WEINSTEINS LEAVE MIRAMAX -- KEEP BUYING ASIAN MOVIES

For those who were dreaming that the Bob and Harvey Weinstein would keep their mitts off Asian films after leaving Miramax, your wake-up call is here. The snazzily named The Weinstein Group, B&H's self-titled post-Miramax company, picked up the rights  to Jackie Chan's NEW POLICE STORY in a collaborative purchase with Lion's Gate.

NEW POLICE STORY is a movie that Chan said he made for his Asian fans only, and didn't want to make a US sale. It's also his best movie in a long time. So, does that mean that Americans are losers? Kinda.

Then they trundled over to the Chateau de la Napoule to watch 12 minutes of Chen Kaige's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON wannabe: THE PROMISE. After claiming that it's poetry in motion and a major work from a major director (and apparently saying they'll give it a big Oscar push) the Weinsteins signed a check for the rights to the $35 million production (the most expensive Chinese production to date).

Not to be a nay-sayer, but isn't this the same kind of hype that Chen Kaige's under-performing THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN got, as well?