When the envelopes are opened on Sunday, February 24, at the Academy Awards, Colorado has the chance to come up a winner...or close enough. Although this state's film industry has gone through rough times, with few incentives compared to those offered by neighboring New Mexico and Utah, several of this year's Oscar nominations have Colorado connections.
Black Panther is up for best picture; Denver artist Christopher Priest's work for Marvel Comics is credited as being the genesis of that film. Also up for Best Picture is BlacKkKlansman, based on Ron Stallworth's account of his work infiltrating the KKK as the first black detective in Colorado Springs in the ’70s. Although that movie is set in Colorado, it wasn't filmed here.
But that's true of many of the films supposedly set in Colorado, including the new Liam Neeson movie, Cold Pursuit.
Readers aren't surprised by the news. Says Dan:
Next you’re gonna tell me that Black Panther wasn’t filmed in Wakanda.Joe adds:
I also hear Star Wars wasn't filmed in space.Aaron explains:
I wouldn't film here, either. It's more expensive to film here than most other cities/states.Responds Jaron:
It's because Colorado doesn't hand out millions of dollars in tax breaks and credits to already hugely profitable studios.Counters Julian:
All I hear is wah wah! Give movie-makers a tax break and you might have movies made there. End of story, crybabies....Film makers don't want bland-ass food, bland looks on life and more likely your boring-ass social life. Just cause you made weed legal doesn't make you interesting.And then there's this from Leonerdo:
*MANY* movies depicting a location, or planet, are not filmed on location. And that is true for film studios in all countries.Keep reading for more on movies made in Colorado...or not.
On a serious note, can Liam Neeson act in a movie that involves fluffy kittens and unicorns?
On a more serious note, Neeson's career is starting to travel the same trajectory as Steven Seagal - just the same old boring roles over and over again. But at least Neeson stays trim and fit, unlike Seagal who is now far plumper than the Michelin Man.
Marvel Comics
John David Washington played Ron Stallworth, a detective in Colorado springs, in BlacKkKlansman.
Courtesy of Focus Features
Liam Neeson is cold as ice in Cold Pursuit.
Cold Pursuit
Our last commenter brings it full circle. Although Liam Neeson's most recent action movie was not filmed in Colorado, one of Steven Seagal's epics was: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. The 1995 film was a doozy: Evil Eric Bogosian used newfangled technology to hijack a train whose passengers just happened to include cook/Navy SEAL Casey Ryback (Seagal) and his nubile niece (a young, brunette Katherine Heigl). As the train barreled through the Rocky Mountains (yes, the real Rocky Mountains: it was filmed on the tracks leading from Denver to Grand County), Seagal battled the bad guys.
Nothing about that movie was nominated for an Academy Award. For Denver viewers, though, there are bonus points for the scenes in the un-renovated Union Station.
What do you think about the films made in Colorado? The films set in Colorado but made elsewhere? Should the state increase its incentive packages for filmmakers? Post a comment or email [email protected].
