In a recent article writer Paula Wall explains, "In May 2004, Buffalo artist and university professor Steve Kurtz woke up to find that his wife, Hope, had stopped breathing. He called 911 and was subsequently plunged into a nightmare that is still going on. Kurtz and his wife were founding members of the Critical Art Ensemble (CAE), which mounts exhibits sometimes critical of public health and military programs. In his home studio were biological materials for an upcoming exhibit about genetically modified agriculture at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA)."

What happened next is the subject of a new documentary film by Lynn Hershman Leeson entitled "Strange Culture." The official site says," Within hours the artist was detained as a suspected "bioterrorist" as dozens of federal agents in Hazmat suits sifted through his work and impounded his computers, manuscripts, books, his cat, and even his wife’s body. Today Kurtz and his long-time collaborator Dr. Robert Ferrell, Professor of Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, await a trial date."

Wisconsin in the movies
Can the dairy state become the Hollywood of the Midwest?
October 22, 2007
by Kevin Kosterman
(originally published in the UW Oshkosh Advance-Titan)

Wisconsin is no stranger to the movies: The Cleveland Indians called Milwaukee County Stadium home in “Major League;” Rodney Dangerfield went “Back to School” at UW-Madison; and John Candy’s polka band in “Home Alone” was “huge in Sheboygan.”

Now with established ties to the film industry and attractive new tax incentives, Wisconsin is poised to usher in a Golden Age of filmmaking and, in turn, keep some of its brightest homegrown talent in state. The rewards are huge, but so are the challenges.

“Right now is probably the most opportune time in history to create a really vibrant film and television production community in Wisconsin,” said Scott Robbe, executive director of Film Wisconsin, a private sector non-profit dedicated to nurturing and maintaining the state’s film and media industry.

Robbe cited a convergence of factors as cause for optimism.

First and foremost, Robbe said, was the state legislature’s passing last year (June, 2006) of an aggressive set of tax incentives intended to lure Hollywood money and jobs to the state. The Film Wisconsin Bill (Senate Bill 563), pushed by Robbe and his associates, offers tax credits of up to 25 percent to companies who shoot in the state, which will apply to a film’s production costs, including lighting, makeup, company expenditures and workers’ wages.

According to Robbe, the Coen brothers (“Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski”) were set to film their upcoming picture in Wisconsin, but because of the budget impasse — that Robbe said put a hold on an estimated $100 million worth of potential business — the rules and definitions for the incentives have not yet been published, so the Oscar-winning filmmakers took their business to Minnesota.

With rising real-estate prices and production costs in traditional filmmaking centers, Robbe said Wisconsin and other Midwestern states are becoming more and more attractive to filmmakers.

“The sheer difficulty of the logistics of filming on location in New York and L.A. now are starting to make it cost-prohibitive,” he said. “Hollywood is looking for new regional film hubs.”
And Wisconsin provides the right blend of affordability, talent and budding infrastructure to woo potential business, Robbe said calling the stretch between Chicago and Door County “the new affordable, film-friendly third coast.”

Benefits of a successful filmmaking industry in the state would be enormous, Robbe said, and would include a huge influx of new revenue, a host of employment opportunities, a new tax base and the retention of multitudes of college graduates who otherwise flock to the New York and Los Angeles in search of work in entertainment.

“That’s going to help to not only lure back people who have had to leave previously to other coasts to work in the film and television industries, but also to keep all of the young talent that graduates from the education system here in Wisconsin…” he said.

UW-Oshkosh alumnus Nick Kaat made the move to Los Angeles after graduating in 2005 to pursue his dreams of being a part of the film industry. He agreed that having a vibrant filmmaking market in Wisconsin would help retain many film-school graduates, but cautioned against over-emphasizing the potential impact.

“I think the hardcore people who really want to go for the big movies or big television shows — those who have the Hollywood itch — they’re still going to leave and I think they still have to,” he said. “No matter what, Wisconsin is not going to be the film production capital of the world.”

With similar tax incentives already in place in surrounding states like Illinois and Minnesota, Kaat said it will be tough for Wisconsin to sell itself as the only destination that provides a Midwestern look and feel, and the lack of an established film community will hurt the state at first.

“Not that it can’t be changed over time, but in the beginning people aren’t going to flock to Wisconsin,” he said. “Therefore the year-round market for filmmaking is going to be kind of rough.”

UW-Oshkosh radio/TV/film professor Douglas Heil said creating a sustainable filmmaking scene in Wisconsin would also be difficult because the changing of seasons prevents the type of year-round filming conditions that make film centers like Los Angeles, Louisiana and New Mexico desirable locations.

“I hope it’s not pie-in-the-sky thinking,” he said, “but I’m skeptical.”
Robbe said he feels that Wisconsin is culturally and politically ready to embrace the entertainment business and hopes that efforts like Film Wisconsin will help create a fertile environment in which filmmaking in the state can flourish and become a boon for the overall economy.

“Wisconsin now has put in place the elements that can make Wisconsin a leader in the film and television production industry,” he said. “What we have to do is finish the job we started.”

Movies Filmed in Wisconsin:

American Movie: Most people have heard of this movie and its weird stars by now. But if you haven't seen this yet, shame on you. Run to the video store nearest you now and see one of the funniest films ever made.

Amityville Horror: The remake of this classic horror tale had Silver Lake acting as the residence for the Amityville House's exterior while the interior was created in Buffalo Grove, Ill. in 2004.

Back to School: Classic Rodney Dangerfield comedy filmed at UW-Madison.

The Big One: Excellent documentary by UW alum Michael Moore filmed in Madison and Milwaukee.

The Blues Brothers: Elwood and Jake spent some time filming in Milwaukee and the Firstar Building can be spied as a car careens over the then-incomplete 794 freeway spur. Chicago? Who's kidding who?

Chain Reaction: This big budget action thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves was filmed partly in Madison, Lake Geneva and Williams Bay.

Damien: Omen II and The Final Conflict: Omen III: Two of the sequels to one of the finest horror films ever made were filmed in Lake Geneva, Eagle River and Delafield. St. John's Military Academy got some screen time.

The Deep End of the Ocean: The big screen adaptation of Madison author Jacquelyn Mitchard's bestseller of the same name, which stars Michelle Pfieffer, was partly filmed in Madison.

Fever Lake: The horror movie starring Mario Lopez of "Save By the Bell" fame was filmed at Carthage College in Kenosha and in Twin Lakes.

For Keeps: This '80s classic starring Molly Ringwald was shot partly in Madison.

Hoop Dreams: Roger Ebert's favorite movie of the '90s filmed partly in Milwaukee.

I Love Trouble: Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte star in one of the most famous movies to be filmed in Wisconsin. It was filmed in Baraboo and Madison. According to Stanley Solheim at the Wisconsin Film Office, farmers picketed the film and tried to halt production.

Iron Will: Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey stars in this film that filmed in Superior.

Major League: The team in the movie is the Cleveland Indians, but it should have been the Brew Crew. All of the stadium scenes were shot at our very own County Stadium. There were also outdoor scenes shot in the Third Ward, and a home on the corner of Kilbourn and Cass was used for interior shots.

Meet the Applegates: This dark comedy about a family of alien bugs living in surburbia was filmed in Neenah and Oshkosh.

Milwaukee, Minnesota: A tribute to Milwaukee it's not, but the indie dark comedy was filmed primarily in the Bay View area in Milwaukee. Kinnickinnic Avenue is shown prominently in the 2002 film which released almost three years later in June '05.

Mr. 3000: Comedian Bernie Mac starred in this baseball themed movie in 2003. Scenes were shot at the newly completed Miller Park. In between innings at Brewers games, shots of the movie were filmed.

Mrs. Soffel: One of Mad Max Mel Gibson's first starring roles, opposite Diane Keaton, briefly filmed in Freedom.

Novocaine: This movie filmed in Cedarburg over the summer. It stars Steve Martin, Kevin Bacon, Laura Dern and Helena Bonham Carter.

The Paint Job: The comedy/thriller was filmed in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine. The story was about a painter falling in love with his boss' wife.

One Night Stand: Acclaimed director Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas") filmed parts of this Wesley Snipes movie in Milwaukee, although exactly which parts are unclear.

Reeseville: It's an independent film about a murder set in the Midwest. Several cities were filming locations for the flick like Milwaukee, Madison, Watertown, Jefferson and, the movie's title location, Reeveville.

Rudy: The "Rocky" of college football movies, starring "The Goonies" Sean Astin, was partly filmed in Milwaukee.

Semi-Tough: Burt Reynolds' football movie has some scenes that were filmed in Green Bay.

A Simple Plan: Director Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead" and its sequels) filmed his 1998 masterpiece in Ashland because there wasn't enough snow in Minnesota. It stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda.

The Straight Story: Last year's beautiful David Lynch ("Twin Peaks," "Lost Highway") movie, which stars the late Richard Farnsworth, filmed in Mount Zion and Prairie du Chien. If you haven't already, see this movie ASAP.

Uncle Buck: The late, great John Candy filmed parts of this film in Lake Geneva.

Some other movies filmed in Wisconsin include Clive Barker's classic horror flick "Hellraiser," Christopher Lambert's action pic "The Hunted," "Angus" and "The Cure." But note, although at least one scene in "This is Spinal Tap" purports to be in Milwaukee, it is not.

Wisconsin References:

Anchorman: Ron Burgandy (Will Ferrell) has lost his precious dog Baxter. He gets a phone call that he thinks is from him and says "Bark twice if you're in Milwaukee."

Dogma: A dark comedy, Dogma has two angels trying to find a way back into heaven after they were exiled to Wisconsin. British actor Alan Rickman plays Metranon, the voice of god, who hilariously explains that there's something worse than being exiled to hell: "Worse. Wisconsin. For the entire span of human history."

Drop Dead Gorgeous: This satire about a beauty pagent in Minnesota finds itself amidst a murder mystery. One character says that the pagent cannot rule out sabotage from neighboring state pagents including Iowa, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Good Night and Good Luck: This 2005 movie makes numerous references to Wisconsin because Sen. McCarthy was the Junior Sentator from Wisconsin.

Love Actually: Although not truely shot in Wisconsin, British romantic comedy, "Love Actually," features a bar in Cedarburg when one character, Colin, goes to Wisconsin to meet American women (or babes in his phrasing). Plus it's a compliment when he says he's going "To a fantastic place called Wisconsin."

Stripes: Bill Murray stars in this war comedy. John Winger (Murrary) and Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) are talking and Wisconsin makes an appearance. Winger says: "C'mon, it's Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick 'em up, we zip right out again. We're not going to Moscow. It's Czechoslovakia. It's like we're going into Wisconsin." Ziskey replies, "I once got my ass kicked in Wisconsin."

That Thing You Do!: A musical movie that Tom Hanks wrote, directed and starred in. The band he created becomes famous, almost like Beatle-mania all over again. One concert brings them to Wisconsin where the band members are mobbed by fans. As a group of girls climbs onto their car, one band members says "I like Wisconsin."

Titanic: This classic love story involving the ship sunk because of an ice berg, starring Leonardo DiCario and Kate Winslet. Jack claims to have grown up in Chippewa Falls, Wis. where he and his father would go ice fishing. However, the lake which he claims to have fished at didn't exist at the time the Titanic actually sunk. Lake Wissota is a man-made lake which was made five years after the ship sunk. It's still a shout out to Wisconsin though.

Wayne's World: Slackers and public access cable show hosts Wayne and Garth get the chance of a lifetime to meet Alice Cooper at his Milwaukee show. They have this memorable conversation:

My friend Coleen Rowley just posted an article in The Huffington Post that voices her outrage at a prominent Minnesota university that recently banned the appearance of Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu. It opens with the following:

"Last Tuesday, a couple of friends and I went to see the fantastic movie biography "Pete Seeger: the Power of Song". It featured great musical clips that told the unique life story of the folksinger and songwriter whose rendition of "We shall Overcome" inspired the civil rights movement (and anti-war movements). The inspirational movie also served as a timely reminder of the painful repression and vicious backstabbing that resulted from Joseph McCarthy's communist witch hunt back in the early 1950's. For a huge chunk of Seeger's life--17 years! -he was blacklisted. It was not until late in 1967 that the repression finally ended when the Smothers Brothers (courageous Comedy Hour) invited Seeger to perform on their TV show. And even then one of Seeger's songs, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," was censored. Only months later was he allowed to sing it on TV. No wonder the 88 year old Seeger has come to appreciate so much-as reflected in his lyrics-"the right to sing my song" that exists in America."

Here's a link to articles on "The Hollywood Librarian" directed by Ann Seidl. It was shot from March 2005 through February 2006 with a Panasonic Varicam high definition digital camera, and professionally edited and sound mixed, with an original music score composed for the film. The total budget was $185,000, including grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York as well as $25,000 from individual librarians.

John Cusack's powerful new film, War Inc. pulls off the near-impossible: finding a savage reality-altering humor amidst the tragedy of Iraq. He provides a clip in this Huff Post article: HuffPost Exclusive: a Scene from John Cusack's War Inc.

"Gimme Green" is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets, and our outlook on life. Whether in the sun-parched deserts of the American southwest or the humid climates of the eastern seaboard, the residential landscape is the same. Lawns carpet 50,000 square miles in the United States, requiring more than 30,000 tons of pesticides each year and 200 gallons of water a day per American. Every day, 5,000 acres in America are converted to lawns. By examining the social, commercial, and environmental pressures surrounding the green-grass aesthetic, we begin to understand how a non-edible, resource-intensive plant has become our nation's largest
irrigated crop.

Employing an engaging blend of gravity and levity, this documentary short follows a lawn of the month contest in a small suburb and a city code enforcement officer as he writes citations for unkempt lawns. It examines the inner-workings of a desert sod farm as well as an artificial turf factory. It questions how lawn pesticides are applied and what their affects may be on our health. Through an unforgettable exploration of one of our most recognizable national symbols, Gimme Green will ensure you never look at grass the same way again.

This Friday, September 21st 2007, Oscar award winning director and writer Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) releases his new movie, In the Valley of Elah (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478134/). The movie, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon, is about soldiers returning home from Iraq and the psychological effects they endure once they return. It is a stunning anti war film which will have a profound impact on anyone that watches it.

Kelpie Wilson is Truthout's environment editor. Trained as a mechanical engineer, she embarked on a career as a forest protection activist, then returned to engineering as a technical writer for the solar power industry. She is the author of "Primal Tears," an eco-thriller about a hybrid human-bonobo girl.

Her latest article in Truthout talks about Leonardo DiCaprio's new documentary film, "The 11th Hour," and other films on the environment.

Thanks to NicheGeek for the following 10 Google Video Documentaries You Have To Watch... "I love Google Video because they have so many great documentaries free to watch. Here are my favorite 10. Some are sad, some are wacky, but they are all very informative and entertaining."

1. Dangerous Knowledge

In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians - Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing - whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide.

2. Dogfighting Undercover

BBC-Dogfighting Undercover-August 30, 2007 Investigation into the secret and dangerous world of international dogfighting. For a year and a half, a BBC undercover team operated alongside dogfighting gangs in the UK and Europe, capturing on camera the savagery of organised fights. The film also reveals how American pitbull terriers - a banned breed created to be the ultimate canine gladiator - have been sold by the gangs into inner city Britain.

3. Secret Space

'A masterful documentary it cracks on at a tremendous pace. A subject that at first seems too ridiculous to contemplate leaves you nodding in agreement ... I always thought there was something suspicious about NASA's attitude to UFOs. Now I know why.' - Jason Cooney, K-Drive Radio, Los Angeles.

4. The History Of Freemasonry Of US

Very interesting documentary about freemasonry in US from the very first days of independence. Produced by the History Channel.

5. The Iceman - Confessions Of A Mafia Hitman

Up Close and Personal with a Killer. When I was finally admitted into the bowels of Trenton State Prison in New Jersey’s capital to interview multiple murderer Richard Kuklinski, a.k.a. “the Iceman,” it wasn’t at all what I had expected. My assumption was that it would be like the movies. We’d be separated by a shatter-proof glass barrier. We’d communicate through telephone handsets. There would be guards all around watching our every move. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Clarice Starling had more protection when she visited Dr. Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. At least she had bars.

6. Zeitgeist The Movie

This one will intrigue you. What does Christianity, 911 and The Federal Reserve have in common?

7. The Half-Ton Man Documentary

Patrick Deuel is the world's heaviest man - almost 1100 pounds. This documentary opens with paramedics removing a wall of his house in Valentine, Nebraska and transporting him six hours to a hospital where he spent months trying to lose weight to qualify for a gastric bypass operation.

8. Conspiracy Of Silence - Pedophile Ring In Washington DC

This was the biggest scandal in the history of the U.S.A history. The story received some newspaper coverage but there was a TV News Media blackout on the subject. For this reason, most Americans have never heard of it. Former republican Senator John Decamp was involved in the production a documentary called "Conspiracy of Silence" it was to air May 3, 1994 on the Discovery Channel. This documentary exposed a network of religious leaders and Washington politicians who flew children to Washington D.C. for sex orgies. At the last minute before airing, unknown congressmen threatened the TV Cable industry with restrictive legislation if this documentary was aired. Almost immediately, the rights to the documentary were purchased by unknown persons who had ordered all copies destroyed. A copy of this videotape was furnished anonymously to former Nebraska state senator and attorney John De Camp who made it available to retired F.B.I. chief, Ted L. Gunderson.

9. Why We Bang Documentary

The film, "Why We Bang," produced and directed by Orlando Myrics and Clifford Jordan for Ghetto Logik Entertainment is an independent film that documents the historical background of LA's Bloods and Crips gangs, then transitions into several interviews of current and former members of the Bloods and Crips of Los Angeles.

10. Big Sugar

Big Sugar explores the dark history and modern power of the world's reigning sugar cartels. Using dramatic reenactments, it reveals how sugar was at the heart of slavery in the West Indies in the 18th century, while showing how present-day consumers are slaves to a sugar-based diet. Going undercover, Big Sugar witnesses the appalling working conditions on plantations in the Dominican Republic, where Haitian cane cutters live like slaves. Workers who live on Central Romano, a Fanjul-owned plantation, go hungry while working 12-hour days to earn $2 (US).

The Green Bay Film Society's Fall schedule is out, and it looks like they'll be showing some great, free films at the Neville on Wednesday nights. Click to download a PDF poster of their film schedule.

Saul Berman, IBM Media & Entertainment Strategy and Change practice leader, says, “The Internet is becoming consumers’ primary entertainment source. The TV is increasingly taking a back seat to the cell phone and the personal computer among consumers age 18 to 34. Just as mobile communications have replaced traditional land-lines, cable and satellite TV subscriptions risk a similar fate of being replaced as the primary source of content access.”

A new IBM online consumer study, a component of the upcoming report “The end of advertising as we know it” planned for fall 2007, shows that among consumer respondents, 19% stated spending six hours or more per day on personal Internet usage, versus 9% of respondents who reported the same levels of TV viewing. 66% reported viewing between one to four hours of TV per day, versus 60% who reported the same levels of personal Internet usage.

IBM end of advertising complete survey results

Looking for free open source screenwriting software? "Celtx is the first, cross-platform media application that provides support for the entire pre-production process."

Script Crawler provides the largest on-line database of scripts from produced movies and also offers several versions of the same script. SimplyScripts has news on screen writing and links to hundreds of free, downloadable scripts. And there's Drew's Script-O-Rama, "the place you know & love for free movie scripts and screenplays." Get zipped screenplays in MS Word format from screenplay 451. For tips and advice check out: Screenwriters Web.

"No End in Sight" counterspins Iraq war propaganda

Steven R. Hurst reports for The Associated Press: "The military and diplomatic public relations machines are running full bore. The message: 'Things are getting better, but we need more time.' Pushing that assessment most eloquently and fervently is Ambassador Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat and one of the State Department's most seasoned Middle East hands." Iraq: US Officials Will Ask for More Time

Meanwhile, a documentary which opened in select theaters on Friday by film maker Charles Ferguson takes a sober non-partisan inventory of the progress made in Iraq and comes to a different conclusion... "There has never been a film equivalent of 'The Best and the Brightest,' David Halberstam's masterful analysis of the mistakes that led to the American quagmire in Vietnam," says the San Jose Mercury Star's Bruce Newman. Until recently that is, "a new documentary 'No End In Sight' may be as close as the Iraq war ever comes to its own 'Best and the Brightest,' although in this case the title might need to be tweaked slightly to 'The Worst and the Stupidest.'"

The official site has a link to tell your congressman to see this film, now playing at the E Street Cinema in Washington DC and across the country. Click here for a full theater list.