'Machete' sues Texas, but Rodriguez wants not part of it

Perry OKs film incentives in 2010.

 

The never-ending saga of the Texas Film Commission's denial of filming incentive funds to Robert Rodriguez's satirical slasher film Machete, well, continues.

According the the Houston Chronicle, papers have been filed in Austin seeking $8 million in incentives denied in late 2010. But now Rodriguez says he doesn't support the lawsuit and actually appears with Gov. Rick Perry in a commercial urging businesses to move to the Lone Star State. Perry signed 2009 film incentives legislation at Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios surrounded by politicians and movie props.

It's all part of a twisted saga that includes radio conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, former Texas Film Commish Bob Hudgins--who left the job with a sexual harassment claim clouding the picture but whose efforts effectively created the film incentive program--and an oddball and quite vague "content clause" approved by the Legislature that restricts funding for projects that show Texas in a bad light.

A side effect of the story is the various film commissioners who have followed Hudgins (three to be exact) are no longer allowed to speak to the media and instead refer media reps to Perry's press office, which seldom returns calls.

'Machete Kills' seeks extras

Machete is back in Robert Rodriquez's Machete Kills starring the ultra-cool Danny Trejo, and they need extras. An open casting call is slated for Saturday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Austin Studios' red building. Men and women ages 18 and up are sought and there is money (though don't expect a lot) involved. Knowning Rodriguez, you'll end up signing some sort of confidentiality agreement.

Some interesting names have joined the cast including Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard and Mel Gibson.

Now the big question is whether they'll seek Texas filming incentives...

Alex Jones inspires zombies to action!

First radio conspiracy theorist Alex Jones took on the Robert Rodriguez film Machete leading the Texas Film Commission to deny film incentives for it, then he helped kill TV's Two and a Half Men (or at least the Charlie Sheen version), now comes word that his radio rants actually led to the creation of a Zombie movie from fine musician Jesse Dayton. Here's what Jesse says about his film Zombex, which wraps filming today in Austin and features appearances by both Corey Feldman and Malcolm McDowell:

While on a 40-city arena tour opening for horror director/rock star Rob Zombie (a close friend who cast me as Capt. Clegg in his Harvey Weinstein-produced film Halloween 2 for which I also wrote and recorded an original soundtrack which Rob was the executive producer), I was listening to a radio show by libertarian conspiracy theorist host Alex Jones. This was purely for entertainment on the tour bus. On the third of the tour, Alex shouted “Don’t people understand that big pharmaceutical companies are in bed with the health insurance companies and the government and this Xanax is turning our country into zombies”!

Boom! Light bulb! I immediately wrote the outline for Zombex. A film that would be mostly set in New Orleans, LA but ending in Austin, TX about a greedy pharmaceutical company CEO who sells a Xanax-type pill to post Hurricane Katrina stress victims which turns them into zombies. An hour and twenty minutes fun ride with a big idea behind it. A down and out local Zydeco music star, lead character Charlie Thibideaux, brings down this Gordon Gekko-type greed head and his whole empire while zombies are simultaneously destroying everything around them.

'Spy Kids 4' sends post production to Michigan

Want to know Robert Rodriguez's reaction to the Texas Film Commission denying incentives to Machete? Read this from The Detroit News:

Spy Kids 4 has been approved for post-production work in Michigan and has qualified for the Michigan film incentives, the Michigan Film Office announced today.

The film, which already has been shot, will be converted from 2-D to 3-D at Speedshape, a post-production facility in Birmingham. The Film Office reported that around $4.5 million will be spent on the process, and the production will receive around $1.8 million in tax credits.

Alex Jones kills 'Two and a Half Men'?

First his tirade led to Machete being denied Texas film incentive bucks, now Austin access TV/internet radio kingpin/conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has apparently led to the end of the top-rated TV show Two and a Half Men after walking-disaster Charlie Sheen came on Jones' show and went off on Men creator, Chuck Lorre. The show is now shut down for the season. Somebody give Alex his own TV series. He'll have Oprah retiring before you know it. Wait a minute... Do I smell a conspiracy?

Making sense of the Texas film industry

My latest SHOT IN TEXAS column in The Dallas Morning News looks at where things stand for the Texas film industry going into the January session of the Texas Legislature.

Incentive nix for 'Machete' marks major policy shift

I'm frankly a little shocked by word that the Texas Film Commission has denied incentives for Robert Rodriguez's Machete. And even more interested by what it says about the future of both the Texas Film Commission and the state's film industry.

A letter from the film commission is signed by Carol Pirie, the deputy director, and denies the incentives based on either "inappropriate content" or "content that portrays Texas or Texans in a negative fashion." It doesn't specify which. The letter is dated Dec. 1--the day after Bob Hudgins left as Texas film commissioner amid sexual harassment allegations that he says were unrelated.

Gov. Rick Perry's office seems to be giving credence to access televsio/radio conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who raised this issue earlier this year.

What's fascinating about all of this is the change of course it illustrates. Now former Texas film commish Hudgins had said a planned film about the Branch Davidian siege in Waco would likely be denied (filmmakers never actually applied for incentives and the film has yet to be made).

Hudgins' response to critics at the time was that the content provision only applies to films based on actual events. That was his clear take, so the move by Perry's office (I sincerely doubt Pirie made this decision on her own) is a sea change.

Hudgins told me in 2009: "If they are depicting real events and they don't do it accurately, we've got to say no to them. They can show scoundrels as long as they are accurately portrayed."

Machete is fiction. It's been termed "Mexplotation." It's not based on anything factual. The incentives denial seems more of a reaction to an early trailer for the film than the film itself. That trailer, released on Cinco de Mayo 2009, has star Danny Trejo speaking directly to the camera with a "special message to Arizona." The reference is to an immigration law passed by the state. The law was passed AFTER Machete was filmed.

The big question now is which policy will the next Texas film commissioner follow--Hudgins' or Perry's?

Yes, Spy Kids 4 is now in production

How do I know it's Spy Kids 4's time before the camera? Third Coast Extras wants twins or triplets to play "Jessica's daughter" this Friday. The baby must be 24 inches long, appear to be 10 months old and have an olive complextion. Who is Jessica? MTV says that would be a certain Jessica Alba whose diaper changing on the set of Machete apparently inspired Mr. R.

Interesting other hints as to cast with this casting calls for stand-ins: "brunette Caucasian male who is between 6'3" and 6'5" tall with a slim to medium build" and "female African American that is in between 5'3-5'5 around 120 lbs." I'm guessing Rosario Dawson on the later. Anyone have any guesses?

Here's one more: "An African-American male around 6'2ish. Short to no hair is preferable." It's like a puzzle on film! (My guess is Samuel Jackson is in the house...)

Robert Rodriguez is, as ever, fairly quiet about his Austin-shot productions, but this one is very clearly in action.

'Tree of Life' doesn't grow (yet) in Venice

The Venice Film Festival announced most of its competition films today. Not included was Terrence Malick's Texas-shot Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt. But there is still hope: The fest's surprise “in-competition” film, won’t be announced until Sept. 6.

Making the Venice list was Robert Rodriguez's Austin-shot Machete, the film that came from a fake film trailer.

Turns out Texas is not alone in film content clause

A provision in the Texas film incentives program barring funding for films that portray the state in a negative light has brought some recent controversy, specifically involving a fictional take on the real-life events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco and, to a much lesser extent with Robert Rodiguez's Machete.

Now The New York Times tells us other states are getting in on the act. What nixes funding in Michigan? Cannibals, my friends.

Alex Jones vs. 'Machete'

As a longtime fan of Austin's version of access television (I haven't seen it in years since moving to the sticks where we are cable-less), I'm excited to see Alex Jones jump into the Texas film incentives fray. Specifically, he's decrying Robert Rodriguez's upcoming film Machete as too racist to merit those state bucks. Of course, Machete is suupposed to be a "brownsplotation" film, but, please, discuss...

What happened to 'Goree Girls'?

The Jennifer Aniston-produced film (she'd also star) Goree Girls about an all-female country band formed in a Texas prison in the 1940s who went on to fame and pardons for their crimes showed some promise of being shot in the Lone Star State, with a script from John Lee Hancock (The Alamo, The Rookie) and a financing team that is also behind Robert Rodriguez's Machete. Oh, and it's based on a Texas Monthly article. Recently film director Michael Sucsy said Aniston will be singing in the film, a clear sign the project isn't dead.

But with a January 2010 filming date supposedly set and Gerard Butler rumored to be in line for a role, there is no indication that it will shoot here or where it will shoot. It's dropped off the radar of the Texas Film Commission. Anyone have any ideas?

Meanwhile there is some word of a cable series potentially looking at a Dallas shoot, and Houston is being looked at for the largest film to shoot there since 1997's Arlington Road. Don't expect much in the way of major filming activity in Texas beyond the currently filming television series The Deep End (with Adam Arkin directly some early episodes) until the new year.

Robert Rodriguez has got a house deal for you...

Thanks to the tipster who pointed out that at least part of the Robert Rodriguez spread on the (currently dried up) lake in Spicewood (word is he didn't live in this one, but did film there) can by yours for a measly $2.69 million. Take a gander at http://www.homes.com/listing/80268089/25211_W_State_Hwy_71_SPICEWOOD_TX_78669.

Mr. R., following the breakup of his marriage, has clearly been moving more and more of his film production to the Troublemaker Studios facility in Austin--that's definitely the case with currently filming Machete. This is probably another sign of that change.

Steven Seagal and Don Johnson in 'Machete'

Robert Rodriguez is co-directing Machete--based on the fake movie trailer that appears in Grindhouse--with protege Ethan Maniquis. The project was out filming in downtown Austin today.

According to Variety, here's the cast: Danny Trejo is playing the title character and Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson and Jeff Fahey play supporting roles.

Lohan grabs 'Machete'

The fine folks at Austinist pass along word that Lindsey Lohan has signed on for Robert Rodriguez's Machete. Given that he shoots actors separately on green screen (and very quickly) don't expect many if any Austin sightings.

Texas film incentives get $60 million

The Texas Legislature has given a total $62 million ($2 million goes to administration) to fund the state’s new-and-improved film incentives program for the next two fiscal years. It wasn’t easy, insiders say, with the $40 million increase over the previous (and first) incentives fund at one point tied to FEMA reimbursements related to Hurricane Katrina, but in the end coming from the general revenue fund. Add $8 million unspent from a previous two-year allocation, and Texas should quickly be competitive. Give major credit to lobbying by the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. A big shout out alos to state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, who fought off late slashing of the program’s proposed budget. A speedy application/approval process is the next goal, with staff for this at the Texas Film Commission increased from one to eight. The likely first Austin shoot to latch onto increased incentives? Machete, Robert Rodriguez’s full-length version of what had been a fake coming attraction seen in Grindhouse. Look for it to lens in Austin this summer.