2014 proved a fruitful year for the Boston movie business. Several films were shot in and around the Hub due to the beautiful scenery, interesting people and, perhaps most importantly, generous tax breaks. Some of you may have seen celebrities strolling around town. If not, you’ll soon be able to catch them on the silver screen.
Shot partially in Devens, Mass., this film stars funny man Jason Sudeikis and was written and directed by Sean Mewshaw. According to IMDB, it’s about “A young woman struggles to move on with her life after the death of her husband, an acclaimed folk singer, when a brash New York writer forces her to confront her loss and the ambiguous circumstances of his death.”
Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey was joined by co-stars Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe in Foxboro, Mass. for this one. According to Deadline it’s about a man who travels to a dense forest at the base of Mount Fuji where people often go to commit suicide. There he encounters a person trying to do just that and the two engage on a journey to find themselves.
Johnny Depp was the talk of the town when he was spotted dressed up as notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. This film based on local events chronicles the coming to power of Bulger, the havoc he wreaked on the city, and his controversial relationship with the FBI.
Everyone’s favorite trash talking teddy bear is back for a sequel. Starring Mark Walhberg and the voice of Seth MacFarlane, it was reported that cameos for this one includes Tom Brady, Morgan Freeman and a few BostInno personnel. Scenes were also shot on the North Shore up in Ipswich, Mass.
Cambridge’s own Matt Damon returned to the Boston area to take up the role of a “ne’er-do-well” plumber living in Boston who must return to his titular hometown after his brother dies. Keep an eye out for a plot twist, though, for Damon’s character is supposedly hiding a “secret tragedy in his past” that’s sure to manifest itself in some form or another.
Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber and more descended upon Boston to shoot the story of the Catholic Church’s sex scandal, uncovered in 2001 by Pulitzer Prize winning Boston Globe investigators. Filming took place throughout the city as well as at the Globe‘s office headquarters straddling the line between South Boston and Dorchester.
