The Education of Charlie Banks, a coming of age tale that spans from the playgrounds of lower Manhattan to the idyllic greens of a fictional liberal arts college in upstate New York, is open this week in limited release. The movie is set during the eighties and is a story about “change, inevitability, and ultimately, about facing one’s fears.”
Even though the movie is set in upstate New York, it was filmed at various locations throughout Rhode Island. It sounds like Hamilton College or Colgate University would have been perfect locations for the film. Maybe its time upstate New Yorkers starting marketing themselves to location scouts. Especially since movies can be a great economic boost to an area.
A Canastota resident got a “bad hair” makeover today on Live with Regis and Kelly. Amanda Klitch, a 26-year-old artist, entered the show’s bad hair day contest and won a trip to NYC to have her bad hair made over!
Curly hair specialist, Ouidad, taught Amanda how to manage her frizzy, curly hair. After a deep treatment, cut, and highlights, Amanda looked like a whole new person! Congratulations to Amanda on her make over!
Central New Yorkers have a very famous neighbor right in our own backyard. In 2007, Adrien Brody bought the Stone Barn Castle in Cleveland, New York, located about 30 miles northeast of Syracuse on the north shore of Oneida Lake. He reportedly paid a mere $650,000 for the house and 50 acres of land which were used as a farm museum until the actor moved in. The castle was also once home to an annual Halloween party that drew crowds from across Upstate New York. Now the home is a showcase featuring designs by Giorgio Armani. So be on the look out for Brody in Wal-Mart, Sylavan Beach, and even right here in Utica!
By now everyone has heard about the tragic death of Natasha Richardson. What many don’t know is that Natasha and husband Liam Neeson owned a home in Millbrook, NY. Millbrook is located about 30 miles northeast of Poughkeepsie. It was announced today that Richardson will be buried at St. Joseph’s Church in Millbrook. The couple was often seen in local restaurants and shops, enjoying the quiet life in Millbrook, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. For more about Millbrook, take a look at the town’s official website.
At The Oscars a few weeks ago, Melissa Leo was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film Frozen River. What many Upstate New Yorkers don’t realize, is the film was made in our backyard last winter.
“Frozen River” was filmed in the Plattsburgh and Beekmantown areas of Clinton County in 24 wintry days in 2007, but the story’s setting is the Massena/Akwesasne area.
The film’s director, Courtney Hunt, said the area was chosen because it was easier to film on Lake Champlain and the Plattsburgh area offered more accommodations for the cast and crew.
The movie is about Ray Eddy, a broke “trailer mom” who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl. The pair make runs across the frozen St. Lawrence carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray’s Dodge Spirit.
Ms. Hunt said the genesis for the movie came during trips to the north country. Her husband, Donald A. Harwood, was born in Malone and is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton. Ms. Hunt said her husband has relatives in the Malone and Burke areas, which they often visit.
Frozen River is available on DVD now.
The Buffalo International Film Festival begins The Buffalo Movie Tour next month. The tour stops at locations used in, The Savages, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, Niagara, starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotto, locations where Thomas Edison made movies in 1896, and more. There is also a stop for authentic Buffalo Chicken Wings along the way. Adult admission to the tour is 44.945 for 4 hours. Check out this year’s complete schedule on BIFF’s official site.
According to Syracuse.com, NY Senator Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to Steven Spielberg asking him to consider filming his next movie about Abraham Lincoln in Auburn. The movie will include scenes surrounding the life Lincoln’s secretary of state and one-time political rival, William H. Seward, who lived in Auburn. Seward’s family home, now the Seward House, an historic landmark.
“This would be a win-win for Central New York and Mr. Spielberg - delivering an economic boost to the region, while providing a historically accurate location for the film,” Schumer added.
What Schumer failed to mention, is that the state still has not renewed the tax incentives program that has made filming in New York State so desirable.
Tonight, The Cake Eaters premieres in Los Angeles but it will also be showcased in upstate New York. The film, directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, stars Twilight’s Kristen Stewart as a terminally teen who wants to experience love before dying. The Cake Eaterswas filmed in The Catskills and is headed back to it’s roots when Masterson presents the film in the Hudson Valley next week.
The Hudson Valley Programmers Group is thrilled to announce that film screenings of THE CAKE EATERS with appearances by director Mary Stuart Masterson will be presented in conjunction with 7-57 Releasing at The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville (3/16/09), The Community Theatre in Catskill (3/22/09) Upstate Films in Rhinebeck (3/23/09) and The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio in Albany (4/4/09). The film opens on March 13 in Los Angeles and Manhattan.
For ticket information, contact the Hudson Valley Programmers Group.
Upstate New York has never been a hub for filming. Unlike NYC, which hosts the most productions (behind L.A.) in the country, northern NY only sees a major movie or television production every few years. It looks like those productions may become even fewer and farther between now that Governor Paterson has chosen not to replenish the fund that gave tax breaks to filmmakers. This fund was a major draw for many TV shows and movies to come to the state. The downstate economy has already felt the effect as the hit show Fringe is leaving its current home in Long Island City, NY to move to Vancouver next season. If you want to sign a petition urging Governor Paterson to set aside more money for the TV/movies tax incentives, click here.
