Harvey Weinstein Speaks on Movies

This is one reason Harvey Weinstein is good for the movie business — he gets the bigger picture. This is also why he’s great at Oscar campaigning — when he has a horse that can win — he knows what they want in the end. You have to take your hat off to him for what he did for Inglourious Basterds last year: that is one of the weirdest films to ever get so far in the Oscar race. My only argument with him about last year would be this: yes, the independents almost always dominate the Oscar race, or have certainly, in the recent past. BUT last year, the studio system put out the year’s best films. The Social Network was the best film released last year, in my opinion and in the unanimous opinion of the critics. Coming in a close second was Inception. Clearly audiences enjoy The King’s Speech best. So great – it’s an audience’s movie, not a critics movie. Movies are made for audiences, not critics. So everybody wins, right?

Here’s Weinstein speaking to The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman during The Grill at Tribeca entertainment conference: