This Weekend at the (TOY)Box Office

Apparently the picturesque scenery of Massachusetts just can't compare with a computer-imagined bedroom as Toy Story 3 actually took the top spot over locally shot Grown Ups and Knight & Day. Thankfully the movie does feature the voice of Boston's favorite postal employee, John Ratzenberger (Cheers'). Odds are that next weekend's top spot will go to another third installment of a franchise, the Twilight blah blah. Can you tell how excited I am??

Grown Ups In Theaters!

I was a bit harsh on Knight & Day earlier this week... my Grown Ups review shall be much cheerier. Right off the bat, this is only a Massachusetts movie, not a Boston movie. You will not find the hub anywhere in the film. What you can see a lot of is the beautiful rural scenery that our state has to offer. You can also see a whole bunch of some of the funniest comedians SNL ever offered. And it was damn funny!

Adam Sandler knows how to lead a movie. He was great. David Spade too. Rob Schneider was even funnier than I usually find him, and that's also how I felt about Kevin James in the movie. And Chris Rock was great at never breaking the effeminate character they wrote for him. But I do think if they had written him in the more traditional Rock-role, it would have been that much better seeing him and Maya Rudolph scream it out (she was sooo great). I do remember watching the movie thinking that if Chris Farley hadn't died, then Kevin James would be premiering Paul Blart 2 this week! Imagine that though. Rock, Spade, Sandler, Schneider and Farley! Wow.

But the cast didn't disappoint. The plot didn't undermine or lessen the comedy, which comes fast and frequent. Even the smaller roles were just brought to life with so many veterans. Tim Meadows, Colin Quinn and Steve Buscemi added highlights to what is sure to be the #1 comedy of the weekend.

So I don't feel right applying our "Boston Movie Scale" to the movie since it isn't one, but it has to go high on the list of Massachusetts movies filmed here in house since the tax credit has taken effect. And on your basic 10 point overall flick scale, I feel comfortable going 8.5/10. I'm not saying this is a must-see for everybody, but if you like the old bad boys from SNL, you won't be let down.

Grown Ups is in theaters now!

What's Your Number Filming Tonight!

Just walked by the bar 21st Amendment next to the Massachusetts State House... filming What's Your Number there all night! Coincidentally, the bar is closed for filming :( Going to take some pictures now and get them for y'all!

Grown Ups Tomorrow!

Summer's here and so is the next Massachusetts movie to hit theaters... Grown Ups. Actually, already got a chance to see a screening of the movie, but again, can't really tell you about it until tomorrow. Be sure to check back for my review!

Knight & Day (Today)!

The commercials are on every channel, and it seems as though the actors are too! Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have been going full-out on the publicity for their summer blockbuster. From The Today Show in the morning to The Daily Show at night, the two are covering almost as much ground as they did while filming the movie!

So yes, it's here, our Boston Blockbuster! And so is my take on the flick, without any real spoilers. The first 40 minute chunk of the movie was beautiful Boston. Seeing landmarks in the background, remembering the buzz when they were in town filming last year, and of course the action! The Boston part of the movie for me was obviously the best, but it really felt like a let down when they moved to Europe. Everything was moving so fast, and the character development was flowing and then poof, we're in Europe and I'm still not really sure what the movie's about.

The style was pretty good, fitting well with the strengths of both Diaz and Cruise; her smarter than the average blond routine and his action-hero with a smirk really meshed. And the two had some pretty funny jokes, one-liners, silent pauses that came from the chemistry. But the movie seemed like it wanted to go in either of three directions... action movie, comedy movie with action, or action movie spoof. And instead of picking one and doing it great, they kinda picked all three and it was dull, average even. Maybe if they had went for the R-rating and left some humorous curses in the flick it would have sat better with me. But once seeing it was going to be rated PG-13, its like you're just waiting for the one F-bomb they get to drop. Diaz got it.

I did a little ruminating on Knight & Day, and I think I know the movie it most reminds me of... Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The trekkies who see Knight & Day will back me up on this. There's a crazy new technology/power source device and it ends up not being so stable. The bad guys stopping at nothing, hell-bent on harnessing it's power. So played... And of course with it being a Tom Cruise movie, there's always some sort of mole-hunt or shady mentor of his generally adding a not-so-hidden twist later in the film.

So, as far as where it ranks among our favorite Boston movies, I really think it showed a lot of our city. The best stunts in the movie were the Boston ones. And more or less, including the total package of the movie stars filming here so much and production going so smoothly, it was a pretty enjoyable effort. So on our Boston scale, I'm giving Knight & Day a 8.5/10.

As for the movie itself, only 6/10.

Knight & Day Opens Wednesday!

I've seen it already... but I can't tell you about it until Wednesday... I can tell you that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz filmed Knight & Day all over Boston last fall... and that it used to be called Wichita... and that their website has interactive trailers for you to check out. My full critical analysis on Wednesday!

What's Your Number? Rockport Base Camp

Thanks again to our fabulous Chelsey Brooks for snapping this picture of the new base camp for What's Your Number? This is out in Rockport and apparently a wedding scene will be staged for the movie... and you may actually get to see our very own Chelsey Brooks in that wedding! We'll be sure to keep you posted!

Fan of Boston TV shows?

ABC's new Boston Med premieres June 26th. Check out this history of Boston based TV shows on boston.com. Which is your favorite?

Boston-based TV shows - Boston.com

What's Your Number on Boylston Street

Chelsey Brooks (Boston Movie Tours Expert) just snapped this photo of What's Your Number filming in front of 272 Boylston Street! They filmed at the W Hotel in the Theatre District last week... Found this sign by Smith & Wollinsky after our GBCVB event at the Melting Pot!