Why Aren't Shows About Missouri Filmed Here?

Another year, another show/movie/whatever that involves Missouri, but wasn't filmed here. Saint Louis is an interesting place, and the new program, "DTF Saint Louis," is getting rave reviews...but it was filmed in Georgia. Why is so little that involves Missouri actually filmed on location, though? As with most things, it comes down to money.

One of our local news stations had an article discussing how, "Georgia’s tax program, put into place nearly 20 years ago, has helped make the state one of the nation’s busiest filming spots." You see, Missouri has an 8 million dollar cap on its film tax credit program to offset expenses in the hope that the money that is spent by a production makes more than is credited. Georgia...has no cap. A one-off film or indie production can benefit from filming in Missouri, but a major show or movie is going to quickly find it a lot more appealing to film in Atlanta or any other Georgia location (Atlanta itself is starting to rival Hollywood, California, for being the go-to place for flicks or shows).

People might be saying, "Get rid of the tax cap, then, and perhaps more companies will come, and that'll make more money than would've even been lost!" Well, Georgia has a 20-year-or-so head start and, "Once a state builds a defined group of crew members, soundstages, production facilities, and networks like Georgia has, it becomes even harder for other states to catch up to them. Productions often choose locations not only for tax breaks, but also for predictable practices and planning." You see, Missouri let the cap expire in 2013...but brought it back in 2023. I imagine a big studio would be hesitant to put millions into a new big ol' location with such unpredictability, and that's okay! I mean, I support things that make lots of money paying taxes. Too often, the rich skate by and pay less than they should. The cap both makes sense and is a hassle for that reason. As it stands, things won't change too much in Missouri for making movies or shows, and while we may be the subject of many programs, they won't be made here, I guess. That isn't to say Saint Louis lacks creativity or art, by any means, we just aren't the next Hollywood or Atlanta. I mean, at least the incredible story of John O'Leary, "Soul on Fire," had parts filmed here. He's a fascinating person, and that's cool!

(A Quick) Music Mondays: I Agree With #1 on This Ranking of the 50 Best Rappers From Atlanta

Complex has released a list titled, "50 Best Atlanta Rappers of All Time, Ranked." Whenever someone makes a ranked list there is bound to be a lot of agreement, disagreement, and confused head-scratching at some of the choices. For example, how Future is ranked #2 baffles me as the man has talent, but you put Ludacris below him at #7 and Big Boi at #8? Still, at least #1 is 100% on the money, giving the top spot to none other than Andre 3000. He's barely rapped for years, but the work he has created is so astounding that ranking him anything than numero uno would have been offensive. Andre 3000 is arguably the greatest rapper of all time from the best music group of all time--OutKast--so it is obvious he's the best from Atlanta! For now, we just need to wait for the day OutKast puts out a new record. We can dream, I literally have on previous occasions. Sometimes dreams come true?

Television Tuesday: "The Vince Staples," Show is Short but Superb

"The Vince Staples Show," is a Netflix production starring a semi-fictionalized version of rapper/actor/entrepreneur, Vince Staples. At only five episodes which are as brief as 18 minutes or a little under a half hour, you can binge the whole show in the time it would take to watch most movies. That's okay, although some glowing reviews observed with a little disappointment how the show, "...feels like an appetizer that only scratches the surface." As for what, "The Vince Staples Show," could be categorized as, it features episodes that mostly stand-alone but with little callbacks as Vince navigates life as someone somewhat famous and somewhat wealthy in a vaguely absurdist and off-kilter Los Angeles.

"The Vince Staples Show," takes place in reality, but not. Things happen that are a bit surreal and just plain off. Whether its a theme park mascot taking offense to Vince bumping into him while he tries to find an open restaurant within the park or a bank robbery that takes a humorous turn when the robbers recognize Vince as a friend, weird shit just kind of happens around Vince and he does his best to attempt to roll with it. I've heard comparisons to, "Atlanta," and its sometimes fantastical elements, but I think a lot of folks are bringing that show up as both it and, "The Vince Staples Show," involve rappers who are also actors. If anything, "The Vince Staples Show," reminds me of, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," a comparison my wife, Samii, stated too when we were watching the show. Just like the characters on that show, Vince often has an idea or goal, and has to go through a bunch of people or obstacles in an attempt to achieve what he's after (Vince is at the aforementioned bank trying to get a loan for a cereal idea, for example). 

Vince ends up knowing the robbers at the bank he's trying to get a loan from.

On, "Sunny," it is often a scheme that the gang of characters is trying to enact to the detriment of others, but Vince is less of a malignant force than anyone on, "Sunny," even if he clearly is by no means a hero as his show makes clear. He's just kind of there, putting up with weird shit happening the best he can. Sometimes that means assisting his mother at a family reunion as she attempts to find out who else brought Mac & Cheese in an attempt to show her up. Sometimes that means running for his life when an old schoolmate with a relatively unexplained grudge tries to hunt him down around town. "The Vince Staples Show," and, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," share some formatting, and both are darkly hilarious, but Vince's show is also its own unique and weird beast.

You don't need to watch every episode of, "The Vince Staples Show," in one sitting. You can, but I watched it in pieces over a chunk of days and enjoyed it just as much as if I'd binged the program. It is a fantastic show with the third and fourth episodes being my favorite (the family reunion and trip to the theme park). The first episode is actually the weakest, in my opinion, meandering a bit with Vince locked up briefly with some odd characters after getting pulled over for speeding. It's not a bad start to the show by any means, it is just that everything else fires on all cylinders after that slightly awkward kick-off. Overall, however, this short debut season I'd rate 5 out of 5 stars. I hope we get more (and possibly longer) seasons!

OutKast and the South Helped Take Hip-Hop to Fantastic Places

This fantastic piece by August Brown discusses how OutKast and the South--especially Atlanta--had a major impact on Hip-Hop. The year 2003 marked the release of the incredible, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," but back when OutKast won Best New Artist at the Source awards in 1995 for, "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," Andre had stated, "The South got something to say." We know that now with artists such as Lil Jon, Killer Mike, Lil Uzi Vert, and more being popular, but a chunk of years ago rap was all about the East Coast and West Coast. 

One could argue--and be correct-that OutKast was a major reason that shifted--with there being credit due to many others, but OutKast could be argued to be the match that lit a fire. OutKast is my favorite music group of all time so maybe it is hard for me to be objective when it comes to stating how much they did for hip-hop, but seriously, OutKast did a lot for rap.

I Love this Cover of, "So Into You," by Donald Glover/Childish Gambino

As many of you know, I like hearing interesting covers of songs. I enjoy unique/weird ones a lot and how when they're done well they can just sound snazzy. Lately, I've been really digging one that was recorded some years ago with Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino. He does the original version of, "So Into You," by Tamia--it later had a remix of sorts by Fabolous which featured her (two versions, actually, with one having Ashanti, it's complicated). You can hear the original song right here and then I've helpfully embedded Glover's cover below:

How did I not know about this until recently? I'm a fan of much of Glover's work (I still need to watch, "Atlanta," but I'm working on it), and this is just plain snazzy.

Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridges as, "Mr & Mrs. Smith," Works For Me

I will basically watch anything with Donald Glover. That said, I am behind in watching some of the things with Donald Glover. I still need to view, "Atlanta," and that Han Solo movie, for example. Still, Mr. Glover is welcome to star in more great projects that I'll try and watch as soon as possible. With that established, it seems he will be in an upcoming reboot of, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," that stars him and the talented Phoebe Waller-Bridges. Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. The original, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," was the movie that introduced Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to one another and led to their eventual marriage (followed by a divorce some years later). Behind-the-scenes drama of the movie aside, it was a solid flick. 

This new version will not be a movie, but an Amazon Prime television series. That's perfectly okay because just dedicating an hour or so a week (I don't binge stuff usually) to watch a show is easier than sitting for a 2-and-a-half-or-so-hour movie. Even if it were a long movie, however, I'd still most likely check it out, because--as I said--I'll generally watch anything with Donald Glover. It's bound to be as good as or better than, "Mystery Team," after all.