Will ATL Raise Hell?
Access Atlanta broke the news this morning on a “secret” memo forwarded to Perimeter, Cumberland, Discover Mills, NorthPoint, Oglethorpe, Southlake and Augusta malls by Valor Security Service Perimeter Mall security director W. Mark Crowell about potential violence stemming from the new movie “ATL”, a dramedy/coming-of-age film starring Atlanta rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris. Color me suspicious, but this could probably stir a bit of controversy, especially considering the movie revolves around following your dreams and achieving your goals more than slanging ‘caine and performing drive-bys. (Tongues are already starting to wag on SOHH Atlanta about the memo.)
Boyz N The Hood, it ain’t. Roll Bounce? Perhaps.
I can’t really wrap my head around the issue yet — certainly, movie theatres need to have staff on hand for weekend releases in the event of large crowds and the like. That’s proper planning. The issue that this memo supposedly circulates around some kneejerk racial reaction is unfounded right now. It also makes me wonder if Valor sent out similar memos for Crash or Confederate States of America, movies that would certainly cause a more visceral reaction to its viewers based on their content. Crowell is declining comment according to AA, and going to Valor’s website and fielding an e-mail has not yielded any results.
I mean really…it’s rollerskating at Jellybeans. Get your panties out of a bunch and let folks watch the movie.
(Sidebar: Dallas Austin and Chris Robinson originally had the movie titled “Jellybeans”, but it was changed after Austin’s Atlanta anthem “The ATL” became public. The song and the movie could both function as national advertising pieces to showcase the city. Why hasn’t Brand Atlanta embraced the movie as a means of promotion for their campaign? Who knows…we’ve still got a week until the premiere.)
Just a ploy to drum up attention since I suspect the movie will flop…looks like it worked.
“Why hasn’t Brand Atlanta embraced the movie as a means of promotion for their campaign?” – because ATL is about black people….they’ve heard enough about the theme song being too “hip-hop” – if ATL was about OTP suburbanites acheiving their dreams, brand atlanta would be all over it.
It had to be said….
Just looking back at the comments here. Sure, we can look at box office sales and see if “ATL” would be a flop, but so far, the movie has had generally favorable reviews. I saw a sneak preview this week and was very impressed with the general affection of the characters. So to reference my post, I think the whole “there might be violence” bit is clearly rubbish. It’s a hip-hop movie, yes, but there’s an underlying theme that I think anyone who watches it could walk away with.
Honestly…I’m a little surprised.