by David O. Russell, who also wrote the screenplay. The film also features Anupam Kher and Chris Tucker.

 

Butter

In a comedy that many will view as a not-so-thinly-veiled political commentary, Butter is a story of cut-throat competition in a closely watched Iowa contest: the annual butter carving championship. After 15 years in the limelight as the beautiful assistant to her artistically gifted husband, Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), Iowa’s long-reigning butter carving champ, Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner) is ready to tackle a new challenge. When her hubby is pressured to retire from the butter carving world, Laura decides to enter the championship herself.

Standing at the front of the line on sign-up day, Laura is determined to take the butter championship crown. Her odds of victory fall, however, with the arrival of some formidable contenders. First, there is Destiny (Yara Shahidi), the highly talented young African-American foster child of local couple Julie and Ethan (Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddry). Then there’s Bob’s number one fan, Carol-Ann (Kristen Schaal). And to add insult to injury, Bob’s would-be mistress, bad-girl stripper Brooke (Olivia Wilde), enters the contest as well.

Angry with her husband and mocked by her stepdaughter Kaitlen (Ashley Greene), Laura will stop at nothing to win – including recruiting her dim-witted former boyfriend Boyd (Hugh Jackman) as a co-conspirator in her plans for sabotage.

The Weinstein Company plans an October 5, 2012 release for the R-rated film, which is directed by Jim Field Smith and written by Jason Micallef.

 

Lawless

The Great Depression is in full swing, and ambitious country boy Jack Bondurant (Shia LaBeouf) dreams of becoming a rich and famous gangster – “public enemy number one.” His plan is to expand his family’s moonshining business and launch a vast criminal empire.

Of course, he also hopes to win the heart of a beautiful girl, Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), who happens to be the daughter of a Mennonite preacher. Jack’s older brother Howard (Jason Clarke) provides the brawn to make his gangster dreams possible.
Their eldest sibling, Forrest (Tom Hardy), becomes the strong leader of the trio. A very stoic man, Forrest places a high value on character and tends to hold his cards close.

As the Bondurant brothers rise to power they battle treachery on both sides of the law. The loyalty of all three men is put to the test against the backdrop of Prohibition-era Virginia and the nation’s most notorious crime wave.

In Lawless, director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition) and Screenwriter Nick Cave bring an epic gangster tale to life. Based on the true story of the infamous bootlegging Bondurant Brothers, the film was inspired by the story of author Matt
Bondurant’s family, as told in his novel, “The Wettest Country in the World.” Also starring Guy Pearce as Deputy Charley Rakes, Jessica Chastain as Forrest’s love interest, and Dane DeHaan as Jack’s best friend. This Weinstein Company drama is scheduled for release on August 31, 2012.