Movie Tour Schedule 8/21-8/25

August has hit and the summer is winding down!!! Finish out the season with an in-depth look at our city's hotspots made famous by Hollywood. Take a Boston Movie Tour and we'll blow your minds with the craziest facts that will be sure to come in handy at your local bar's trivia night. But Hey, at least you will learn something and have a TON of fun!

BOSTON MOVIE MILE WALKING TOUR

Leaves Boston Common Visitors' Center at 2PM.

• Thursday, August 21
  
• Friday, August 22
  
• Saturday, August 23
  
• Sunday, August 24
  
• Monday, August 25
  

RESERVE/CHECK ONLINE SCHEDULE

THEATER ON WHEELS BUS TOUR

Leaves Boston Common Visitor's Center at 11AM (check back for added tours too!)

• Thursday, August 21 @ 12:30PM!
  
• Friday, August 22
  
• Saturday, August 23
• Sunday, August 24
  

Reserve/check online schedule

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 dressed in red Boston Movie Tours attire. Don't look for the bus as that pulls around after group is gathered.

After checking out a filming location on the Boston Common, we will board the bus for the complete Theater-on-Wheels experience.

Boston Common Visitors Center. 148 Tremont Street Next to the Park St. MBTA stop.

MAP OF MEETING LOCATION

If you have any last minute questions, please call 866-668-4345, ext 2. Or email us at info@bostonmovietours.net.

Passion of the Hub

As the summer starts to wind down, the film scene is slowly starting to pick up again in Boston. The summer has brought the wrapping up of several films shooting from the spring, but April showers did not bring May movie sets. Luckily, these lovely August thunderstorms are bringing us.... Mel Gibson! Set to start filming Edge of Darkness next week, Gibson flew into the city last night and hit the ground running! Boston Herald's Inside Track reports that unlike Departed and Ashecliffe star Leo DiCaprio, Gibson is very social and loves to get in good with the locals. Just last week, Mel was seen schmoozing at Kings bowling alley in the Back Bay, Mantra night club, and even grabbed a bite to eat at JJ Foley's downtown! This just goes to show that you just never know when you'll be in the right place at the right time. The cast and crew- which, by the way, includes Robert De Niro will be here until Christmastime, so keep your eyes peeled, moviegoers!

It's a Tropic Thunder weekend!

The weather might not be ideal in Boston this week. It might be a little cold and a little dreary, and th sun may not be shining as brightly as it has been in recent past, but don't let that bring you down!

And, just to keep your spirits up, Boston Movie Tours has decided to help raise morale by inviting anyone who comes on a tour this Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday, or Monday a FREE PASS for TWO to the sneak premiere of Tropical Thunder! The movie will be screened Tuesday the 12th at the AMC Boston Common Theater.

Click here to get your tickets today!

Cinema Smackdown Festival - Win up to $2,000

Love creating short movies and videos? Looking to get a little exposure making films or are looking for a way to make some additional money?

If so, Boston Movie Tours would like to let you know about a local company, Application Security, that is offering some cold hard cash for top video shorts.

With the Database Security Cinema Smackdown Contest and Festival, just make a 1-3 minute video about pretty much anything you want. You must use the phrase “Database Security is Important" somewhere in the video and you could win up to $2,000.*

Finalists will also get added exposure through the appsecinc.com website and will also be featured to thousands of viewers at an upcoming trade show event. The winner will also be highlighted in this fall’s Boston Film Night.

* For More Information including Contest Rules, visit

http://www.appsecinc.com/cinemasmackdown/

Edge of Darkness gets underway....and maybe with a new addition?

At the end of the month, movie cameras will start rolling again in the great city of Boston. The past month or so has been relatively quiet, but now it is starting to pick up again with the feature film, Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson.

Boston Herald's Inside Track reports that producers are in talks with the one, the only Robert DeNiro about co-starring in the film with Gibson. If he accepts, this will be DeNiro's first picture in Boston, and we'd love to have him!

In additon to Edge of Darkness, The Other Side, starring Katie Holmes and Woody Harrelson is also set to start filming in early fall around Boston. Apparently, the director ahs checked into the Millennium Bostonian Hotel to meet with producers to scout locations on the North Shore.

High Five, Boston, for keeping the momentum going on Hollywood East!

Big Screen Boston Excerpt

Paul Sherman just sent us an excerpt of his new book on Boston movies called Big Screen Boston. This Boston Movie Tours exclusive is available for your reading pleasure. Click here to download the excerpt.

If you think we are crazy about Boston filming, you have to meet Paul – or you can buy his book. A film critic, Paul knows Boston movies like the back of his hand. Paul's book is a “must have” book for any proud Bostonian.

For the 2008 season, corporate and family groups can purchase the tour deluxe combo complete with Big Screen Boston to remember the Boston movie experience. Feel free to ask about this package when booking you group experience. Get more information on our Group page.

Or visit BigScreenBoston.com for information about purchasing the book.

Boston Movie Tours in the Media

Just last week, Boston Movie Tours was lucky enough to have reporter Joann Klimkiewicz from Connecticut paper, The Hartford Courant on the Boston Movie Mile walking tour. She was nice enough to put an article about her experience in the paper. This is what she said.

"Now more than ever, we need a break — an occasional respite from our everyday lives. Yes, a "daycation" — a day spent away from the office or job site, and away from chores, just to relax and play. Once again this summer, we are taking one day a week to suggest a nearby escape. Enjoy!

EXCERPT....

BOSTON — Our tour guide is about to give us the scoop on John Kerry's 12-room townhouse, here at the corner of the city's tony Louisburg Square, when a gray head pops out from the Democratic senator's ground-floor window, flashing a watering can and a smile."Hello," she says in our direction, tilting the can over a row of windowsill flowers.We wave awkwardly to this woman we don't recognize but know for sure is not Teresa Heinz Kerry. Shucks. And then the wobbly, broken window screen slams down.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

SAG Strike, Fact or Fiction?????

There has been a rumor of a strike among the actors of Hollywood for quite some time now. However, a strike does not seem to be in the best interest of the town and of the actors themselves. Even now, five months after the screenwriters settled their strike in February, Hollywood is still recovering. Reuter's reported that even the stars seem skeptical of the strike. Actors like Ted Danson and Kevin Spacey reveal their feelings towards the possible strike. Danson even said "I am a union man, but I hope for the sake of the town that we do not have a strike, that this is settled. The town is hurting way too much as a result of the writers strike. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Spacey, nominated for his lead role in HBO's "Recount," said SAG members could renegotiate sticking points in another three years. "But right now, let's get back to work,"
According to Reuters, If the issues are DVD and new media, no one's going to be making billions of dollars in new media in the next three years, the reluctance of the celebrities make things seem positive in hope that there will be no strike. However, things are still up in the air. As viewers all we can do hope that there is no strike and that the various celebrities will keep me and the rest of their fans in mind when they make their decision.

Maybe this is a good time to pick out a show you've been meaning to pirate- I mean rent- and watch from the beginning.

Keep your fingers crossed, TV land!

Movie Studios hit Plymouth Again

Do you like to golf in Plymouth? If Waverly Oaks is your course, you may need to find another club.

In the latest developments to bring a major film studio to Massachusetts, Plymouth Rock Studios has agreed to buy Waverly Oaks golf course for movie studio project. If approved, the project is expected to bring hundreds of new jobs to the area and expand Massachusetts' footprint in the movie making business.

For some background, Plymouth Rock Studios is a $422 million, 1,260,000 square foot campus planned by renowned former Paramount Studio head Earl Lestz, former Paramount Pictures President David Kirkpatrick and the international architecture firm of Gensler Associates among others.

Get complete details on the Patriot Ledger or Plymouth Rock Studios sites.

It's a Wrap for Ashecliffe

It is time to say goodbye to the Leo watch it Boston. Last week, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese wrapped up the four month shooting of Ashecliffe, a crime drama based on the Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island. In addition to DiCaprio, the movie also stars Mark Ruffalo.

The movie has filmed throughout Massachusetts including Whittenton Mills in Taunton, the Crane Estate, Nahant, East Boston, Hyde Park and the Boston Harbor Islands.

According to the Boston Herald’s Inside Track, the last scenes were shot in the North End at the Waterfront Cafe on Commercial Street. There were also some childhood stickball scene shots up the street.

Look for the movie's release in 2009.

Filming in Boston

Hollywood has hit the Hub. Here is what is filming in Boston.

Shooting in 2008

Ashecliffe: Based on the book Shutter Island by local author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone), Ashecliffe follows the story of two United States Marshals who investigate a mental patient’s disappearance on a Boston area island. They uncover that nothing is quite what it seems on this mysterious island.

- Starring: Directed by Martin Scorcese: Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley and Leonardo DiCaprio
- Filming: East Boston, Taunton, Medfield, Nahant Beach, Hyde Park and Boston Harbor Islands (Peddocks Island), North End
- Status: Filming completed (March-July 08); for release in 2009

Bride Wars: Best friends become rivals when they schedule their respective weddings on the same day.

- Starring: Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway
- Filming: South Station, Public Gardens, Suite nightclub and Back Bay
- Status: In Post Production as of July 2008; for release in 2009

Edge of Darkness: A police officer investigates the death of his activist daughter.
-Starring: Mel Gibson
-Filming: TBD
-Status: pre-production, set to start filming in late July 2008

The Fallen: A true-life story of a Boston Fire Fighter whose life is turned upside down after a devastating injury leaves him with a severe drug addiction.

- Starring: TBD
- Filming: TBD
- Status: Filming soon


Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past: The romantic comedy is about a bachelor who attends his younger brother’s wedding and is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends.

- Starring: Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner
- Filming: South Street, Wellesley, Ipswitch, Chelsea, and Hingham
- Status: Post production as of July 2008; for release in 2009
- Tidbit: Ben Affleck was originally slated to play in McConaughey's role

Paul Blart: Mall Cop: Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a comedy about a security guard who tries to stop a group of crooks who are taking over a mall.

- Starring: Executive Producer Adam Sandler; Kevin James
- Filming: Boston Harbor Islands, Burlington Mall, Hanscom Fields, Centre Street in West Roxbury, South Shore Plaza
- Status: Post Production as of July 2008; for release in 2009

The Proposal: A pushy boss marries her young assistant in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

- Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock
- Filming: Financial district, Rockport area, Salem
- Status: Post production as of July 2008
- Tidbit: While in Massachusetts, Bullock got in car accident but was not hurt.

The Surrogates: The Disney a sci-fi thriller story is set in the near future where humans interact with one another through surrogate robots.

- Starring: Bruce Willis
- Filming: Seaport District, Old Worcester Courthouse, Worcester, MA, Back Bay
- Status: Currently Filming as of July 2008

This Side of the Truth: A comedy about a town where no one has ever lied - until a writer decides to give it a shot for his own personal gain.

- Starring: Written/Directed by Ricky Gervais: Tina Fey, Jennifer Gardner, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman (rumored) Rob Lowe
- Filming: Lowell, MA
- Status: Currently filming as of July 2008;

Filmed in 2007

21: Based on Ben Mezrich’s bestseller, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, 21 shows how some MIT students beat Vegas.

- Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth
- Filming: South Street Diner, Boston Convention Center, Harvard Medical Center, Copley Mall, Boston University
- Status: on DVD

The Box: This thriller/horror focuses on the the story of a mysterious wooden box that brings both fortune and misfortune into the lives of a couple after being opened.

- Starring: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden
- Filming: South Boston, Boston Public Library, Ipswitch
- Status: Post production for release in late 2008

My Best Friend's Girl: Comedy about a guy who men hire to take their ex-girlfriends on bad dates so they crawl back to their boyfriends.

- Starring: Dane Cook and Kate Hudson
- Filming: Castle in the South End, Boston Common, South Street Church, Copley Square
- Status: Post production for release in September, 2008

The Great Debaters: A 1930s African American debate team takes on Harvard and wins.

- Starring: Dane Cook and Kate Hudson
- Filming: Acorn Street in Beacon Hill, Wang Center
- Status: Released in theaters December 2007
- Tidbit: Wang Center doubles as a train station

The Lonely Maiden: The comedy centers on three museum security guards who devise a plan to steal back the artworks to which they have become attached after they are transferred to another museum.

- Starring: Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy and Christopher Walken
- Filming: Public Garden
- Status: Post production for release in late 2008

On Broadway: A playwright stages a production of his work in the back of an Irish pub.

- Starring: Joseph McIntyre, Eliza Dushku and Will Arnett
- Filming: Dorchester, Waltham, Boston Public Library
- Status: Awaiting distribution

Pink Panther 2: Insp. Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is.

- Starring: Steve Martin and Andy Garcia
- Filming: Chelsea, Wang Theatre, Financial District
- Status: Post production for release in 2009
- Tidbit: Boston doubles as France

Real Men Cry: The story follows two childhood friends as they go through life surviving through petty robbery and other crimes in South Boston.

- Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet and Donnie Wahlberg
- Filming: South Boston
- Status: Post production for release in 2008

The Women: A wealthy New Yorker leaves her cheating husband and bonds with other society women at a resort.

- Starring: Annette Bening, Meg Ryan and Eva Mendes
- Filming: South End, Back Bay, Newbury Street
- Status: Post production for release in 2009
- Tidbit: Boston doubles as New York. Rumored not to have a single man in the cast.

Information compiled from various sources including IMDB.com, the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe.

Bruce Willis Makes Waves in Mass!

It's true that as far as gossip and juicy stories go, Boston has been spoiled the past few months with seven films shooting in and around the city, but now with a possible Screen Actor's Guild strike looming, movie production is starting to slow dramatically. That means for the sake of this blog, I've got to dig a little deeper for Hollywood tidbits. Apparently, so do the news outlets, because the following story seems to be making a big deal.

Maybe Surrogates star, Bruce Willis, is just that big of a deal that something as simple as observing a cell phone conversation makes the news.

This week, Bruce and the rest of the cast headed down to Hopedale, MA to film some scenes for the upcoming sci-fi flick, The Surrogates. To get to the location, bright yellow signs marked "VSI" (Boston Herald reports this is shorthand for something in the script) left a breadcrumb-esque trail, and neighboring town, Milford, was not having it. In fact, a town official even said the sign trail "uglies up the town.”

And this story made the Milford Daily News.

Please, SAG, don't strike. We need some good gossip!

But that's not all, folks! Just last week, Willis and the gang were shooting in the Back Bay area of Boston. When a crew member accidentally gave a car coming from a garage the "okay" to pull out, Bruce was almost hit. He then lashed out on the poor crew member saying he didn't have time for this. However, just a few minutes later, Mr. Die Hard was walking past the garage entrance again, when his cell phone rang. He stopped everything, answered it and proceeded to gab for such a long time that he even requested a chair to sit in! Which of course begs the question: Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?