✍️ Jane Austen + oddball comedy
Tax incentives May 30 — Tax incentives have long been the lifeblood of film and television production – they’re what gave Georgia such a stronghold in the industry in the first place. Since President Donald Trump let loose about tariffs in the movie industry a few weeks ago, it seems like film communities are scrambling to make their […] The post ✍️ Jane Austen + oddball comedy appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
Tax incentives
May 30 — Tax incentives have long been the lifeblood of film and television production – they’re what gave Georgia such a stronghold in the industry in the first place. Since President Donald Trump let loose about tariffs in the movie industry a few weeks ago, it seems like film communities are scrambling to make their incentives better, both tax-wise and in other ways.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently issued an executive order meant to lessen the red tape required to make a movie in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to push a proposal that would allocate up to $750 million each year for film production in the state. The Texas House just passed a bill that would boost the cash available for productions to $300 million every two years for the next decade, which would make for $1.5 billion in total.
These incentives represent two different pushes from the states – a relatively smaller film community trying to keep local productions from leaving, and a legacy production juggernaut trying to entice runaway productions back to the land of Hollywood. Georgia – which, like many production hubs in the U.S, has faced a slowdown over the past few years – currently offers tax credits for up to 30% of the cost of the production, and recently the legislature reinstated a tax credit for post-production expenditures in the state. We’ll have to keep an eye out to see if Georgia has any sort of response to these incentives coming out of other states.
Without further ado … Action!
Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his movie “It Was Just an Accident.” The director was previously arrested in Iran and charged with making anti-government propaganda.
The Memorial Day weekend box office was the strongest it has ever been this year, with amazing opening numbers for “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Stunt performer Devyn LaBella is suing Kevin Costner, alleging that the director put her in an unscripted rape scene without warning or proper safety protocols while on the set of Costner’s film “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.” An attorney for Costner denied the claims.
More than 400 personal effects – including a set of 10 VHS tapes of “Eraserhead” and a custom-built five-necked guitar – once belonging to filmmaker David Lynch have been put up for auction.
Rangerstop and Pop, a convention centering around the Power Rangers, is back in Atlanta from June 13-15.
I may be the only person excited about this, but the cast for the 50th season of “Survivor” has been announced. Mike White, the creator of “The White Lotus,” will return to the beaches of Fiji.
This week’s newsletter includes a deep dive into the world of Letterboxd, a look at a movie shooting in Dunwoody, and two movie reviews for “Bring Her Back” and “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.” Plus, what’s playing at your local movie theater this week, a new episode of my podcast Crash Zoom, and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.
Enjoy!
Sammie
Midtown Alliance invites you to support Black and Caribbean artists, makers, and small businesses on Sat., June 7 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. along the Midtown Art Walk. Enjoy a mix of live music, food, shopping, and creative expression at this free event. RSVP here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Local students talk Letterboxd and creating a film community
Letterboxd is a movie-based social media platform where users can log in and review films, create lists of films, view what their friends are watching, and share their top four films with everyone. Think Goodreads, but for movies, and with an infinitely more usable interface.
Over the past five years, Letterboxd has been taking over the movie world. But what’s really special about Letterboxd is the way it has managed to create a community around movie-watching – especially among younger film lovers – during a time when it feels more and more like movies are losing their cultural relevance.
I recently spoke with SCAD students about how Letterboxd has affected their movie-watching lives.
Take a look at what I learned here.
Construction Resources Westside Design Center is Opening Saturday, June 7!
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HBO series featuring Jason Bateman and David Harbour films in Dunwoody
On May 29, Dunwoody caught a whiff of Hollywood for the second time in two weeks, when an HBO film crew set up shop in Dunwoody Village – and two of its stars were spotted during filming.
“‘DTF St. Louis,’ a seven-episode limited series tells of a love triangle among three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead,” according to the online publication DEADLINE. Jason Bateman and David Harbour star in the series.
This is the second such Hollywood-type visit to the same Dunwoody shopping center. A limited series recently filmed at Morty’s Meat & Supply in Dunwoody Village on May 16.
Learn more about the shoot here.
‘Bring Her Back’ is all shock, no value
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
“Bring Her Back” is the latest film from horror duo Danny and Michael Philippou, who took the world by storm with their 2022 film “Talk to Me.”
Much like “Talk to Me,” “Bring Her Back” is quite an upsetting film with some good performances, and the Philippou brothers have a real eye for practical effects and nastiness. But, there’s not too much going on underneath that grimy sheen.
It’s easy to appreciate the Philippous’ commitment to the visceral, and to the creativity of the premise of “Bring Her Back.” But, while “Talk to Me” is about as nasty as it gets, this new film is going for something far more sentimental by its end, and it doesn’t earn the depth of emotion it wants to achieve.
‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ navigates new romance through an old lens
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
Agathe (Camille Rutherford) is the very Jane Austen-esque protagonist at the heart of “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” Laura Piani’s sweet, oddball romantic comedy about a woman thwarted by the romantic expectations Jane Austen has thrust upon her.
She’s searching for her Mr. Darcy in a world of Henry Crawfords, and honestly, who among us is not?
But if Jane Austen does wreck all of our lives just a little bit, Piani’s movie believes in the power of shooting for that type of romance anyway. With strong performances and achingly lovely chemistry between the film’s two leads, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” is about a woman learning to confront the world as it comes at her, and learning that perhaps, Jane Austen still has a lot to teach the modern heroine.
At the Movies
If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
Movies releasing this weekend: 
“Karate Kid: Legends” (pictured)
“Bring Her Back”
“Tornado”
Special Events:
“The Vanishing Point” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Monday)
“The Apu Trilogy” in 4K, presented by Chai Pani @ The Plaza (Saturday)
“Arna’s Children,” presented by Resistance Cinema @ The Tara (Friday)
“Farha,” presented by Resistance Cinema @ The Tara (Saturday)
“My Fair Lady” @ The Tara (Sunday-Tuesday)
Midtown Alliance invites you to support Black and Caribbean artists, makers, and small businesses on Sat., June 7 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. along the Midtown Art Walk. Enjoy a mix of live music, food, shopping, and creative expression at this free event. RSVP here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Crash Zoom: Memorial Day box office and the rise of MUBI
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a podcast where we take a deep dive into film and entertainment industry news!
Each week, join my cohost indie filmmaker Aaron Strand and me as we explore how things happening at the highest level trickle down and affect the independent artist. This week, we discuss the death of Cartoon Network, the rise of MUBI, some Cannes updates, and more.
Lights, Camera, Action!
If you’ve noticed a shift in your television programming lately, you’re not the only one. From farmers looking for wives to a potential reality show about immigrants proving they’re “the most American,” television is certainly taking a more conservative, right-wing approach in the second Trump White House. An article from Jason Parham for Wired takes a closer look at the reasons why. Check it out here.
Paul Reubens – more famously known as Pee-wee Herman – passed away in July of 2023. At that time, documentarian Matt Wolf was in the middle of the long, arduous, and emotional process of making a documentary about Reubens, who was intensely private. For Vulture, Wolf recently wrote about the trials and tribulations of making that documentary, and how he was able to express his love for Reubens through it.
I saw John Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China” at the Plaza for the first time the other night, and had an absolute blast. The action comedy is a satire that is somehow filled with sweetness – a silly, stupid action movie with a lot of smart commentary on the tropes that plague movies featuring a white star and a minority sidekick. I immediately turned on the Blank Check podcast episode about the film, and I implore you to do the same.
Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
The post ✍️ Jane Austen + oddball comedy appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
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