Coming Together on Common Ground

Since my sit down with Jeff Kelly, I have really been stuck on this one idea that, despite all the various kinds of people and different cultural backgrounds that make up Boston, movies have really focused mainly on the Irish in Charlestown. It's baffling. There's so much history and culture that has yet to be captured on film and to me, that's a problem. As a result, I challenged myself to look for ways to make movies based off of the different regions of Boston: The North End, Chinatown, Jamaica Plains, etc.My best attempts to find a good plot worth making a movie out of ended up being a lot tougher than I imagined. It was right as I was about to give up (call it a cliche I don't care) that I found a book under my bed that answered everything. I had to read it last semester for one of my English classes and, even though it does get into the history of Charlestown, it focuses on a very big piece of Boston history surrounding the Civil Rights movement: J. Anthony Lukas' Common Ground.

Common Ground was published in 1985 and looks at race, civil rights, and segregation in Boston through the introduction of desegregated busing in Boston the 60's and the 70's. The entire book follows the lives of three different families with three different views on busing: the Irish McGoff family in Charlestown, the African-American Twymons, and the Yankee Divers.

Yes, the story still does involve the Irish and Charlestown, but there is a critical focus on how Charlestown had come to be. Most stories about Charlestown focus on current life in "The Town". A Common Ground movie would be more focused on the why. Also, it brings in other cultures and their history in Boston with the middle to upper class Irish (the Divers) and the lower class African Americans (Twymons). With so much of a focus on segregation and the Civil Rights movement, this movie is guaranteed to not be leaning heavily in favor of Charlestown.

As I mentioned before when I discussed the making of a Boston Strong movie, there should not be any kind of big name cast in a movie like this. To bring recognizable and well-known actors into a project like this makes for a huge risk because then the viewer has the ability to leach onto one actor and then focus on one of the three families over the other. Much like the brothers who could not over shadow the firefighters and police officers for Boston Strong: The Movie, no one family can over shadow the others for the sake of depicting three equal perspectives on busing in Boston.

There's one final thing that I think gives Common Ground the potential to be a great movie: the fact that it is both true and, historically speaking, recent. Many of the people that Lukas wrote about are still alive. To me, that is a big opportunity to provide credibility and a sense of reality to the movie. However, it has the risk of losing the viewer if they watch first-hand interviews or anything of that sort. I think the actual movie should have some real flash back clips of Boston during this time, but I think it would be neat to incorporate the people that are still alive much in the same way that Schindler's List had done. The actor/actress was paired up with the actual Holocaust survivor that they were portraying in the movie. I think some sort of recognition and visual of the actual person and what they are currently doing (much in the same way that Lukas concludes the book with) would be a great way to end the movie.

So, there's my idea. I can now officially say that if anyone tries to go for it, I can take some credit. It's a shame that Lukas has passed away and will therefore make this a much more difficult book to convert into a movie. It would definitely be worth it though. Why? Because I am absolutely positive that it can make a big impact on people looking for both Civil Rights history as well as the background on more than just the Irish part of Boston.

Boston Strong: The Movie

Make no mistake, we are coming off of a big piece of Boston history that we will all remember and pass down onto the next generations. It is not a question of whether we should or shouldn’t; WE MUST. We must pass along the stories about what it means to be Boston Strong to inspire strength, courage, and community. For that reason, it is essential that a movie is made in regards to the Boston Marathon bombing and not just anyone can do it either. I’M TALKING TO YOU AFFLECK!

As you may know and/or as I have talked about on this very blog, Ben Affleck is the best of the best when it comes to depicting and illustrating the heart of Boston. If anyone was going to be able to pull off showing the true spirit of Boston in a movie, it would be him. It would then allow him to cast his same group of actors in roles that highlight the true heroes of the past few weeks: firefighters, policemen, etc. The main characters would have to be those who fought so bravely to protect and save the people of Boston because those are the heroes who inspire hope, strength, and courage; people like the marathon runners who went to the medical tent to offer assistance or Joe Andruzzi, the former New England Patriot with strong ties to Boston's police and firefighters, who was allowed to give a speech at the NFL Draft holding a Patriots jersey with the number 617 and the name “BOSTON STRONG” along the top. More importantly, he too was helping in carrying people away from the scene on Marathon Monday.

On that note, the brothers should not be played by anyone particular. As I mentioned above, it isn’t about the brothers who caused this mess. To focus on them and give them some sort of notoriety by letting an A-list celebrity take that role would do nothing but overshadow the true heroes that we attempt to honor.

One of the most important things about the events of these past few weeks has been watching all different kinds of people come together. Sweet Caroline was played over the intercom at Yankees Stadium and performed live at Fenway by Neil Diamond himself. Fundraisers and foundations were established almost overnight and David Ortiz gets away with saying that “This is our f*cking city!”. It has been absolutely amazing to see people come together at a time like this. That is something that we must encourage, celebrate, and remember, which is what a movie could accomplish.

The entire reason for making this movie is to reflect on the strength of a community in absolute times of devastation. Clips of the actual events combined with a story involving the courage and bravery of those who were affected first hand are guaranteed to make a great movie, but I don’t mean great in a box office sense. In the end, movies are supposed to tell a story. If a movie can capture what it means to be “Boston Strong” into two hours of film, then we can reach out to everyone and let them  know that no matter how difficult times can be and no matter how much adversity you must face, a strong mind and an even stronger heart can get you through anything.

The War of the Whiteys

It's time now to discuss something that this particular blog has been very eager to report on; something that involves a very significant piece of Boston history: A Whitey Bulger movie. Recently, I have been reporting a potential casting where Johnny Depp plays the Boston mobster in a Ben Affleck-directed movie. Well, it turns out that THAT ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN. Reports came out in February that Johnny Depp will play Whitey Bulger, but the movie (still entitled Black Mass) will be directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man). The movie is reported to be based off of the best-selling book by the Boston Globe’s Gerard O’Neil and Dick Lehr entitled "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob,". Don’t fret just yet Affleck fans, because Ben Affleck is still set to make a Whitey Bulger bio-pic with Matt Damon taking the lead. It looks like, after looking into who was going to make the better Whitey Bulger, we’re going to be able to see both Depp and Damon duke it out in a “war of the Whiteys”. Unfortunately, now that Depp is connected to a different project than Affleck and Damon, I’m sad to say that Black Mass will not be able to stand a chance against the Whitey Bulger bio-pic.

When it comes to Black Mass, there is a quality group coming together to make the movie led by Barry Levinson, who has also produced Donnie Brasco, and Johnny Depp. Depp has been able to successfully play a gangster in the past both in Public Enemy and as Joe Pistone in Donnie Brasco. The Depp/Levinson team will be sure to reunite and make a quality film based off of a quality book, but they are still trying to swim up “Affleck/Damon Creek” without a paddle.

For fast food, it’s McDonalds. For coffee, it’s Dunkin Donuts. When it comes to Boston movies, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon the best in the business. The two of them have been involved in a large variety of acclaimed Boston movies from Gone Baby Gone (Affleck’s first directing attempt) to The Town. This team knows exactly how to capture the heart of Boston in a camera. As a result, it makes it very difficult to bet against the bio-pic when it comes to a “War of the Whiteys”.

As a director, Ben Affleck knows how to capture Boston, plain and simple. This has given him a reputation as well as all the right connections to all the right actors. Affleck and Damon have been associated with unbelievable talent for his movies such Jeremy Renner (The Town), Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), and Jack Nicholson (The Departed). They have a long list of some of the finest actors in Hollywood that would be quick to jump on another opportunity to make some money as a supporting role in an Affleck/Damon movie. As a result, the well ends up running dry on Levinson as he looks for quality actors that can help boost the appeal of Black Mass while also capturing the soul of Boston.

It will also be interesting to see the literal head-to-head between Damon, a Boston native who has previously taken a role involving the Boston Mafia (The Departed) and Depp, who may still be good at impersonations, but he has yet to take on any project that involves him and the city of Boston. On paper, Damon has the clear advantage basing most of his work on this North Shore genre. If I was to give anything to Depp, it is that he is known to be a very talented actor who can play a variety of characters. Depp has been able to go from the outlandish and energetic Willy Wonka to a quiet and reserved Edward Scissorhands back to the cunning yet questionable Captain Jack Sparrow with ease. It would not surprise me in the least bit if Depp was able to pull off becoming a Boston gangster. However, it has yet to be seen and, therefore, I am still forced to give Matt Damon the edge based on certainty.

There is one final piece, the one straw that broke the camel’s back (if you will), that pushes the edge completely in favor of Affleck and Damon: the book, Black Mass. Levinson has put himself under the microscope by trying to base his movie off of a best-selling book. He is now forced to stick to the story of the book and if he steers away from the story even slightly, then the entire project will become scrutinized. It’s a more intense sense of pressure that Affleck doesn’t have because his project is not based off of any books. He has the creative license to make up his own story revolving around Whitey Bulger. With all these different factors, how can you not say that Affleck and Damon won’t come out on top in this Battle of the Bulge…ers.