Shipping Up to Boston
Plus, a podcast episode about the inimitable M. Night Shyamalan and his new movie!
What is it about Boston, Massachusetts that has made the city one of the most represented in movies? Is it the American history, the talent that has come from the area, or is it simply just the accent? While the iconic accent does help, a bevy of movie stars have emerged from the Boston area over the last few decades: Matt Damon, Ben and Casey Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Evans, John Krasinski, and many more.
This has led to some beloved movies, many that we have recommended on this newsletter before (see below!). With the latest Boston-set production, heist comedy The Instigators starring Damon and Casey Affleck, hitting Apple TV+ today, we decided to recommend a couple Boston movies we haven’t written about before. Grab your Red Sox (sorry, Red Sawx) hat and practice dropping the “r” off your words, because we’re headed to Beantown.
Drew recommends…
Patriots Day
There’s often good reason to be skeptical of movies based on real-life events coming out so soon after they happen. In order to tell an interesting and satisfying story, movies typically need distance and perspective on what happened, and too often Hollywood rushes to make a buck on recent events. With this in mind, I was certainly giving Patriots Day – the 2016 action thriller depicting the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and ensuing manhunt – the side-eye before I even watched it.
However, I was surprised to find tense and gripping filmmaking punctuated by an uplifting spirit in honor of a city torn apart by senseless violence during their historic and celebrated race. Director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor) strikes a nice balance between hokey sentiment and hard-earned “Boston Strong” emotion. And, unlike many action thrillers coming on the heels of a recent tragedy, Patriots Day doesn’t feel (to me, anyway) insensitive or exploitative to the victims. Yes, there’s a riveting, classically entertaining shootout in the middle of the movie, but much of the runtime is focused on those affected by the events of that day and the men and women devoted to hunting down the perpetrators.
The only major misstep is the addition of Mark Wahlberg’s fictional main character, Boston Police Department Sergeant Tommy Saunders, who is not much more than a collection of Boston tough-guy cliches. (Even his name is straight out of a bin of generic Boston character names!) While it may be strange to recommend a movie that’s glaring weakness is its lead character, fortunately the rest of the cast (Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, and Michelle Monaghan) is filled with sturdy actors mostly based on real people. I’m still skeptical of entertainment based on recent tragedies, but Patriots Day stands out by dedicating itself to a fairly accurate depiction of its events and to the Bostonians that lived through it.
Streaming on Netflix
Billy recommends…
American Fiction
A comedy winning an Oscar is not something that is on the bingo card very often when trying to figure out your predictions. American Fiction came on hot at festivals last year as a vehicle for Jeffrey Wright to get some awards recognition that had avoided him during his illustrious career. But as more people began to see the movie as a result of the hype, Cord Jefferson became an even more notable figure during awards season, eventually taking home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
American Fiction has so much more before I begin to think about it as a Boston movie. Mainly because our main character Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright) is adverse to that whole region and only goes back to Boston because he was put on administrative leave from the university he worked at in LA. Upon return Monk notices a new template needed to be a successful writer: Lean into the stereotypes and a broader crowd will come. This shift in perspective leads him to create a persona for his next book. Written under the fake name “Stagg R. Leigh” and the success comes fairly quickly!
Creating an identity crisis for the rest of the movie forcing confrontation in Monk’s sibling relationships, dating life, and the place he used to call home. While the comedy in this movie is laugh-out-loud funny at times, what stands out are the intimate moments that Monk weaves in and out of, facing truths and hurt he has avoided for so long. Time away from a hometown and a return to it has the power to confront things that have been avoided. Making American Fiction one of the sweeter Boston movies around. A city known for its rough nature is completely stripped of its hardened reputation here and that is American Fiction’s largest strength. It softens what we think can’t be softened.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
From the DYLA Archive
DYLA Podcast
This week on the podcast it was all about one of our biggest brand name directors: the one and only M. Night Shyamalan. We discuss his winding and fascinating career path before doing a non-spoiler review of Trap, his new thriller starring Josh Hartnett.
Apple Podcasts:
Spotify:
Links
Just in time for the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, director Jason Reitman’s new movie Saturday Night, which depicts the chaotic behind-the-scenes of the very first SNL taping in 1975, has got a trailer. Look for this one in theaters on October 11th.
Trap star Josh Hartnett is having something of a resurgence, so check out Vanity Fair’s video of the actor discussing his best career roles, from The Virgin Suicides to Oppenheimer.