Govenor's Conference takes over South Boston

Hundreds of Massachusetts tourism organizations took over South Boston last Friday to discuss the economic climate and how it will effect tourism here in the US. Although these are certainly tough times, economists and researchers at the conference say that tourism in New England is outperforming the rest of the country!

One of the more positive portions of the conference was when the Massachusetts Office of Tourism and Travel unveiled their new colorful ad campaign featuring the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Governor Deval Patrick was even able to answer a few questions about tourism, the economy, even the proposed gas tax.

Boston Movie Tours was on hand to meet and greet with the industry folk. People have been asking us, "How is the economy going to effect movies, specifically movies made in Boston?" The sad truth is that less movies are going to be made because there is considerably more risk that movies won't recoup their costs. The good news for Massachusetts is that movie studios will try to save as much money as they can, and they're going to shoot where it is least expensive. So far we have a TV pilot being filmed and two major movies set to film April/May. Stay tuned for details on that.

2009 Releases!

The movies shot in Boston over the last two years are being released! Here are the updates:

Ghosts of Girlfriends 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 Locations: South Street, Wellesley, Ipswich, Chelsea, and Hingham
- Release Date: 1 May 2009

Watch the trailer!

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 Locations: Financial district, Rockport area, Salem
- Release Date: 19 June 2009

Watch the Trailer!

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 Locations: Seaport District, Old Worcester Courthouse, Worcester, MA, Back Bay
- Release Date: 25 September 2009

No trailer yet, but they have launched a website where you can create your own surrogate.

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 Garner, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe
- Filming Locations: Lowell, MA
- Release Date: 25 September 2009

No trailer, but here is a hilarious video of Ricky Gervais announcing the release date.

Shutter Island: Based on the book by local author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone), Shutter Island 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 Locations: East Boston, Taunton, Medfield, Nahant Beach, Hyde Park and Boston Harbor Islands (Peddocks Island), North End
- Release Date: October 2, 2009

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 Locations: South Boston, Boston Public Library, Ipswitch
- Release Date: 30 October 2009

Edge of Darkness: A police officer investigates the death of his activist daughter.
-Starring: Mel Gibson
-Filming Locations: South Station, South Boston, Berkshires, Lincoln, South Deerfield
-Release Date: 12 November 2009

Amy Smart TV Pilot shooting at State House

The new ABC pilot See Kate Run starring Amy Smart has come to Boston and was shooting at the State House this past weekend. At first we were thrown off by the little yellow VSI crew parking signs that look just like the ones used for The Surrogates.

The show is about an Assistant District Attorney on Beacon Hill who is trying to become the first female president. The show also stars a Boston movie alum Liza Lapira from 21.

Crews were setup all along Bowdoin Street Saturday morning. I did not see any filming outside but did notice a large lighting crane on Derne Street. I suspect the filmmakers were using it to bring some light into a room they were shooting inside the State House.

According to the Boston Herald they filmed exterior shots outside the 21st Amendment, but the interiors were actually filmed inside Doyle's in Jamaica Plains. Apparently 21st Amendment just doesn't have enough room for the camera crew.

Here are some of the pictures taken on set.

Pics Courtesy Boston Movie Tours

As always if you have any tips, email me at npistorino@bostonmovietours.net.

Movie Tour Tickets on Sale Soon

With all the new movies filmed in 2008, Boston Movie Tours looks forward to another great season in 2009.

We are in the process of revamping our online ticket system. We expect to be back up and running with online tickets the last week of March. We kick off the public tour season on April 11.

If you want to book a group or corporate outing, please do not hesitate to contact us at groups@bostonmovietours.net.