Midwest Movie Maker

#TeamCap ready for battle The beauty of Captain America: Civil War is brilliantly captured in the arc of its main villain, Sokovian military specialist Helmut Zemo. Zemo, as portrayed by Daniel Bruhl , appears at first glance to be your run-of-the-mill super villain, intent on world domination. Instead Zemo turns out to be everything but your run-of-the-mill super villain. (I’ll do my best not to spoil anything - but please be forewarned). Zemo, turns out, is human . His motivation is relatable. You feel for the guy, in a way you would never feel for the Red Skull, Crossbones or any super-powered evil-doer of the last decade (Raimi's Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 the only exception) . Zemo isn’t a villain you love to hate. He’s a villain with whom you empathize. By and large, that same sentiment goes for every character in the film. And pretty quick you realize that Civil War is less a bombastic superhero thrill ride (though it delivers on that promise in spades), and muc...

Could we see filmmaker Darren Aronofsky in Cleveland? Five films were awarded a piece of Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit and say they plan to shoot in the state this spring and summer, according to the Ohio Film Office . One of those films is White Boy Rick , a possible $30+ million film from executive producer Darren Aronofsky. Possible because there is more than one White Boy Rick film in the works. (We were unable to confirm prior to posting which film plans to shoot in Cleveland this year.) Each film tells the tale of “White Boy Rick” Wershe, a teenage drug dealer working in Detroit who was sentenced to life in prison when he was 17 after selling more than 8 kilos of cocaine to undercover agents. He was also working as an FBI informant at the time, but it didn’t save him from arrest. The first, White Boy Rick , is from Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures , which has produced award-winning films including Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Pi and The Wrestler . Yann Demang...

Ivan Schwarz, Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, Cleveland natives and Marvel directors. They didn’t share any Captain America: Civil War spoilers, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo told fans that Avengers: Infinity War could land in Cleveland. “It’s on the list,” said Anthony. The reveal took place Saturday during a Wizard World Comic-Con Cleveland panel titled Let’s Shut Down Some Streets: Bringing the Avengers, Captain America and the Russo Brothers to Cleveland. The Russos, who grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Case Western Reserve University, were joined by Ivan Schwarz, director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. The trio discussed how the region could grow its production slate and how it could attract more features to Northeast Ohio. The first step, said Schwarz, was getting the Ohio legislature to raise the motion picture tax incentive from $25 million a year to $75 million. That legislation will go before Ohio lawmake...

Actress Johanna McGinley Johanna McGinley always knew she wanted to be an actress. I remember being little and watching I Love Lucy ,’ thinking,’ I want to be like her!’,” she says. “I used to impersonate her for my mother and make other people laugh!” McGinley, who makes her home in Columbus, Ohio, stars as Annalivia Farrell in WGN America’s new drama, Outsiders . Outsiders premieres Tuesday, January 26. “I was hooked,” she continues. “When I graduated high school, I moved straight to New York City to study at the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. I graduated the two-year film/TV acting program and came back home to test out the Midwest film industry. It was smaller and less intimidating.” McGinley’s film career started behind-the-camera, as she picked up production assistant and stand-in jobs to help pay the bills. “I realized this was the best way to network,” McGinely says, “I’ve created a network of contacts and people are starting to know me.”  McGinel ...