harvey weinstein

First Look: Harvey Weinstein’s newest muse Emma Watson in “My Week with Marilyn”

December 10, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Miramax boss and Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein has found his newest muse. He couldn’t stop gushing about “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson to The Daily Mail at the New York premiere of “Blue Valentine”: “For ten years she has been this schoolgirl in the Harry Potter films and now you see her as a woman for the first time. She has an elegance about her – she looks like Jean Shrimpton! – plus she has a gift for comedy and drama, and we’re just starting to see her range. I feel we’re going to work together a lot in the future.” Weinstein was all aflutter after seeing footage of Watson in her new film “My Week with Marilyn”, starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark, whose memoir the movie is based upon, the assistant of Clark Gable who becomes Monroe’s confidant. Watson plays the small but pivotal role of Lucy, a wardrobe assistant and love interest.

Clark described Lucy in his memoir as “one of the prettiest little girls I have ever seen in my life… slim as a wand, curly brown hair, huge brown eyes and a wide cheeky grin.” Watson seems to fit that to a tee! With Weinstein in her corner, big things are surely headed her way.

See below for the full image.

MPAA overturn ‘Blue Valentine’ rating

December 8, 2010 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in General News Leave a comment

When earlier this year Michelle Williams’ and Ryan Gosling’s potential Oscar nominee “Blue Valentine” was handed an NC-17 rating there was anger and dismay. The rating had not only the potential to ruin any Oscar chance for the film, as well as limiting the audience to those not under 17, but it was felt that the rating was too hypocritical, considering other films with similar scenes were being handed lower ratings.
But now, after weeks of speculation, differing opinions and appeals from the Weinstein Company, the director, and the actors themselves, the MPAA have decided to overturn the controversial rating, and lower it to a more suitable R.

The reason for the high rating had been because of one particular sex scene involving Williams and Gosling in a motel room. Both Williams and Gosling had previously commented on this rating, with Gosling believing it to be a “a product of a patriarchy-dominant society, which tries to control how women are depicted on screen.”
He went on to suggest that “the MPAA is okay supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario, which is both complicit and complex. It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than this film.”

Williams added, “The MPAA’s decision on Blue Valentine unmasks a taboo in our culture, that an honest portrayal of a relationship is more threatening than a sensationalized one. Mainstream films often depict sex and violence in a manner that is disturbing and very far from reality. Yet, the MPAA regularly awards these films with a more audience friendly rating … Our film [is] simply a candid look at the difficulties couples face in sustaining their relationships over time. Blue Valentine opens a door for couples to have a dialogue about the everyday realities of many relationships.”

We here at Up and Comers couldn’t agree more, and are extremely pleased to see the MPAA change their decision in this case. Let’s hope “The Kings Speech” appeal to lower their R to a PG13 is just as lucky …

Click below the link for the official word from the MPAA ..