Film

The New York Times discusses the pluses and minuses of local governments giving companies subsidies to film in their states.

Less than two years ago, [Andrew] den Houten became one of the first to take advantage of Michigan’s generous subsidy, which pays for up to 42 percent of a movie’s cost, when he made “Offspring,” a cannibalism-themed horror picture that was later distributed by the Ghost House Underground direct-to-video line and has been showing on NBC Universal’s Chiller TV network.

“The Woman,” a sequel to “Offspring,” is a little less horrific, Mr. van den Houten said in an interview.

“We had babies in the first movie,” he offered.

The Michigan film bureau was less-than pleased by the topic, saying “This film is unlikely to promote tourism in Michigan or to present or reflect Michigan in a positive light,” while objecting to “this extreme horror film’s subject matter, namely realistic cannibalism; the gruesome and graphically violent depictions described in the screenplay; and the explicit nature of the script.”

Boston is roughly halfway between Hollywood and Slough, so it would make sense that Ricky Gervais and his writing partner Matt Robinson would meet here to film their upcoming film, "This Side of the Truth".

"The Office" boss, Extras star, and major UK celebrity reports that they have just finished a week in town scouting locations. No word of when filming will start, or if Karl Pilkington will be appearing on set.

UPDATE:

It's perfect weather for a movie night! And tonight is the one-time-only screening of "Cleophas and His Own" at the Kendall Square theater in Cambridge.
WBUR's Adrienne LaFrance writes:

"Those looking to expand their horizons on art and narrative should make the time for “Cleophas and His Own: A North Atlantic Tragedy,” a very (nearly three hours) long but equally rewarding debut from director Michael Maglaras, who also stars in the film."

For more from LaFrance about the film, visit:
http://blogs.wbur.org/arts/?p=391