Boston Stars Top the Box Office

Well, kinda. The box office results for this past weekend have the animated Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs at #1... making Bruce Willis' movie Surrogates the top-earner of (not-animated) films this weekend! Way to go Bruce!

As I've written before, Surrogates was shot in Boston and takes place in a futuristic Boston. The action was good and the premise was unique. It was short enough and had some great moments.

Former Cheers' star Kelsey Grammar came in third this weekend at the box office with his latest role as Mr. Martin Cranston in Fame.

And next in line at this weekend's box office payday is hometown superstar Matt Damon and his movie The Informant.

Personally, I'm thrilled about the movies lined up for release this coming Friday. Inventions of Lying (filmed in Boston) is coming out. And I haven't been interested in a zombie movie since Shaun of the Dead, but Zombieland looks like an American-style version of it so I'll be checking it out. And I'll probably have to see Michael Moore's Capitalism:A Love Story, because I can't only watch comedies... though he does make me laugh. So it's a great time to go to the movies, soon it'll be holiday movie season and let's be honest, just like holiday music, they're the same every year.

Bruce is Surro-Great!

Maybe a stretch... but the movie has its moments. I was able to attend an advanced screening to the new Bruce Willis flick Surrogates this past Wednesday night at the Boston Common 19 Movie Theatre. It's always cool seeing a city you walk around in everyday on the big screen, though our Boston is certainly different than the one in the movie.

The movie follows the futuristic story of a Boston FBI Agent called Greer (Willis) as he unravels a deadly plot aimed at killing most of the world's population. The movie has a softer side as our protagonist also unravels a love story between himself and his distant wife played perfectly by the beautiful Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day). Also turning in a well-acted performance is Greer's partner Peters, actress Radha Mitchell.

Surrogates shows us an interpretation of the future that is very alienating. Director Jonathan Mostow puts the audience on edge with moments that are over-the-top ridiculously improbable, but contrasts them with seemingly genuine every-future-day beats that make you feel as though the world might go down a similar path.

Anyway, anything to get Ving Rhames and Bruce Willis in some more scenes together! Right?! Their combined presence is a kind of "movie force" that audience members like myself really enjoy. And also in the movie we are introduced to a character that the audience is supposed to relate to, Bobby. He provides some great comic relief and absolutely stole every scene he was in. And I knew when I saw him that I'd seen him before; its actor Devin Ratray and Home Alone fans will know him as Buzz! That's right, Macaulay Culkin's tarantula loving older brother was easily my favorite part of this movie.

The set in Boston movie was also a shot in Boston movie so hopefully we'll be showing off more of Surrogates on our future tours!

Boston's The Surrogates Hitting Theaters

I was watching the Patriots game the other night and noticed a futuristic Boston in a movie trailer. The Surrogates with Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell is hitting theaters September 25th.

A futuristic Boston is the backdrop as FBI agents investigate a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves. I am still not sure exactly what that means but I’m a big Willis fan so I look forward to seeing the flick.

I also look forward to seeing how the filmmakers used CGI to bring Boston into the future. We have seen plenty of movies that show an older Boston (Amistad) but none that highlight the city looking forward. Maybe city architects will get some ideas.

Two for 1 Tickets

If you are interested in saving some dough, I came across a 2-for-1 promopromo Fandango is running if you use a Visa Signature card. Here’s the link.

Surrogates Trailer Released

The trailer for the Boston-made movie The Surrogates, with Bruce Willis has finally been released. As of right now the release date is still September 25th. As previously reported filming took place in the Seaport District, Worcester including the Old Worcester Courthouse, and in the Back Bay area. Having gone a whole year without any Bruce Willis action movies, I think we the American people are overdue.

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?

The Surrogates Hits Seaport Area

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.

Bruce Willis' The Surrogates Coming to Boston

Bruce Willis will be heading to Boston to begin shooting The Surrogates in February of 2008 according to Variety. The Disney a sci-fi thriller story is set in the near future where humans interact with one another through surrogate robots. Willis is set to play a cop who tracks down a murderer.

This is not Willis' first time in Beantown filming. He actually made a camero as a courtroom extra in a Paul Newman legal drama back in the early 80s. If you guessed The Verdict, you would be correct. The next time you see The Verdict on A&E, watch for Willis in the background of the courtroom scenes.He had hair back then.