Hollywood crews were busy transforming the street level entrance of the Aragon to reflect Chicago of the early 1900s in preparation for more filming of Public Enemies. A entire store front for "Lords Coats and Furs" has also been constructed. Crews will be in Uptown through the end of the week. Watch out for stars (Johnny Depp?) and parking restrictions along Lawrence.
Altheperson says
ReplyDeleteThe budget for this Michael Mann film is 150 million dollars....20 million go to sell out Johnny Depp who can act...but so what...you can get people off the street who can act...if they feel comfortable in front of a camera it will come across ...that's all that's required.
Acting is the lowest form of Art and the highest paid...The guys playing at the Green Mill have put real time into the art....Johnny Depp did not study acting the way a musician is required to study music....4 to 8 hours a day.
I saw what they did on Lincoln Avenue...they have closed almost 1/2 block of businesses with their cheap facades....they are paying store owners...(I have first hand info from a store owner) up to 25, 000 dollars a day to close their business...
All this shows the utter excess of Hollywood in making what will no doubt be a really crappy movie about the life of John Dillinger for the umpteenth time.
They are going for "realism"...it's bullshit. Realism is in dialogue...not appearnce...
Somehow I find it all very disgusting....
Altheperson, you've said before that you're a musician, so what's the beef? The Aragon is and has always been a music venue. Twenty times more money has been paid to musicians there than this one production is paying its actors.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not like the Green Mill is some hidden secret, either. Lots of publicity to the musicians who play there. In fact, Johnny Depp has been seen there to prepare for this part.
As for this movie, it's kind of cool to see Uptown dressed up like it was 75 years ago. And a lot of studio money is flowing into Chicago, and Uptown, because of it. Someone with lots of lots of money is putting it into our little neighborhood. Thumbs up from me.
i know that i was bummed when i heard they were filming a lot elsewhere in the city. it is fitting that they choose uptown as a backdrop...much of the architecture that is around the "entertainment district" hasn't changed all that much since dillinger's time.
ReplyDeletei, for one, hope that the filming of this movie is part of the movement to recognize the significance of uptown and to bring it back to its former glory!
Michael Mann is a legendary filmmaker. If this movie does for old-time gangster genre what Heat did for the modern crime epic, I will be very excited to see it.
ReplyDeleteMichael Mann is a Chicago guy so I at least give him credit for coming back home to film this, as opposed to a backlot or NYC or something. I'd tend to accept his vision of Chicago during that era since I'm sure he's heard the stories growing up here. Forget Depp. The vision of this movie will come from Mann
ReplyDelete"Forget Depp. The vision of this movie will come from Mann."
ReplyDeleteJohnny Depp's name brings people into the theaters--he's literally the world's favorite actor.
More people can name Depp's recent movies than they can Mann's, one of which was the HUGE BOMB "Miami Vice."
11:41
ReplyDeleteI know that Not disupting Depp's box office appeal. I talking about the VISION of the film, the look and style. That comes from Mann, not Depp's box office appeal. Two different things.
At least they are shooting it in Chicago...hell the musical "Chicago" was shot in Canada. Be somewhat happy!
ReplyDeleteAll this shows the utter excess of Hollywood in making what will no doubt be a really crappy movie about the life of John Dillinger for the umpteenth time.
ReplyDeleteGood thing the music industry doesn't have the same problem. No problems with excess or releasing a really crappy product there.
Lighten up Francis.
any idea on when they are shooting today / tomorrow ?
ReplyDeleteUhhhh, Michael Mann's "VISION?"
ReplyDeleteSeeing how badly Mann's last movie tanked, his "VISION" for this film project begins and ends with one person: Johnny Depp.
Paying these people of course can be justified by the money each movies brings in. All athletes, musicians, actors blah blah. They should pay one teacher a year a salary of 1 million. Better yet 2 teachers 500K a year. Based on merit.
ReplyDeleteSupport schools!!
Most won't have the drive to attempt to be good in the arts if they don't succeed in school.
ReplyDelete"Seeing how badly Mann's last movie tanked, his "VISION" for this film project begins and ends with one person: Johnny Depp."
ReplyDeleteHuh? His last film was a commercial failure but the guy has made a lot of money for Hollywood over the years, and his discography consists almost entirely of big stars bending themselves to Mann's will.
You clearly don't know anything about movies.
RE: 3:04
ReplyDelete"Vision" has nothing to do with box office bucks. 2001: A Space Odessy didn't make squat when it first came out. So I guess to you, Kubrick had no vision.
any idea on when they are shooting today / tomorrow ?
ReplyDeleteI drove past tonight around 4:30 and it looked very much like shooting was going on inside the Aragon. There were trucks all up and down Lawrence, including trailers in the Winthrop/Lawrence parking lot.
Most telling, there was a cop guarding the outside of the Aragon and a group of five or six women with scrapbooks/paper hanging out on the corner watching the Aragon.
If anyone has any info or photos from the set, we'd love to see them and post them!