Action!
January 6 – Welcome to the first edition of Scene: a film and entertainment newsletter by Rough Draft! (Subscribe to future issues here.)
Scene is a newsletter centered on the film and entertainment world in Georgia and beyond, delivered to your inbox by yours truly (Sammie Purcell).
I recently moved over to covering arts and entertainment and focusing on our newsletters, and this is the happy merger of those two things. Scene will be a collection of movie reviews, entertainment news, recommendations on what I think you should be watching or listening to, and whatever else I drum up for the week.
I’ve always loved movies, and I’m so happy Rough Draft gave me a platform to share my reviews. I’m excited for this newsletter to start, and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride! But, I also know movies bring out passion and opinions, so please let me know what you think.
Without further ado … action!
☀️ This year, you can experience some of the Sundance Film Festival from the comfort of your own couch. Online packages are available for purchase, and single tickets will go on sale Jan. 12.
⚖️ The stars of 1968’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, are suing Paramount Studios over nude scenes that were filmed when they were minors.
🏥 Jeremy Renner has shared a video update from the hospital. The actor was involved in a snowplow accident on New Year’s Day.
This week, we’ve got a review of “One Fine Morning,” French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve’s follow-up to the excellent “Bergman Island.” The Golden Globe Awards are back next week after quite some time, so we’ll spend a little time getting ready for the usually-raucous ceremony. Then, we’ll be taking a look at what’s filming in Georgia and what podcasts are worth your time this week.
Thanks for reading!
Sammie
Golden Globes preview
🏆 After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Golden Globes are back, but most likely not any less messy.
On Jan. 10, the awards show returns to NBC and Peacock after a break following critiques about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity and unethical business practices.
But, the night won’t be free of controversy. Brendan Fraser – a big contender for the Oscar Best Actor race for his performance in “The Whale” – has stated he will not be attending the ceremony.
The actor told GQ that due to his “history” with the organization (in 2018, he accused former HFPA President Philip Berk of groping and assaulting him in 2003), he would be sitting this one out. “My mother didn’t raise a hypocrite,” he said.
Will other actors follow suit and boycott the ceremony? According to Variety, another Best Actor front-runner, Austin Butler (“Elvis”), is expected to attend. The jury’s still out on another favorite, Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”). There’s reportedly still no word on whether “Babylon” stars Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt plan to attend, or Julia Roberts for her television series “Gaslit.”
I bet Tom Cruise, whose mega-hit “Top Gun: Maverick” is in contention for Best Motion Picture – Drama, is unlikely to attend. In the middle of the previous years’ controversy, the actor returned his three prior awards.
But despite the HFPA’s past and Fraser’s stance, it looks like it will be a star-studded night. Steven Spielberg, Michelle Williams, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, and many more are expected to make appearances.
If you need a little help getting ready for the big night, you can see the full list of nominees here. “The Banshees of Inisherin” leads the movie pack with eight nominations and you can read my review of “Banshees” here.
“Abbott Elementary” is the most-nominated television show with five.
📺 The Golden Globes air on NBC and Peacock on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. EST.
FILM REVIEW
‘One Fine Morning’ is failed by a lackluster romance
🌅 In “One Fine Morning,” Sandra (Léa Seydoux) remarks that as he ages, she sees more of her father’s soul in his books than his actual self. Her father, Georg (Pascal Greggory), was recently diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, and she and her family are struggling with the reality of taking care of him as he loses more and more control over his faculties. Sandra makes this remark while cleaning out Georg’s apartment, the seemingly thousands of books he’s shared his soul with throughout the years strewn about the room.
Sandra’s life is defined by caretaking. She lives in Paris, a single mother to an eight-year-old named Linn (Camille Leban Martins), and she takes care of her sick father. When he becomes too sick to live on his own, she and her family begin looking for a suitable nursing home, and she runs into an old married friend, Clément (Melvil Poupaud). The two embark on an affair that puts aging into perspective, and – somehow – sparks Sandra back to life.
Sandra’s remark – that as we grow more brittle, our true selves become entombed in the things we loved and cared for – is one of the more poignant observations in writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve’s new film, which follows a woman in stasis, surrounded on all sides by an ever-changing world, but unable to move herself. While a slight film, “One Fine Morning” offers a frank look at the casual cruelty with which we treat the elderly. But the counterpoint to that commentary on aging – a rather lackluster romance – makes it difficult to feel conflicted about the tension between putting care into your own life or the lives of others.
📽️ Click here to read the full review.
What’s filming in Georgia
Here are a few fun things filming in a neighborhood near you this week.
🏖️ In December, the Mark Wahlberg/Michelle Monaghan vehicle “Holiday Road” (working title) held a casting call in Atlanta for a shoot at Georgia Tech. The Skydance film is reportedly still filming in the area.
💛 The Shari Rigby indie picture “Golden Influencer” is scheduled to begin shooting on Jan. 11 in Atlanta.
🏢 “Megalopolis” – the long-awaited project from Francis Ford Coppola, director of “The Godfather” trilogy – is filming in Atlanta this month. If you live around 6th Street in Midtown, that road will be closed on Jan. 13 to film a fire stunt, so please don’t be alarmed. The film stars Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, and many more.
🛩️ In December, casting began for Tyler Perry’s new WWII Netflix film, “Six Triple Eight.” The film will tell the story of the only all-Black, all-female unit deployed during WWII.
Lights, camera, podcast!
Take a break from work and listen to these entertainment podcasts.
🎸 1. Courtney Love on Marc Maron – “I’m minimally involved in this conversation,” Maron says at the beginning of this episode. And he’s not wrong. Courtney Love has a lot to say, and she’s not going to let the host of the podcast she’s on stop her. She talks Kanye, her film career, and so much more.
🗽 2. Rosie Perez on Fresh Air – Perez doesn’t hold back on this episode of Fresh Air, part of their best of 2022 series. She talks openly about her childhood, the struggles she’s faced in the industry, and the types of roles she likes to take on.
📽️ 3. In preparation for the newest block of “You Must Remember This,” Karina Longworth’s podcast about the secret or forgotten history of Hollywood’s first century, I’ve been listening to her “Erotic 80s” series. It’s great prep for “Erotic 90s” – whenever it drops – and gives vast insight into the feminist movement’s relationship to the film industry, how sex is viewed on camera, and so much more.