October 2006

{FIRST_NAME}:

In this Issue
- The Departed Arrives in Boston
- Vote for Boston Movie Tours
- Boston Globe Features Boston Movie Tours
- Game Plan Filming Begins
- Guests of the Month - Curry College
- BMT Participates in Local Events

Film links courtesy of IMDB. If you would like to publish any of the other content, just shoot us over an email.

The Departed Arrives in Boston


The Dream Alley Pictures gang at the Lowes Boston Common


BMT founder Jeff Coveney along with Bob Wahlberg (The Departed FBI Agent) and Paul Wahlberg

SEE BOSTON PREMIERE PICS

October 6th is the big opening day for the long awaited The Departed by Martin Scorsese. We were able to get a sneak peak on Tuesday, October 3 at the Boston premiere and it did not disappoint. It has been a long time since we have seen a big-time mafia movie so we were due.

The Boston Premiere/Sneak Peak Recap - Oct 3rd

Thanks to our PR friends handling The Departed, we were able to score ten passes to the Boston Premiere that were almost as hard to get as Red Sox-Yankees tickets. There was no red carpet or Jack Nicholson sighting but the buzz was heavy and various locals who appeared in the movie made an appearance.

The group of us from Dream Alley Pictures, Matt Woods Modeling and Jim Jermanok who produced and co-wrote the local flick, Passionada headed down to Lowes Boston Common at 5:30pm. The line was already forming and news crews were setting up to cover the arriving actors. It was the earliest I have ever shown up for a movie and the place was brimming with anticipation. Screenwriter William Monahan gave a quick intro before the movie started at 7pm.

After the movie, we had a short conversation with Robert Wahlberg, the brother of Mark and Donnie who played an FBI agent. Apparently, he was giving a movie tour of his own in South Boston last week to his son showing him various filming locations. Real down to earth guy. Bobby also appeared in Southie and will be in the upcoming Boston movies, Gone, Baby, Gone and On Broadway.

We also congratulated Monahan on a great screenplay. It was very funny and clever and should earn him an Oscaaaa nomination. Monahan is a Boston local and helped us sort out a few filming locations for our tours.

First off, let me start by saying this is the most I have ever anticipated seeing a movie. From scouring for Boston movie locations to scanning message boards (thedeparted.net, Totally Unnecessary Departed Board), the obsession has been going of for over a year. Being a big Scorsese lover, I was expecting big things. Scorsese's Goodfellas is one of my favorite all-time movies so my Tuesday afternoon was spent watching that classic so I could compare one Marty gangster movie to another.

So the big question......Hows does The Departed compare to other classics such as Goodfellas and The Godfather?

The Departed is different and unique as Scorsese takes the mob movie genre to a place we have not seen before. Expect the Academy to come calling around Oscar time for Scorsese's new masterpiece. It is a fast paced, edge-of-your-seat crime drama with a comedic edge. It looks like Scorsese pulled a few pages out of The Sopranos playbook with the comedic aspect. Scorsese gives us an instant Boston classic.

I can not say enough about William Monahan's script. The movie was serious, the violence was brutal at times but I laughed more than when I saw Talladega Nights (Not saying much here though).

The Departed Insider Tidbit
X Marks the Spot

Watch for subliminal "X"s throughout the movie which indicate the character is in danger.

The cast delivered like we expected and more. Mob boss Jack Nicholson worked his magic and was both evil and charismatic at the same time. Matt Damon shined in his role as the mob mole who infiltrates the police force. I have not been a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan but he has officially won me over with a possible Oscar performance.

DiCaprio is brilliant as he makes us all forget about the pretty boy image in Titanic. But my favorite unsung performance goes to local Mark Wahlberg who played the cranky investigator. He was just flat out funny in almost every scene he was in.

If I had one minor gripe, the movie never fully brought out the protagonist that we could identify with. Instead of one great main character we knew inside and out (Al Pacino in Scarface or Ray Liotta in Goodfellas), there were three great characters (Damon, DiCaprio, Nicholson) we got to know just below the surface. This is partly due to the fast paced action. I would have liked to see Scorsese go a tad a bit deeper and take the perspective of one of the characters. But I guess that is the tradeoff when you assemble such an amazing cast. Plus, I am probably nitpicking.

Get the baby sitter. Pick the apples next weekend. Go see The Departed this weekend.

How Good of a "Boston" Movie?
Where does it fit in terms of other great Boston films such as Good Will Hunting, The Verdict, Mystic River and others? I can say it ranks in the top five but time will tell. There are some awesome Boston shots and the movie bleeds Boston. We also see Mr. Boston, Matt Damon along with the Wahlberg brothers. However, I have to subtract some points for the movie being partially shot in New York. Maybe it's because I am a Red Sox fan and hate seeing us lose anything to New York. But we have at least 5 locations we will be adding to the tour.

Oscar Nomination Potential:
I am basing the below chances based on October 2006. These numbers could decrease come Oscar nomination time. Best chances of winning are in red.

  • Best Actor: 80% Probability. Leonardo DiCaprio. His best role yet in this breakthrough role.
  • Best Picture: 75% Probability. Should be in the mix but may fall out.
  • Best Screenplay: 85% Probability. Clever, funny and perfect for Boston.
  • Best Supporting Actor: 75% (70% chance Jack Nicholson. 5% chance for fan favorite Mark Wahlberg)
  • Best Director: 70% Martin Scorsese. Will he finally one?
Back to Top

The Departed Bleeds Boston Filming Locations

Nicholson's Apartment
Filming Location: Flagship Wharf, Charlestown
Photo Credit: Warner Brothers

Fight Scene
Filming Location: Rooftop, South Boston Seaport Area
Photo Credit: Warner Brothers


Watch the Trailer
Vote for Boston Movie Tours

 

Boston Movie Tours has been nominated for the Boston Choice Awards. We would love your support for the “Walk This Way (Unique Tour)” award.

If you could take 15 seconds, you can vote by checking off "Boston Movie Tours" under the "Walk this Way" category.

If pressed for time, just vote for our category, not everything.

Back to Top

Boston Globe Features Boston Movie Tours

On September 23, Boston Movie Tours filled up the front page of the Boston Globe's Living Arts section. If you missed the article, check it out here.

READ ARTICLE

Back to Top
Game Plan Filming Begins


Learn more about being an extra at Boston Casting

Filming is due to begin October 10th on the Disney movie, The Game Plan starring The Rock as a superstar quarterback. The cast will be filming all over the Boston area. Planned October shoots include:

  • 9 days of filming at Gillette Stadium and Holy Cross Stadium
  • Several days shooting restaurant scenes in Boston

And if you want to be an extra, make sure to check out www.bostoncasting.com.

Back to Top
Guests of the Month - Curry College


Curry class on the bus


Feeling the Magic of the Good Will Hunting bench


Curry College has one of the most unique movie classes in the area. Taught by Professor Jerry Gibbs, The Business of Hollywood teaches students the ins and outs of getting movies made.

Later this year, some of the class will take a field trip out to Hollywood. The class recently hopped aboard our Theater-on-Wheels to get the behind-the-scenes look at Boston.

SEE PICS

Back to Top

BMT Participates in Local Events


In September, hundreds of people came by our booth to talk movies at the recent Arts in the City and South Boston Street fest events. Thanks to all of you who stopped by the booth.

Back to Top

   
We'd Love to Hear from You


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.

Sincerely,
Jeff and Rachel Coveney
Boston Movie Tours Founders

Jeff - jcoveney@bostonmovietours.net
Rachel - rcoveney@bostonmovietours.net

Boston Movie Tours Web Site

2006 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.
Sponsors