More on City Island

So easily my favorite movie of this year! City Island is being released wider-and-wider, cause it's awesome! Anyway, here's a link to a new article interviewing Andy Garcia. And look for City Island in theaters near you!

Irish Film Festival in Boston This Weekend

In case the Irish spirit has stuck with you a week after St. Patrick's Day, and you're waiting to see the Celtics in the playoffs, we'd like to inform you that the Irish Film Festival is hitting Boston this weekend. The festival runs Thursday - Sunday this week all over town. For details on screenings and tickets, visit irishfilmfestival.com!

City Island - Advanced Screening

This movie was top-notch! Really funny, well-acted and well-put together. I got to attend a showing of City Island at the Museum of Fine Arts this week and it really was a great time.

The movie's history includes winning an Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, which comes as no surprise considering both that the flick was pretty awesome, and of course that the flick was set in a neighboring borough. The movie really was brought to life through the acting, more specifically the layering of the major characters. There was always just so much being communicated, undertones, overtones... really fantastic stuff.

The principle actors are Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, Steven Strait and Dominik Garcia-Lorido. All were excellent. The most excellent though was the young Ezra Miller. I want to say his character is like one we've seen Micheal Cera play, but Miller brought something special to this awkward, quirky adolescent male role . He really was brilliant. And of course they were all brought together under the clever writing and direction of Raymond De Felitta.

Wish I had more information on when and if the movie will be released nationally. I've read that it will be opening in New York (obviously) this weekend. Hopefully it makes it's way to a theater near you, I highly recommend it!

Conan Comes Home!

Well if you could still see him on one of those box things in everyone's house it would be a different story. But since he is no longer on television (for the moment) Conan fans rejoice that the funnyman will be touring this spring... think he's got any material? HA!

Yes the Massachusetts born and bred Conan O'Brien will be playing two shows in Boston at the Wang Center June 4th and 5th. Conan, who really does look like the President of Finland, will be taking his "Prohibited" tour across the country. The tour is sponsored by American Express.

If you want to meet Conan, it will cost you about 700$. I'm serious! The CitiCenter is offering crazy packages that include meet-and-greets, private receptions before the show, sound check and front-row seats if you have the dough for it. Go here to check it out!

New Mark Wahlberg Movie

This looks funny. Date Night is slated to hit theaters April 9th and is guaranteed to to make you laugh. The line-up in this movie is just big name after another. Boston movie star Mark Wahlberg is easily one of the biggest names in the flick, and is in good company. The movie also stars James Franco, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, Mark Ruffalo, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Ray Liotta and Samantha Bee. Is there any way this movie could not be hilarious?

Happy Saint Boondocks Day!

What a great holiday to spend in Boston! And if you can't seem to find Saint Patrick, you can always rely on the Boondock Saints who are more or less in town to throw down tonight.

Troy Duffy (writer/director) of Boondock fame will be hosting a concert tonight at the Paradise Rock Club. Tickets are available through Livenation here!

Massachusetts Film Tax Cap Rejected

The Hollywood East Connection has reported that the tax cap on Massachusetts-made movies has been rejected. Meetings on Beacon Hill took place the past two weeks in order to discuss such a cap. I'm not going to lie or pretend that I really get the entire economic breakdown of the whole thing. What I do know is that the state isn't losing real money on this one, if anything it's hypothetical money. It's kinda like money in a heist movie when one guy isn't happy with his cut of the loot and pulls a double cross. That "guy" is usually blown away after pulling that stunt, left dead or with nothing. Massachusetts is that "guy" is this movie. I feel if that if the cap had been approved, Massachusetts might not even be used in filming a movie about Massachusetts.

Here is a link to the article from Hollywood East Connection focusing around the cap rejection.

Wet Weekend

Well it looks like a scene from The Perfect Storm out there, only the scene has been happening for three days now! So much rain, like half a foot! Glad I'm not giving tours today!!

Boondock Saints St. Patty's Day in Boston

The Boondock Saints was released ten years ago, and to celebrate the anniversary the movie makers have just released the sequel this week Boondock Saints II to DVD/Blu-ray. And not only that, but writer/director Troy Duffy will be in Boston to headline the celebration this St. Patrick's Day. I'm told Duffy will be joined by one of the movie's funnymen, Bob Marley for the festivities. Apparently some of the Boondockers have been zig-zagging the country in a Boondock Bus on their current tour. While in Boston, I'm told they will be hosting a concert at the Paradise Rock Club. Tickets for the event are available through Livenation.

Catching On: The Day the World Turned Gay

Congratulations to former Boston Movie Tours guide Nick Pistorino who just had his Boston-made independent movie Short accepted into the 2010 Boston International Film Festival. The 8th annual festival runs
from April 16-25, 2010 with over 100 films.

Catching On: The Day the World Turned Gay begins the day same-sex marriage is nationally legalized, and young Brian McCabe wakes up to a nation divided. His father and other slippery slope theorists fear that homosexuality will suddenly spread across the world. In this comedic horror flick, Brian will have to overcome his adolescent awkwardness, save the girl of his dreams, fight with Zombies and try to straighten everything out before it’s too late.

Boston International Film Festival

Catching On Screening: Loews Theatre/AMC Boston Common, 175 Tremont St. Boston
Time:10:30PM Sunday, April 18th

Knight and Day Release Moved Up to Battle Grown Ups

If you can't wait for Tom Cruise's first Boston movie since The Firm, you are in luck. OK, it's only a week but the upcoming release of romantic thriller Knight and Day has moved up from July 2, 2010, to June 25, 2010. 

The move means that Knight and Day will battle Grown Ups on the opening weekend, another Massachusetts movie with Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.

Hollywood in the Hub, March 2010

Blogger, We are just weeks away from kicking off our 2010 season and would love for you to join us this year!  Check out our full spring schedule on our website BostonMovieTours.net Check out our movie review of the top movie in America, Shutter Island (filmed here in Boston and throughout Massachusetts)!  See a preview for the latest Matt Damon movie.  Check out our Oscar predictions and get the an update on Plymouth Rock Studios.  And as always, check out our Hollywood in the Hub blog for the latest Boston Movie Tour gossip and insider info! Jeff, Rachel and Dave
MARCH 2010 Visit Us This Spring As We Kickoff Our 2010 Season! Shutter Island Review and Info Matt Damon's New Movie Green Zone Oscar Review Plymouth Rock Studios Update Click to view this email in a browser Visit Us This Spring As We Kickoff Our 2010 Season! We have soooo many more movies to talk about with all the filming that went on last year.  And come see where some scenes were shot before the newest movies even hit theaters! THEATER ON WHEELS BUS TOUR 11AM Saturdays starting April 10th 11AM Saturdays & Sundays in May MOVIE MILE WALKING TOUR 2PM Saturdays & Sundays starting APRIL 24th SEE OUR SPRING SCHEDULE AND PURCHASE TICKETS FROM OUR WEBSITE Group/Private Tours - Available anytime. Request a Quote. mailto:groups@bostonmovietours.net Meeting Location (All Tours) - Boston Common Visitor Center For check-in, you can check in at the Boston Common Visitor Center with your Boston Movie Tours guide starting 30 minutes prior start time. Look for the guide in the red shirt. Back to top  Shutter Island Movie Review and Info With over 40 million dollars taken in its first weekend, Shutter Island opened on top of the box office. Ten of those 40 million were mine, and they were well worth it! I actually saw it at Legacy Place in Dedham, which kept being mentioned in the movie! There was a line about Dedham prison, which I actually visited on a high school field trip... weird. The movie was a solid 8 out of 10, twisty, turns, suspenseful and I enjoyed myself overall. And Leonardo DiCaprio really hit it out of the park with his performance. I would discuss more good stuff from it but don't want to give anything away.  There were a couple little things about Shutter Island I didn't much care for. There were a lot of turns, and it kinda played out like a book would (yeah, I know it was a book by Dennis Lehane). It looked like they wanted to make one of those movies you "get more of" when you re-watch it, so I'm semi-looking forward to that. And it also seems like characters in Boston movies like this are always a "Marshall" just to impress that weird, unnatural Boston accent on the audience. I mean, I'm in Boston all the time and the only "Mahhshalls" I see are the stores! Moving on, Michelle Williams... wow! She just keeps getting better and better looking, and her acting is keeping up with her looks. She was one of my favorites in this flick and has been one since her Dawson's Creek days... her Boston accent was spot-on and she definitely creeped me out. And when you see her standing by her backyard pond in the movie, you can't help but think she's Jen, that's the creek, and Dawson and her got into one of their usual, overblown episode snits. The majority of Shutter Island was filmed here in Massachusetts, but it's hard to find Boston specifically in the movie. I mean, it takes place on an island, that's not Boston. They did some filming in Boston Harbor so I suppose that's gonna have to count.   Here are a few Shutter-ing Links to interviews, articles and the movie's website. Boston Globe Article DiCaprio Interview Scorcesse Interview Shutter Island Website Back to top  Matt Damon's New Movie Green Zone The commercials have hit the airwaves for the hometown heart-throb's newest feature. On March 12th, Green Zone is scheduled to hit theaters nation-wide. Matt Damon reunites with his Bourne-sequels director Paul Greengrass for the film. Even from the commercials one can see similar action sequences upon comparison. And like the Bourne flicks, the majority of filming took place overseas. The Internet Movie Database (imdb) has the movie's tagline as "Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller is done following orders." Sweet! If you're interested in a trailer, we got it here! Back to top a Oscar Review The local scene in Boston was festive over at the Oscar Night Boston Gala at the Langham Hotel. If you missed it and still want to donate to the Ellie Fund, visit here. If only Shutter Island had come out a little sooner, Boston Movie fans would likely have a dog in the hunt.  The show was hosted by a pair of actors whose longevities just so happens to include multiple works from Boston. Alec Baldwin had a fantastic role in one of Boston's biggest movies The Departed and also filmed here for the production of Malice.  His co-host Steve Martin has worked a number of Boston filmings including Housesitter, Pink Panther 2, and The Out-Of-Towners.  The story of the night was The Hurt Locker which won six Oscars including Best Picture.  Check out the other winners. Best Picture: The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart Love Jeff for his role in Boston's Blown Away Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds We of course were routing for Boston stars Woody Harrelson (Cheers) or Matt Damon (The Departed, Good Will Hunting, etc) Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock The Blind Side Congrats to Sandra. We know the award wasn't given for The Proposal. Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo'Nique Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire Visual Effects: Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones Animated Feature Film: Up Pete Docter Film Editing: The Hurt Locker Bob Murawski and Chris Innis Directing: The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow Art: Direction Visit the Oscars homepage for all the winners. Back to top    Plymouth Rock Studios Update Hollywood in the Hub seems to keep running into trouble.  I'm optimistic things will finally resume and Hollywood East will continue growing into the new thing.  There is a great article here from The Patriot Ledger about growing concerns regarding the project and the local tax credit for the movie industry.  Plymouth Rock Studios hasn't been putting out any new news on their website but you can visit that too. Patriot Ledger Article Plymouth Rock Studios Back to top     We'd Love to Hear from You H Please feel free to contact us at the below email addresses with any comments or suggestions. Also, if you have information you would like to have included in future newsletters, please send it along. We'd love to get your celeb pics, sightings and other movie news. Jeff - jcoveney@bostonmovietours.net Rachel - rcoveney@bostonmovietours.net Dave - daspro@bostonmovietours.net Boston Movie Tours Web Site Sincerely, Jeff and Rachel Coveney Boston Movie Tours Founders	Follow us on: Hot Movie Tour News Now Booking 2010 Group Outings. A record number of corporate and school groups have booked their 2009 outings with Boston Movie Tours. Book Your Group Event Movie Location of the Month Boston Harbor used in    Shutter Island New Boston on DVD : Buy Now (Amazon) Buy Now (Amazon)  Boston - In Theatres Now! Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio Edge of Darkness with Mel Gibson Boston - Coming Soon! Furry Vengeance with Brendan Fraser  Can't Get Enough? Read the Hollywood in the Hub blog. Every week our Boston Movie Tours gossip scouts scour the papers, internet, and goings-on in the city to find YOU the hottest, juiciest stories out there. Make sure to check out our blog to stay in the Beantown Hollywood loop!
2009 Copyright Boston Movie Tours, a division of Take One Tours, LLC. Some other trademarks and content belong to their respective owners. Boston Movie Mile and Hollywood in the Hub are trademarks of Take One Tours. Forward this message to a friend | (866) 668.4345

Latest News on Wahlberg's The Fighter

First of all, this movie looks awesome! AWESOME!! I was actually able to attend a talk with one of the movie's producers David Hoberman this week and was shown a glimpse of his upcoming work on "Irish" Mickey Ward.

The Fighter was filmed mostly in Lowell last year. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale play the two leads in the movie, boxing brothers Dickie and Mickey. The chemistry of these two was electric in few scenes I was shown. That electricity was heightened by documentary footage of the real brothers he put together when researching for the film. Powerful stuff.

And as for the movie, it looks like they nailed the Boston feel, the accents and I'm dying to see where they take it. I mean they make Lowell look like Lowell the way Good Will Hunting made Southie look like Southie. A release date is hard to find, but I'm told it should hit theaters this fall.

Hoberman was quoted in an article this week by the Boston Herald with his views on the ongoing film credit discussion in Boston. Here's the article.

Party Like a Star for the 2010 Oscars

For the Boston locals that want to taste a bit of Hollywood, don't miss the anuual Ellie Fund Oscar Event, this Sunday. You've watched the Oscars Telecast before but never like this -- in black-tie style that helps women and families fight breast cancer. The gala is being held this year at the Langham Boston.

Hurry, ticket prices go up March 5th.

There will be plenty of movie items up for auction including several Boston Movie Tours family four packs.

Get More Details/Tickets

Movie Week on Millionaire

Personally, I've always thought the questions on the daytime version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire were way easier than the ones Regis used to ask. This week, they are even easier... cause they're all about movies! This would have been my chance at game-show glory! Millionaire movie week is this week on ABC (check local listings).

Before They Were Famous

ABC's 20/20 is running a special feature tonight looking at where the biggest names in Hollywood came from! I heard that they will be having a piece on Matt Damon and his infamous one-liner from Mystic Pizza, a movie that went a long way for Julia Roberts. They also will be showing old pictures of George Clooney (with pre-gray hair)! It's airing at 10pm tonight!

Shutter Island Still On Top!

Two weeks strong now! The movie Shutter Island raked in another 2o million plus this weekend keeping it on top of the box office and bringing the total tally to roughly 75 million bucks! I thought Cop Out looked good enough to take the top spot but it fell a few million dollars short.