How to Bum Out Your Kids
While Violet Crown Cinema is slated to host Castaway screenwriter William Broyles Jr. at a screening of that film on July 25, everybody’s favorite semi-subterranean Railyard movie theater is pretty focused on sad flicks for kids right now. As we speak, the theater is playing the animated film The Land Before Time, wherein main dinosaur Little Foot finds himself Bambi’d (aka, with a dead mom) just before learning that having friends and walking long distances while singing is just as good as a living parent—although, didn’t all the dinos get meteor’d in the end? Later this summer, catch The Neverending Story and the resultant “Why was the villain of the movie literal nothingness and how can I possibly begin to cope with that concept?” questions from little ones who just watched a horse drown about an hour earlier.
Location, Location, Location
Hats off to the New Mexico Film Office and local location managers for nominations from the Location Managers Guild International. First up with a nomination for Outstanding Locations in a Period Feature is Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which we all know highlighted New Mexico vistas while telling some of the tale of the Trinity Test and the guy who made it happen. “Being nominated for an LMGI Award…is incredibly humbling,” Oppenheimer location manager Dennis Muscari says in a statement. “New Mexico’s diverse landscapers and historical buildings all played a vital role in bringing Oppenheimer’s story to life.” Also in that category are Dune: Part Two, Killers of the Flower Moon and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. As none of those films were shot or took place in New Mexico, they probably look terrible by comparison. The New Mexico Film Office was also nominated for the Outstanding Film Commission Award for the same film.
First We Bombed New Mexico Re-Returns
In other Oppenheimer-adjacent news, after no shortage of festival buzz, numerous screenings at home and afar and a glowing review in SFR, filmmaker Lois Lipman’s documentary First We Bombed New Mexico is scheduled for 2 and 6 pm special screenings at the Albuquerque Museum on Tuesday, July 16. Part educational doc, part spirited rallying cry, Lipman’s film focuses on the downwinders—residents of the areas near Oppenheimer’s test whose land and water were poisoned leading to ongoing generational health and emotional traumas. The fallout remains to this day, and with the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expiring last month, the plight of the downwinders remains as important as it ever was.
Extra! Extra!
If you’ve ever wanted to dip a toe into the high-octane world of background acting, the Santa Fe Film Office has a pretty handy primer for would-be extras who live in and around Santa Fe. Not only does the local film office have a fairly comprehensive info page online at santafenm.film, its industry directory is chock-full of information for folks who want to know more about getting into film.
More Rust Dustups
With Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial underway for his role in the 2021 on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of Western Rust, First Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled during preliminary motions earlier this week that Baldwin’s producer role for the film was not relevant to the trial. Outside the courtroom, the AP reports that the New Mexico Film Office last week denied an application for film and television tax incentives from Baldwin and other Rust producers to the tune of roughly $1.6 million. A reason for the denial was not provided.