Out of the many movies released in 2013, only nine have been nominated for Best Picture for the Oscars race in 2014. Among the few chosen is an indie film calledNebraska, shot on location partially in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming.
On January 16, 2014, the The Montana Film Office announced that Nebraska, a drama/comedy directed by previous Academy Award-winner Alexander Payne (The Descendants), was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Alexander Payne), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bruce Dern), Best Supporting Actress (June Squibb), Best Original Screenplay (Bob Nelson) and Best Cinematography (Phedon Papamichael).
Last fall, Beneath The Harvest Sky, an indie movie shot entirely in Van Buren, Maine (a small town with a population of approximately 2200), had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
The reviews were unanimous among audiences and critics alike. Beneath The Harvest Sky was “heartbreakingly authentic” (Variety), “gripping and realistic” (Pretty Clever Films). It’s “an impressively mounted indie” that “offers a solid sense of place” (The Hollywood Reporter) palpably complementing the small, soulful Maine town where the movie was filmed.
Last year, we wrote an article about the making of the indie film Ping Pong Summer in Ocean City, Maryland, the beautiful, nostalgic beach town of my childhood.
Recently, Ping Pong Summer shared on Facebook that the moviewill have its world premier at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival to be held in January 2014 in Park City, Utah.
Filmed on location in Arkansas for 39 days starting on September 26, 2011, Mud was the largest film production to set up camp in “The Natural State.” When it opened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, the film received an 18-minute standing ovation.
Directed and written by Jeff Nichols, who grew up in Arkansas and was recently nominated for Best Director for the 2014 Indie Spirit Awards, Mud stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan (The Tree of Life), and Jacob Lofland (a young actor also from Arkansas).
Imagine you own a little motel in the country. Business is steady, and you make a decent living. Not bad at all for a small business owner.
Then almost overnight, your motel becomes the talk of the town. More guests appear on the reservation list. People find excuses to drop by for impromptu visits, snapping photographs of your lobby, rooms, hotel sign, and parking lot. Dotting the internet are articles (such as this one) written about you - and your motel. What could possibly bring on such changes?
Dig Two Graves, a Gothic mystery thriller, is back in Southern Illinois to film its final scenes.
Directed by Hunter Adams and based on the script he co-wrote with Jeremy Phillips, Dig Two Graves’ cast includes Ted Levine (The Bridge, Shutter Island), Kara Zediker (Contagion), Danny Goldring (The Dark Knight), and newcomer Samantha Isler.
After making the mega-successful summer blockbuster hit The Heat, Melissa McCarthy (the beloved Sookie St. James from Gilmore Girls and the hilarious Megan from Bridesmaids) came to Niagara Falls last month to film her next movie, a road comedy called Tammy.
With the august Niagara Falls gracing the background, Ms. McCarthy, Sandra Oh, and Academy Award winners Susan Sarandon and Kathy Bates, filmed a scene from the observation deck at Niagara Falls State Park. Neither Ms. McCarthy nor Ms. Sarandon had seen the Falls before. Filming the movie there was a special treat for both.
One of my favorite films from this past year is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written (novel and screenplay) and directed by the ultra-talented Stephen Chbosky. The movie was filmed in Pittsburgh, with a few scenes shot in Upper St. Clair, a prestigious neighborhood where Mr. Chbosky used to live with his parents.
I love everything about this film, from its story, its perfect cast, to its memorable Pittsburgh settings. The Steel City stands firmly on its own as one of the unforgettable characters of the movie. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is set in Pittsburgh during the early 1990’s, a nostalgic time period in which mixtapes and VCRs had a huge impact in a teenager’s life (the equivalence of our current days’ iPods, DVRs, Twitter and Facebook).
Grant Wainscott, director of the Clayton County Film, Sports & Entertainment Office said that even though 2012 was the busiest year yet for film production in Clayton County with four major movies filmed here, “you haven’t seen anything yet.”
“We are looking at an even busier year in 2013,” Wainscott said. “Although I am not authorized yet to reveal the names of the films, we already have three now in production in Clayton and four to start shooting this summer.”
If you’re a fan of Top Chef: Seattle, then you probably are familiar with the beautiful modern condo where the talented “cheftestants” are staying in Season 10 of this popular reality TV show.
The chefs’ home-away-from-home is the penthouse suite of Olive 8, a condo tower in downtown Seattle. Its size (it could house up to 18 people), location (downtown Seattle), and tight security made the Olive 8 penthouse the perfect choice for Top Chef.
In February 2009, ten remote organic dairy farms in Maine lost their main dairy processor when H.P. Hood decided not to renew their contracts. Located in the rural areas of northern and eastern Maine, these farmers didn’t have much luck finding any other dairy companies willing to drive the extra miles to work with them.
The farmers had two choices: shut down their businesses and do something else with their time, or invent a new way to continue doing what they know and love best.
I can’t think of a better movie for us to ring in the New Year with than Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday (2006), one of my personal favorite romantic comedies.
Filmed on location in both California and the English countryside of the U.K., The Holiday is a charming, intelligent romantic comedy about two women who are living very different lives but yet have the same relationship problems. To temporarily escape from their troubles-of-the-heart, they house swap over the internet and end up living each other’s life for a few days ... or so to speak. In doing that, each woman finds something that was missing in her life before.
This fall, probably for the first time ever, an independent featured film was shot entirely in Ocean City, Maryland.
Ping Pong Summer, starring (among many others) Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, John Hannah, is the brainchild of Director Michael Tully (Septien, Cocaine Angel).
As Nancy Meyers is preparing to direct her next film The Chelsea, from a script written by her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer, let’s visit the filming locations of one her most beloved movies of all time. Chances are you’ve already seen Something’s Gotta Give. And if you’re a diehard fan like me, you’ve probably seen it at least half a dozen times.
The Michigan Film Office announced recently that they have approved film incentives for Rumors of Wars, a futuristic war drama thriller that reminds us of movies like 2012,Armaggedon and Day After Tomorrow.
Antarctica has always been a mysterious place to all of us. Thoughts of Antarctica bring forth images of snowy, icy landscapes, magnificent glaciers, frozen tundra, and mystical northern lights. Antarctica is a place I’m forever curious about, but probably may never get to see in person.
In the spirit of Halloween which is just about a week away, the SyFy Channel will air tonight, Wednesday, October 24, a special Ghost Hunters episode called Fear Factory.
The Hunger Games, filmed entirely in North Carolina, was a big hit when it came out earlier this year. Since then, there has been much speculation as to where its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be filmed. Recently, Lionsgate has announced in a press release its plans to filmCatching Fire this fall on location in Hawaii, and in and near Atlanta, Georgia, including Clayton County.
As a nation, we are obsessed with heroes. That’s one of the reasons why movies starring Superman, Iron Man, The Hulk, Spiderman, Thor, etc. (to name a few) always end up being huge box office hits.
With major filming projects such as NBC’s Grimm (Seasons 1 and 2), IFC’sPortlandia (photo on left), and TNT’s Leverage shooting in Oregon all at the same time, it’s no wonder 2011 was one of the most lucrative years in Oregon’s film industry.
