Weekend North Texas movie news and notes

by John P. Meyer

I've been hearing it from filmmaker after filmmaker for several years now: there's too much financial benefit from filming in New Mexico or Louisiana (both of which have generous tax benefits and direct financial incentives built into their state programs) for production companies to even consider setting up shop in the state of Texas, when they could just drive across the border (to east or west) and reap the benefit of lower production costs.

As of Friday (April 17), pending the Governor's signature (which will undoubtedly be forthcoming given his previously-stated support), the Texas Senate has passed their version of the already-approved House Bill 873, which will offer significant financial and tax-credit incentives for film productions to stick around and film their Texas-themed movies in the actual Lone Star State. YEE-HAW! This calls for (another) long neck.

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Meanwhile, the news from Loyd Cryer, ringleader of the upcoming Texas Frightmare Weekend, is mixed: it cut me like a knife to hear that über-babe Lena Headey, title-person of the Sarah Connor Chronicles (who - disconcertingly - professes to be anti-gun) will no longer be able to attend the event, as some sort of lame-ass scheduling conflict has cropped up.

(Lena, darlin', you're killin' me!).

Going a certain unspecified way toward alleviating my disappointment is the announcement that a person named America Olivo has been added to the list of Frightmare attendees. This worthy (and she is, without a doubt, WORTHY) appeared most recently in Friday the 13th (the remake).

Also lined up, in a manner of speaking, is the Second Annual Texas Frightmare Weekend Zombie Walk, set for Saturday, May 2, when a string of both professional and amateur (as in "dress up like an undead thing and join the parade") ghouls will take to the streets starting at the Whataburger at 114 and Freeport Pkwy. (in Irving) and shamble their way southeast along Plaza Dr. to arrive at the Sheraton Grand Hotel at roughly the opening hour of the Frightmare convention (11 a.m.).

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If you didn't have enough movie-related stuff to choose from going into the last week of April, here's more to consider: the USA Film Festival has announced their lineup of films, tributes and programs, which will run from Wednesday, April 29 - Sunday, May 3. There's some pretty cool stuff going on this year at the USA fest (headquartered at the Angelika Dallas), including tributes to M. Emmet Walsh, Brian Cox and Ray Liotta, along with anniversary screenings of Phantom of the Paradise ('74) and Imitation of Life ('59).

There will also be a special screening of a new print of the (ironically) never-before-screened-in-the-U.S. Jean-Luc Godard movie, Made in U.S.A. ('66).

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What - still haven't had enough? (You, my friend, are a die-hard film fanatic.) O.K., then, here's an only peripherally film-related item, after which I'm outta here (and so should you be):

Those wagsters who operate The Pirate Bay have been found guilty of "assisting the distribution of illegal content online" by a court in Sweden and sentenced to jail time for their transgressions. Though the jolly roger-waving boys say they will appeal the court's decision, any disruption in service is sure to put a crimp in the style of at least one (ex) film critic.

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With so much going on, it might be fun to just kick back and sop up the over-the-top mayhem on display in the trailer for Quentin Tarantino's soon-to-be-released WWII thriller, Inglourious Basterds: