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!