Tag Archives: Georgia Filmmaking

Immerse in First-Ever Filmmaker Haven at Coppola’s Southern Home

The All-Movie Hotel opens this weekend, brainchild of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now film genius and wine entrepreneur Francis Ford Coppola, who remodeled and massively upgraded an economy motel in Peachtree City, Georgia, to accommodate lodging and work space for members of his production staff completing his latest self-financed film, Megalopolis, lensed in the Southern state. He has transformed the property into the hybrid 27-room luxury hotel plus post-production facility no one knew they needed; and now that it’s open for booking, it’s like a dream come true. The All-Movie Hotel is pioneering, playful, professional, practical and available to filmmakers and the generally curious. It’s the world’s first filmmaker hotel.

I had the pleasure of being the very first guest (other than the man himself!) in the hotel’s Francis Ford Coppola Suite, where the writer/director developed his recent cinematic creation, and I’m pleased to share ten observations from this delightful experience. 

#10 This new facility is an unexpected glimpse into the mind of an artist/auteur.

The “All-Movie” moniker is a spin on the filmmaker’s “All-Story” publishing ventures, and Coppola’s own narrative is on display in the whimsical way he curates props, artwork, books, literary magazines and other inspiring elements throughout the new hotel. A frequenter of Atlanta’s local movie palace Plaza Theatre where he recently screened his latest cut of The Cotton Club and celebrated a birthday, and a guest lecturer at Georgia Film Academy where he found a variety of apprentices and technicians for his latest film project among the talented students, Coppola shares his generous community spirit throughout this innovative complex. You’ll find classic film-editing tools as well as the latest ultra-secure technologies throughout the building, indicative of his decades-long fascination with all the ways you can push the boundaries of cinema.

#9 It’s a truly unique space for readying sophisticated film and content.

Editing bays, ADR sound recording and mixing suites, on-site equipment and IT, screening rooms, a green room and even a recording stage for small productions or pick-up shots are rippled through the new complex with ethernet ports and secure private lines for corresponding with render farms and others in the moviemaking ecosystem. On-the-rise filmmakers and Coppola collaborators Akshay Battia and Jordan Holifield give insightful tours for businesses interested in bringing their productions to the space. One observer called said the complex is “like a film cruise ship.”

#8 The venue’s welcoming hospitality is phenomenal.

From the unconventional lobby environment featuring film props and artwork evocative of Coppola’s wine country to creative lodging configurations such as a Tokyo-inspired suite, the hospitality team at the All-Movie Hotel provided attentive and sensational service at every step of the stay. Expect offers of warm towels, refreshing waters or fruit spritzers and revitalizing espressos in every nook and cranny. The team even arranged films to view in the screening room (I had a hankering for Coppola’s The Outsiders now that it’s also been adapted into a Broadway hit, plus they kindly hooked my friends and me up with big-screen viewing of the #ParisGames opening ceremony.) Those in housekeeping, security and all disciplines were remarkably friendly and shared their love of “Mr. F” as some affectionately call their imaginative leader.

#7 It’s one of the few places a guest can experience the fascinating aura of the buzzed-about Megalopolis.

Few films this year have experienced the kind of buzz Megalopolis has received after debuting at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, with IMAX release planned and national distribution through Lionsgate September 27. The film’s dystopian sci-fi and Roman aesthetic dots all facets of the All-Movie Hotel with stern statues of John Voight and Dustin Hoffman, gladiator standees, set signage, lots of towering columns and an unforgettable gilded hawk seen in the movie’s trailer and currently perched behind the hotel’s pool and patio. Being in the space where cast and crew toiled on this longtime passion project lent a magical quality to the stay. Filmed at nearby Trilith Studios and throughout Georgia with an ensemble including Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza, Megalopolis shot on location at places such as Woodruff Park, Gas South Arena, Atlanta’s Bank of America Building, Georgia Public Broadcasting and The Tabernacle. The new All-Movie Hotel proved convenient during filming and will be so for future productions. Sources say a next production will be in-house at the hotel in the next few weeks.

#6 There are culinary wonders in this hideaway.

Leave it to a Francis Ford Coppola hotel to serve great wine, in my case delivered with fresh fruit trays worthy of “New Rome” denizens. The in-house culinary team members brought trays of room service with an array of delicacies including a delicious spinach frittata and peach pastries. It was a joy to dine right where the director has often enjoyed his morning coffee, with cooking appliances he personally picked out for the suite and for The Green Room kitchen renowned for communal cooking by the crew during the movie shoot. Talk about next-level “crafty!”

#5 It’s located in a “golf cart town” community in Georgia’s bustling filmmaking community. 

Evidently Coppola enjoys golf cart communities at other resorts where he has invested, so it’s not surprising he fell in love with Peachtree City, known for winding trails to renowned restaurants such as Mediterranean eatery The Beirut. The hotel hooked me up with a red golf cart to explore the town, where my buddies and I enjoyed dinner and drinks at new tavern Hobknob as well as scenic detours to Frisbee golf courses and shopping districts via elaborate tunnels, pathways and bridges now mapped on GPS for non-natives to the neighborhood.

#4 Film history and artifacts abound.

We got to be pinball wizards on The Godfather game machines, explore other Megalopolis loot and spend time in “The Dorothy” screening room, named for Coppola’s mentor Dorothy Arzner, a trailblazer as a woman behind the camera making Hollywood films. A vintage box office window festoons this high-tech set of suites where both the director and Battia programmed classic and contemporary films for those gathered at the hotel.

#3 The amenities are lovely and make for an inspiring stay.

Screening, swimming and workouts were all on the weekend agenda with rooms for all these activities and more. Well-appointed suites included high-end cooking appliances and decor as well as comfortable beds, spacious showers and an array of amenities to help relax after a day of creating. The fitness room is still labeled the “Fitting Room,” used for costuming actors for recent shoots. Both usages of the room come with floor to ceiling mirrors, after all.

#2 It’s a hoot for fanboys, fangirls and film enthusiasts.

I brought some of my eclectic collectibles including a European Blu-Ray of Twixt and a Captain EO plush, and the staff was more than willing to discuss their own cult favorites from the Coppola catalogue and beyond. There was lots of love for One from the Heart. The elaborate posters for Apocalypse Now in the Green Room and an original piece of artwork gifted to Coppola by Akira Kurosawa when they collaborated on Kagemusha were wonders to behold for this film fan.

#1 The All-Movie Hotel is also a celebration of family.

Coppola, so celebrated for his gifted family tree of creators who join him in artistic pursuits, has clearly imbued his new complex with something for everyone, including young people who may come along for productions. Bunk beds, hopscotch, classic games an even a bevy of property cats give the property additional enchantment. Coppola is pictured with a grandchild in the suite that bears his name.

Like many of the filmmakers’ great works, his All-Movie Hotel continues to grow and expand – a work in progress, always. New landscaping is expected to further shroud the space from commercial lots that bookend it, and my tour guides shared more monitors and technologies continue to be installed,

Special thanks to general manager Luvia Martinez and the whole team for helping customize and optimize my experience! Clearly I encourage a visit.

Here, Francis Ford Coppola describes his vision of the All-Movie Hotel:

Additionally, here’s a link to the hotel’s site and reservation engine:

https://thefamilycoppolahideaways.com/resort/all-movie-hotel

Dreaming of Roman Empire and Inventive Lodging: Leaving a Piece of “Megalopolis” in Georgia

According to some fun Peachtree City, Georgia public documents and public zoning hearings from 2022, a local news story and the wonderment of my own eyes:

“The motel … purchased … by … LLC of Francis Ford Coppola, named the All Movie Motel … began submitting building permits … to renovate and make major changes … to include a ‘green room,’ a screening room, a projection room …. a non-commercial kitchen … rooms/suites for actors and movie production staff.”

Plus Roman columns and a Dustin Hoffman statue, of course!?

With #Megalopolis on the mind this week of Cannes Film Festival, here was a neat surprise chronicled in our local newspaper about a filmmaking and wine-making genius who is even inventive about lodging his staff and housing his screening rooms:

https://thecitizen.com/2023/01/17/what-secrets-lie-beneath-crosstown-road-rezoning/

Also have you seen the stunning trailer? I’ll be first in line at the IMAX!

Credit: American Zoetrope

Georgia Public Broadcasting Interviews Silver Screen Capture on Prospects for “Megalopolis”

The futuristic fall movie “Megalopolis” premiered at Cannes Film Festival with Hollywood stars and Atlanta credits plus our site’s commentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic universe:

Atlanta’s Phipps Plaza Offers Amenities Fit for the Stars – and for You!

View from Nobu: “The Green” is an urban oasis at Phipps Plaza between the One Phipps office building and the home of the new Life Time and Citizens Market.

This week nearly two dozen reporters and influencers from around the U.S. gathered at an iconic shopping center in Atlanta to experience a luxury location with epic new scope and scale. With the addition of Nobu Atlanta hotel and restaurant; Citizens Market food hall; Life Time wellness, spa and coworking space; the One Phipps office tower; and a variety of new specialty amenities, shopping center Phipps Plaza is proving to be the city’s new hotbed of luxury and an ideal place for a “staycation,” getaway or even extended haven for those filming entertainment content in Atlanta. Yours truly, a longtime customer of the movie theatre inside the shopping center, found myself wonderstruck by all the new attractions in ”Phipps Reimagined.”

Nobu Atlanta includes both a luxury hotel and an iconic restaurant.

The entertainment buzz was palpable among the visiting tastemakers with star-sightings of cast members from Euphoria and Bad Boys 4 dining or enjoying the bar at the exclusive Nobu Atlanta restaurant, the culinary province of co-founder and master sushi chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa. Oscar winner Robert De Niro is a partner in the enterprise! Reporters dined at the Peruvian-influenced Japanese restaurant with an array of dishes including Nobu’s signature miso-marinated black cod. The exposed Nobu kitchen allows daily guests to witness the preparation of dishes such as rock shrimp tempura – and of course some of the best sushi this side of Tokyo. The restaurant is attached to a splendid conference center and hotel. Designed by Rockwell Group, Nobu Hotel Atlanta offers 152 stylish rooms and suites. Guests were greeted with fresh-baked cookies and other “surprise and delights” in their suite accommodations. Visits to the rooftop villa included fresh flowers, origami making, perfume samples and mingling on the rooftop pool and around the piano.

The rooftop of Life Time at Phipps, featuring two swimming pools with cabanas and DJs on weekends, promises to be the see and be seen hotspot of summer.

Life Time Buckhead provides multiple glorious stories of cardio and strength training; yoga, cycling, barre and Pilates classes; specialty spa services; and a luxury rooftop with a duo of swimming pools surrounded by cabanas, adult beverages and weekend DJs. Life Time Work also occupies a private level of the complex with a variety of coworking floor plans and amenities for those making it all happen away from home or office. Plus the new One Phipps Plaza office tower is growing its impressive roster with an array of global headquarters and financial and tech companies.

Digital signage at the AMC movie theatre touts the grand opening of Citizens Market, an elevated culinary experience with multiple gourmet food stations.

Citizens Market is the new 25,000-square-foot lifestyle food hall, bar and event space at Phipps Plaza. As the latest addition to the redevelopment, this elevated culinary experience includes eight distinctive food concepts and a full-service bar. Guests can indulge in the best of fast-casual brands such as Umami Burger (one of my savory staples on Los Angeles trips!), Krispy Rice, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, Sa’Moto, EllaMia, Cicci di Carne, El Pollo Verde, and Soom Soom, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Travel writer Roshae Hemmings chronicled her time at Citizens Market in a syndicated article while visiting this week.

The new LEGO Discovery Center celebrates the famous bricks in the movies.

Activities for families at Phipps Plaza include Build-A-Bear Workshop and matinees at the AMC Phipps Plaza 14 movie theatre, and a brand new destination promises to be a must-experience this summer. LEGO® Discovery Center in Phipps Plaza is an indoor 35,000-square-foot attraction and Atlanta’s home of “LEGO play,” where families can create adventures with more than two million bricks. The Center is open 365 days a year and allows guests to take part in one-of-a-kind experiences such as building a dimensional rocket and sending it into virtual orbit. Talk about practical effects! There is also a movie screening zone and an interactive ride among the Center’s ten themed play areas. USA Today heralded the innovations in this new space.

Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps offers some of the top fashions of any store in the Southeast.

The assembled reporters visiting Phipps Plaza were among the first to learn at a stop in the Saks Fifth Avenue store the arrival of new “studio services” to accommodate the daily needs of the booming film and television industry in Georgia. The Saks at Phipps “lives at the cutting edge of high-end fashion with a deep commitment to people—bringing the new luxury experience to its customers.” Services offered at the luxury retailer include Fifth Avenue Club, Virtual Appointments, Gastronomy Kitchen and The Salon Project by Joel Warren. And featured brands at the flagship location include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Christian Louboutin and The House of Creed.

Reporters from Travel Noire joined influencers for a recent visit to Phipps Plaza’s new properties.

Favorite activities of journalists visiting the expansions to the Buckhead ecosystem included time spent shopping for luxury items. In fact, many of the out-of-towners marveled at the fact that there are two adjacent luxury malls, Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square, on the same block in Atlanta.

Stephen poses with origami in the form of the alien from the movie The Arrival.

I loved the special touches of all the businesses working together to bring a high degree of hospitality around every turn, from the chefs and servers in the food hall to concierges at Nobu who arranged Porsche transport for nearby trips to the High Museum, Atlanta Botanical Garden and more. A visiting oragami instructor even constructed the distinctive alien from the film The Arrival for this movie connoisseur.

There was time to catch a glimpse of Rocket, Groot and friends at the AMC movie theatre. Review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

I always have an incredible time at the movies inside the mall, with a mid-week screening of the acclaimed adventure Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the reserved seats of this convenient multiplex. Now when I see indies or mainstream Hollywood films, I’ll be heartened to know I have so many additional new luxury accommodations and eateries right there in the vicinity.

It was a great week becoming better acquainted with the Phipps staff and all the visitors to town. I encourage you to see if for yourself!

Stephen Brown, pictured with Merryl Johns, editor of Curve Magazine, visiting from NYC.

[Disclaimer: The author provides PR services for Simon Property Group, owners of Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square, and has been a frequenter of AMC Phipps Plaza 14 for movie screenings since 1998.]