Just like John Travola and Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction," the Weinsteins are a bit bloodied, but you can never count them out

Credit: Miramax

If there is one mantra that should be carved in stone in the Hollywood Hills it's "never say never."  In what could only be described as improbable five years ago is amazingly close to reality: Harvey and Bob Weinstein are days away from reclaiming Miramax Films.

Launched in 1979 and named after their parents Max and Miriam, the Weinstein's company went from no-name indie outfit to Oscar-winning and box office power by the late 1990s.  It was acquired by Walt Disney Studios in 1993, but both Weinstein brothers stayed on board to shepherd such hits as "Pulp Fiction," "Scary Movie," "Scream," "Trainspotting," "Flirting with Disaster," "Good Will Hunting" and "Bridget Jones Diary."  They also became premier award season players spending millions to allegedly make more millions on Best Picture winners "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago" along with players such as "Gangs of New York," "The Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat."  Things turned sour by late 2004 though when outgoing Disney CEO Michael Eisner had had enough of the brothers and made sure their contracts to run the company were not renewed. 

Naomi Watts will return to Cannes in Doug Liman's Valerie Plame drama "Fair Game," the only U.S. production in competition this year.

Credit: AP Photo

Some of the world's premier press agencies boycotted covering the announcement of the official Cannes Film Fest line up this year after a row over red carpet access, but that didn't stop quick dissemination of who was in and who was out in one of the more speculated competitions of the year.  Running from May 12-23, Cannes is recognized as the world's premier international film festival and many filmmakers crave winning the fest's top prize, the Palm d'Or, ahead of putting an Academy Award statue on their mantle.

Word had been leaked for some time that Hollywood wouldn't dominate this year's edition -- it rarely does -- but there was hope Terrence Malick's long awaited "The Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt and Doug Liman's "Fair Game" with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn would make the cut. Cinefiles will have to be happy that only one of those titles will screen on the Croisette this year.  Moreover, IndieWire reports that up to 12 more films will be added to the slate, but at first glace this is a very uninteresting year.

Jessica Alba will spend some of her time at Tribeca promoting "The Killer Inside Me" and the rest judging the World Documentary slate.  Really.

Credit: AP Photo

These are strange times for the Tribeca Film Festival.  After starting off with a lot of publicity (perhaps too much) and potential eight years ago, the brainchild of Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff has been struggling to find itself.  Well aware they needed more help to really be considered a big time event, the trio brought in former Sundance Film Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore to help refocus the festival in a digital age, but it's unclear whether this year's "virtual" fest (where you can watch eight of the festival's less star-friendly selections online) or iPhone app can really expand the festival's reach.  We're huge fans of Gilmore who spent twenty years helping shaping Sundance into the industry power event it is today, but it's going to take awhile to turn this boat around. Because no matter how much razzle dazzle you try to put on a festival, it all begins with your actual film slate.

Nic Cage in Jon Turtletaub's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Credit: Walt Disney Studios

If you don't know who Jon Turteltaub is, you probably have seen one of his movies or TV shows without knowing it.  As a filmmaker he's directed movies such as "While You Were Sleeping," "Phenomenon" and those popular "National Treasure" flicks.  He's also a prolific TV producer having shepherded cult favorite "Jericho" and more recently "Harper's Island."  Besides his upcoming adventure "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the best reason to pay attention to Turteltaub is because of how refreshingly honest he is.  To put it mildly, he just can't help but be honest when speaking to the media. 

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall in "Sex and the City 2"

Credit: Warner Bros.

There are some things this pundit is an admitted fanatic of outside of the addictive pull of award season.  NBA basketball, Star Trek, old school house music and Ang Lee movies are just a few of them, but one franchise this writer has never been able to resist the pull of is "Sex and the City."

Ever since Carrie and Co. appeared on HBO, this writer has found himself drawn to their ever-dramatic and highly entertaining exploits.  So, flaws aside, you may not want to hear my glowing review of the first "Sex and the City" movie or seen how excited I became when the first teaser trailer for the sequel was released in December.  Now, the final trailer for "Sex and the City 2" is available and probably only the Clippers landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft for the second year in a row could make Awards Campaign more excited.  Some of you may think this is certifiable, but we won't judge your never ending devotion to "Lost," "Transformers," Phish or In-N-Out Burger if you don't judge our love for "SATC."

With that in mind, her are 10 reasons why we just love the new "Sex and the City 2" trailer (which you can watch embedded in this page or click here for a larger version).

Events featuring non-traditional genre franchises such as "Twilight" have helped Comic-Con become even more well known to the general public.

Credit: AP Photo

Well that took long enough.  After years of political infighting and broken promises, the City of San Diego and the Port Commission of San Diego approved a deal for a $753 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center Thursday.  What does this mean for entertainment fans?  Besides the implications for the city's hotel and tourism industry, this is a huge boost for Comic-Con, the popular fanfest that has called the city home for 41 years and has been strung along more than anyone else by assurances of expansion that never occurred.

Johnny Depp at the "Public Enemies" premiere at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Credit: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

In a nod to just how prominent the Los Angeles Film Festival has become recently, many forget the annual June event didn't set up shop in Westwood until just four years ago.  That era is quickly over, however, as Film Independent announced today that LAFF was making its long rumored move to downtown Los Angeles.

Using the L.A. Live complex across from Staples Center as a base, the 2010 edition of the festival will use the recently opened Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 (great theaters, horrible facade), REDCAT/Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (underutilized by the industry), the Downtown Independent (be afraid), the Soundstage Theatre at the GRAMMY Museum (great sound, but small), JW Marriot Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live (Sundance-esque), The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Los Angeles (ditto), Orpheum Theatre (big and classy), and California Plaza (prefect for outdoor screenings for families and the homeless).  The 7,000 seat Nokia Theater is notably absent from the lineup, but that's obviously a lot of seats to fill.

Brad Pitt may be headed to Cannes, but we still don't get that crazy beard.

Credit: AP Photo/Evan Agostini

It's hard to believe, but the 2010 Cannes Film Festival is less than eight weeks away.  And as the world's premier cinematic showcase, it traditionally features a number of films that will be in play during awards season.  It appears 2010 is no exception.

When 20th Century Fox moved Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" to September, the studio also hinted the new date wasn't because the film was troubled (not that anyone would have ever admitted that).  In fact, according to Variety, the rumors that the Shia Labeouf and Michael Douglas drama will screen at the Croisette appear to be true.  A sequel to Stone's 1987 snapshot of '80s greed, "Wall Street," "Money Never Sleeps" also features recent Oscar nominees Carey Mulligan and Josh Brolin.  What's unclear is whether "Money" will screen in or out of competition, but it will certainly be timely with the current global economic climate.

Oscar will return to wintry February in 2011.

Credit: AP Photo

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a slew of key dates for the 83rd Academy Awards today and happily, there will be no extended awards season again in 2011.

Because of competition from the Winter Olympics, the entire Oscar schedule was pushed back two weeks this past year creating more time for senseless drama such as the "Lockergate" E-mail affair.  That won't occur in 2011.  The Academy Awards will return to February, more specifically, Sunday, Feb. 27.  Nominations, which were announced Feb. 2 this year, will move to January 25, 2011.  This also puts Nominations Day smack in the middle of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival (where it traditionally takes place).

Jay Baruchel gets animated as Hiccup in "How To Train Your Dragon."

Credit: DreamWorks Animation

Actors are usually barraged with numerous talking points by publicists and studio executives to convey their "true love" for their latest projects.  Most of the time, it's easy to see through that charade when it's clearly not the case.  In fact, there have been stars in great movies where it was obvious even they weren't as enthusiastic as the critics were.  Speaking to Jay Baruchel about his new DreamWorks Animation epic "How To Train Your Dragon" it was clear the 28-year-old Canadian is not in that camp.  He simply adores his latest project.