Hollywood in the Hub

Backstage with Boston Movie Tours

2008-05-07T06:47:00.000-05:00

The Boston Hollywood scene including Boston Movie Tours was recently featured on the award winning Backstage with Barry Nolan.

Sara Edwards takes you on a little movie tour of her own highlighting Boston's filming hotspots. If you live in the Boston area, check it out on Comcast OnDemand.

Otherwise, here it is.

Filming in Boston

2008-05-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

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, Hyde Park and Boston Harbor Islands (Peddocks Island)
- Status: Currently filming as of April 2008; 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 and Back Bay
- Status: Currently filming as of April 2008; for release in 2009

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 and Hingham
- Status: Currently filming as of April 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 in Concord, MA, Centre Street in West Roxbury.
- Status: Currently filming as of April 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
- Status: Currently filming as of April 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
- Status: Currently Filming

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 April 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: In theaters

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.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Departs Boston

2008-05-05T22:00:00.003-05:00

It looks like the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner wrapped up filming in Beantown last week.

According to the Boston Herald's Inside Track, the filmmakers used a sound stage in Chelsea for some of the final shoots. The movie is expected to hit theaters in 2oo9.

Show your Mom how much you love her by taking her on a tour!

2008-05-05T11:40:00.001-05:00

This weekend brings the day all moms love: Mother's Day! The sun will be shining, the birds will be chirping, and what better way to celebrate the day than to take Mom on a Movie Tour! Even better, MOMS GET HALF OFF TICKETS FOR ANY MOTHER'S DAY TOUR! Email scostello@bostonmovietours.net to get you and your mom on board!

MAY SCHEDULE

BOSTON MOVIE MILE WALKING TOUR

Leaves Boston Common Visitors' Center at 2PM.

Friday 5/9 (changed to bus tour), 5/16, 5/23, 5/30
Saturday 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31
Sunday 5/11, 5/18, 5/25

RESERVE/CHECK ONLINE SCHEDULE

THEATER ON WHEELS BUS TOUR

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

Fri 5/9 @ 2pm
Saturday 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31

Sunday 5/11, 5/18, 5/25

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.

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.

Ricky Gervais ruffles some feathers

2008-05-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

Among several other towns, Lowell, Massachusetts is now home to a film cast and crew. For most people, the Hollywood hustle and bustle is new and exciting, but for others, some feathers are getting ruffled. Writer/director Ricky Gervais (of the hit UK sitcom The Office) has been keeping a video blog via YouTube. The Bostonist reports that Gervais was reading local paper The Lowell Sun and curled his lip in a gesture of distaste as he catches a typo. Apparently, in a later blog entry, Ricky shoots a nerf gun at a friend, and the Sun jumped all over it saying "These guys must be dying to shoot. We know we are". This raises questions as to whether or not the production is creating bad blood between the city and Gervais. It will be interesting (and probably entertaining) to see how this Hollywood vs. Small Town rumble works itself out.

Great Video on Massachusetts Movies

2008-04-30T23:57:00.004-05:00

The Massaschusetts Film Office has put together a great 3-minute video on numerous films shot in the Bay State. Personally, I love the Boston soundtrack by the band Augustana.

Check out the Video

Backstage with Barry Nolan Weds Night

2008-04-30T00:26:00.003-05:00

Tonight, Backstage with Barry Nolan will focus an episode on the Hollywood invasion of Beantown. You can catch the show on Comcast at 8pm (Channel 3 in Boston).

To prepare for the story, co-host Sara Edwards recently joined a Girl Scouts tour with co-founder Rachel Coveney and Hollywood Tour Guide Nick Pistori.

The Surrogates Hits Seaport Area

2008-04-29T23:22:00.006-05:00

While out around Boston today, we came across the filming of the Surrogates, the sci-fi film starring Bruce Willis. It looks like the crew is setting up shop in a building on Necco Street in the Seaport District.

The filmmakers kept shooting two cars driving down Necco street; one vintage and one new. We did not have any Willis sightings but the cars were pretty darn cool. Both were rented special for the shoot.

Kate Hudson Filming at Fairmont Copley Plaza

2008-04-29T09:16:00.003-05:00

The Fairmont Copley Plaza continues to be a hotspot for Hollywood. The other day, Kate Hudson made her way there to film a wedding scene for Bride Wars.

Most known for being the location of Tom Cruise's famous offer in The Firm, the Fairmont Copley Plaza was recently used in the upcoming My Best Friend's Girl with Dane Cook.

For Your Flying Pleasure

2008-04-28T12:33:00.005-05:00

If you are flying on US Airways during April, check out the US AIRWAYS MAGAZINE to get the skinny on Boston movie making - and Boston Movie Tours.

Or read it here.

Casting: Wanna be a Star?

2008-04-24T11:58:00.007-05:00

Interested in being part of a movie? Boston Casting is the premier casting agency in Boston. Here are some of their current casting calls.

http://www.bostoncasting.com/

Get this widget!

Close Encounters of the Drunken Kind

2008-04-24T09:06:00.003-05:00

Here in Massachusetts, we've got some quips to remember to stay safe when driving. We've got "click it or ticket" and "buckle up- it's the law." Last Friday, Cape Ann learned why we have these safety limericks. The Proposal star Sandra Bullock's SUV was hit head- on by an allegedly drunk driver, Lucile Gatchell. Boston Herald's Inside Track reports that no injuries were sustained with anyone involved and filming has not been postponed. In fact, Bullock made sure to stop by Gloucester bakery, "Last Stop" to get one of her pups a birthday cake (complete with dog bones and a few cases of water) just days after the accident!

The Proposal will be filming in Cape Ann until early June. You can probably catch Sandra on foot and steering clear of the roads nowadays!

Press Release: Movie Tour Highlights Boston’s Emerging Hollywood Scene

2008-04-17T00:07:00.002-05:00

Movie Tour Highlights Boston’s Emerging Hollywood Scene
Now Open: 21, Gone Baby Gone and The Game Plan Highlight Newly Featured Films

Boston, April 17, 2008 – With numerous movies currently filming in Boston and Boston's 21 leading the box office charts, Boston Movie Tours announces a revamped Movie Tour highlighting Boston's blossoming movie industry.

Boston Movie Tours has updated the experience to give guests the complete lowdown on all things movies and celebrity in Boston. “The amount of recent filming in Boston is unlike anything we have seen in the past. We are excited to bring many of these new movies to life.” says Jeff Coveney, Boston Movie Tours President.

Read the Full Release

Everybody Knows the Name - Cheers

2008-04-15T22:15:00.003-05:00

The place where everyone knows your name, Cheers, was featured in the April 15, 2008 edition of the Boston Globe. After 15 years of the show being off the air, the two Boston locations still draw 750,000 visitors yearly. As noted in the article....

Count Jeff Coveney, president of Boston Movie Tours, among the grateful as well. "Boston Legal" may be the "hot show right now," but "Cheers" is an "anchor" of his business, which draws in the masses, he said.

"Cheers is the A-list," he said. "It's a brand people love."

Read the Full Boston Globe Article

Proposal Pictures!

2008-04-08T16:08:00.003-05:00

Here at Boston Movie Tours, we love hearing your celeb stories and seeing your celeb photos. With the huge influx of films coming to Boston, we've gotten lots of stories and pics, and love sharing them here on this blog.

Most recently, an avid movie goer sent some photos from Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynold's The Proposal. Filming was done in the State Street Bank building last week. This week, the crew can be found in Newport.

Thanks and keep those pics coming.

NKOTB back at it again!

2008-04-04T11:47:00.004-05:00

Earlier in the year, I reported how excited I was when word got to me about a New Kids on the Block reunion tour. I received several responses to that post telling me this tour will never happen and it was all gossip. Well, I stuck to my Boston guns. I believed with all my heart, and do you know what? Dreams do come true. Not only will there be a WORLD TOUR in the fall, but NKOTB has been recording since August and the new album will be hitting the shelves later in the spring.

I hope everyone has learned a valuable lesson. If you believe with your whole heart that the New Kids will reunite, they just might.

Check out this video from the Today Show this morning. Notice that their fans, though significantly older than the traditional boy band, are still screaming for the guys at decibels only most dogs can hear.

Mall Cop at the Burlington Mall

2008-04-03T11:29:00.003-05:00

For the past several weeks, the Burlington Mall has regressed a few months and has re-decorated for the Christmas season. No, they aren't trying to boost sales.....the mall is actually the set for funny men Kevin James and producer Adam Sandler on their new movie, Mall Cop. The movie has also been filming on Centre Street in West Roxbury.

Our friends at the GNC cart in the Burlington Mall have sent Boston Movie Tours some great pictures of the Mall Cop set. Thanks to Chris Bynoe, and congratulations on your upcomming wedding!

Bullock meets Beantown!

2008-04-01T22:00:00.005-05:00

This week, the financial district will be handling a different kind of proposal. Miss Congeniality's Sandra Bullock and National Lampoon's Van Wilder's Ryan Reynolds hit Franklin Street this week on the new romantic comedy, The Proposal. Bullock stars as a Canadian woman whose visa is just about up. She attempts to lure her assistant (played by Reynolds) into proposing to her. Boston Herald reports that the crew will be filming on the fourth floor of the State Street Bank Building for the remainder of the week before moving up to Newport over the weekend. You can catch Ryan and Sandra in Newport until the end of April.

If you've got time, drop on by Franklin Street this week to say hi to Sandra and Ryan. Unless of course you are a high powered businesswoman from Canada looking for residency. My thoughts are he's already got his hands full with that.

Matthew Loves the Hub!

2008-03-28T11:32:00.004-05:00

It might be a little cold and wet these days, but not everyone sees that as a bad thing. The latest flick to come to Boston, The Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past, has brought with it the stunning Matthew McConaughey. Usually, when you see McConaughey, he is shirless on a beach somewhere, but Boston Herald reports that Matthew is digging the sweater weather. He says "It’s nice to be in a winter environment after three summers in a row. For his last few movies, such as current box office hit, Fool's Gold, the tanned hunk has been in the warm sun.

Make sure if you see him on the street you offer him a hug and maybe a nice warm hot chocolate. The hug will warm his soul, but in Boston, you can sure bet his fingertips will still be frozen!

Film makers just don't learn their lesson in Eastie

2008-03-18T12:16:00.004-05:00

Back in 1993, East Boston had a minor cinematic mishap when an oceanliner explosion blew out about 8,000 residential windows. The action thriller Blown Away caused quite a few problems out on the harbor and served as a lesson to all future films coming to the area: don't use the Harbor as your own personal soundstage.

Well, Martin Scorcese tried to live on the wild side while filming Ashecliffe, the film adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, Shutter Island.

Boston Herald reports that as per usual, the set was in lock-down mode, but there was some drama visible from the street. A pair of cranes hoisting a huge black screen over the water lost control of the in the wind yesterday.

One insider reports to the Herald “It took off like a kite and crashed into the back of the boat, damaging the American flag,” said our spy on the scene. “They decided it was too dangerous in the 30 knot winds, so they dismantled it.”

Another crisis averted. Well played, Marty.

The crew heads to a warehouse in Hyde Park for filming later this week. The production will be in the Boston area until June, so keep your eyes peeled and steer clear of any cranes!

Back, Baby, Back!

2008-03-14T13:20:00.003-05:00

One movie just wasn't enough. Like Pringles, once you pop, this Boston boy just can't stop.

Boston's own Ben Affleck is back and directing with his Gone Baby Gone partner in crime, Sean Bailey, (who co-produced Gone Baby Gone) to produce The Blade Itself for Miramax. Like Gone Baby Gone, The Blade Itself will be a film adaptation of a novel. Boston Herald reports that Somerville native Aaron Stockard, who co-wrote the Gone Baby Gone script with Ben, will adapt the screenplay. The movie will detailthe story of two Chicago childhood friends who commit petty crimes together before going their separate ways. Years down the road, each of the friends is forced to confront the crimes they committed years ago. Keep an eye out for this one...we are sure Ben and his team will make cinematic magic again!

Tom Hanks in the Hub tonight!

2008-03-07T08:39:00.006-05:00

Tonight, the rain won't stop Hollywood actor and now producer, Tom Hanks, from heading to the Hub. The HBO miniseries and hanks' newest directorial project, John Adams, is premiering tonight at the Boston Public Library. The miniseries, starring Paul Giamatti, is based on the writings of Martha's Vineyard native, David McCullough.

You would expect a piece on John Adams to be filmed right here in Massachusetts. Not the case. A few years ago before there was an official film office and an aggressive tax incentive, Virginia swooped in and grabbed the filming project. Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia stood in for many of the Massachusetts scenes.

The preview tonight will not be attended by Giamatti, but both Hanks and McCulough will be on hand.

According to the Boston Herald, being the history buff that he is, Hanks has requested a private tour of Faneuil Hall this afternoon! Keep your eyes peeled, and try not to ask him if his life is like a box o' chocolates........

John Adams is a 7- part miniseries which will premiere on HBO on Sunday, March 16.

Ashecliffe Filming Hits Tauton

2008-03-06T23:19:00.003-05:00

Martin Scorsese's long awaited Ashcliffe with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley is finally set to begin filming. Ashecliffe is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel Shutter Island.

According to the Boston Herald, the filmmakers have converted Whittenton Mills in Taunton into a concentration camp and filming is going on now.

Later this month, the abandoned Medfield State Hospital is slated for the backdrop of several hospital scenes. As of Tuesday, Boston Movie Tours confirmed some Ashecliffe activity in a remote part of Medfield. Pics coming on Friday.

21 Premieres in Boston!

2008-03-06T11:44:00.007-05:00

Monday night, Boston got to see the story of the 'MIT kids who took Vegas for millions' up on the big screen. Due out in theaters March 28th, Sony's 21 is the film adaptation of the book Bringing Down the House, by Harvard Grad Ben Mezrich .

Filmed at Boston University, the South Street Diner, and the Boston Convention Center in the Seaport District, the Boston influence is definitely present in this movie. The film boasts performances by Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth.

The flick's star, Jim Sturgess (also appearing in the current hit The Other Boleyn Girl), claims he had no idea what he was talking about in the movie. Boston Herald's Inside Track reports: “I was always more into words, history, English and drama - anything other than science and math,” the British cutie laughed. “But it does have a little more appeal to it now, yeah!”

Sturgess portrays Jeff Ma, who is banned for life from playing blackjack in any casino. Both Ma and Sturgess attended the pre-film festivities at the Four Seasons Hotel, the premiere at AMC Boston Common Theater, and the after party at hip club, Mantra.

Be sure to pick up the book and catch the movie this month!

Sources: Moviecritic.com

http://www.moviecritic.com.au/images/21-movie-poster-kevin-spacey-kate-bosworth.jpg

Boston Herald Inside Track

http://bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1077539

"Unhitched" premieres!

2008-02-29T08:52:00.005-05:00

This Sunday, Unhitched will premiere immediately after "Family Guy" on Fox . The show stars The Office's Rashida Jones and was produced by R.I. filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Set in Boston, Jones stars as a suddenly single divorce lawyer and den mother to her three suddenly single male best friends.

According to the Boston Herald, The Farrelly brothers filmed in the TD Banknorth Garden last April, where they shot one of Rashida’s bad dates: dating the Celtics' mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun.