Posts Tagged ‘Lowell’

Finally, after weeks of discussion, it is official: Lowell will host a premiere showing of The Fighter, the highly anticipated Micky Ward film!

As announced by the Lowell Sun on November 25, the advanced showing of the flick will take place on Thursday, Dec. 9, one day before the movie hits the big screens across the nation. The event is to be held at Showcase Cinemas at 7:30 p.m., with a reception beforehand at the Courtyard by Marriott from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Thanks to the Lowell Film Collaborative, the city of Lowell hosted the Disposable Film Festival (DFF) for the first time on October 19 at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center Theater.  The third stop on its East Coast tour, DFF started in San Francisco and “celebrates the artistic potential of disposable video,” meaning media made from cell phones, web cams, digital and still cameras, and one-time-use digital video cameras.  The festival travels across North America and was started with the intention of providing an outlet for filmmakers with visions that don’t necessarily fit onto 35mm film or high end digital cameras.

As part of their Best of the Fest program, DFF showed their Grand Prize winner Lucia by Cristobal Leon, Niles Atallah and Joaquin Cocina, My Fantastic Movie by Daniel Eskils, Hair and Diamonds by Christopher McManus and Orson Whales by Alex Itin among others.  There was also a Q&A following the event with local filmmakers who answered questions about disposable filmmaking.  One of these filmmakers included Jim Higgins, a Lowell resident who specializes in making stop motion short films.  Higgins works with the Cambodian community, who have a huge presence in Lowell and who are already making “disposable films.”  Submission for the 2011 Disposable Film Festival is now open.

In addition to bringing more exposure to those using disposable film, the Lowell FIlm Collaborative hoped this event would generate enough excitement to launch the Merrimack Valley’s own version of DFF in fall 2011.  Lowell Film Collaborative Co-founder Brett Cromwell insists that the Merrimack Valley is the perfect place to host such an event.  “With so many creative people and a thriving student population in the area, we’re certain this sort of filmmaking is already happening.  All we need to do is generate interest and give the community the chance to share their talents.  I envision Lowell being a permanent home to an annual, regional Tiny Technology Film Fest.”  In fact, Suzzanne and Brett Cromwell’s main reason for bringing DFF to Lowell was to bring overall awareness to the film and arts community in Lowell because although there is a big visual arts presence in the city, there are still not enough outlets for filmmakers.

Up next for the Lowell Film Collaborative is a partnership with the Arts League of Lowell.  Together, they will showcase a series of films that include Lost in La Mancha and Who Does She Think She Is.  The Lowell Film Collaborative is also reaching out to a lot of different ethnic and age groups in order to use film to bridge the gap in the community.  They are working with the large Cambodian community in Lowell, which is the second largest in the US, to connect with them through visual arts.

To get involved and learn more about the Lowell Film Collaborative, make sure to check out their site. Details on DFF and examples of “disposable film” can be found at the Disposable Film Festival site.  To keep up with all of the festivals in New England, check out our festivals page.

★ Knight And Day crews wrap up filming at the build crew site in Woburn this week. Then it’s off to Europe to continue filming. Check out Tom Cruise during his final days of filming in Hollywood East after spending a weekend around Boston with Katie Holmes.

★ Comics Come Home in Boston raises money for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer and featured Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke, among others.

★ Cameron Diaz professes her love for Boston.

★ The Boston Jewish Film Festival coasts through the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston.

★ The Food Network’s Guy Fieri launches his roadshow in Lowell on November 17.

★ The Social Network turns Philips Academy in Andover into a winter wonderland.

★ Actor James Woods returns to his childhood home state of Rhode Island for a lawsuit he brought against the hospital where his brother died.

The fall movie season is ramping up, and the next month contains not one but two star-studded, filmed-in-Boston flicks ready to thrill you, or tickle your funny bone.

First up, Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, and Rosamund Pike; this futuristic, sci-fi thriller follows the story of a cop (Willis) who must leave his home after years in isolation in order to investigate the murders of surrogate robots through which humans are able to interact. This 2008 production happened all over Boston and beyond, with other towns including Hopedale, Lawrence, Lynn, Wayland, and Woburn, Massachusetts all playing host to scenes in the film. Other areas included the old Paul Dever School in Taunton, the former Worcester courthouse in Worcester. Boston’s South End and South Street in the Leather District were also used during filming. The Human Scale office at 179 South Street was transformed into a futuristic robot salon where Willis shot scenes in July of ’08. Surrogates will be in theaters September 25.

The Invention of Lying, starring Jennifer Garner, Rob Low, Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest, Jeffrey Tambor, and the incredibly talented Tina Fey will be sure to please those in search of a snicker on October 2. The playful film takes place in a world where no one has ever lied before, until a writer devises the mechanics for his own purposes. Also filmed in 2008, production took the stars all over Boston, Lowell, Quincy, and North Andover.

Wednesday morning at the Charles River Plaza Whole Foods on Cambridge Street in Boston, Christian Bale was spotted with wife Sibi Blazic, the sometimes celebrity assistant. The star, who appeared thin to onlookers, satisfied his visual appetite atleast by admiring the store’s display cases, while his wife got herself a hot beverage from the speciality counter. The happy couple continued to shop and look around the store for awhile before moving on their way. Bale is currently in the Boston area shooting scenes for The Fighter, a true story about boxer Micky Ward during the early days of his career in Lowell, MA. The film costars Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams, and is set to be released in 2011. In addition to being set and filmed in the greater Boston area, the film has made good use of local talent, as casting calls for extras have been regularly held throughout the summer.

Bale and Blazic married in 2000, and have one child together, Emmaline, who was born in 2005.

Showbiz phenomenon, Ed McMahon died this morning at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his family. McMahon was 86 and is a Lowell, Mass. native. His publicist Howard Bragman told the Associated Press that the entertainer had a “multitude of health problems the last few months.”

The former “Tonight Show” host is best known as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on the late-night show and his catchphrase, “Heeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!” He also hosted “Star Search” and “TV Bloopers And Practical Jokes” with Dick Clark. He attended high school in Lowell, MA, studied at Emerson College in Boston, and worked at Lowell’s WLLH prior to a long career in television.

Watch this recent video of Ed offering some financial advice to others:

The Residence Inn in Tewksbury has been playing host to the advance crew for the soon-to-be filming flick, The Fighter, starring none other than the Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale. The movie co-stars Boston’s own Mark Wahlberg as “Irish” Mickey Ward fighter and his journey to the world lightweight championship, and his relationship with his half-brother Dicky Eklund, another fighter, played by Bale. Actress Melissa Leo will play the pair’s mother. Filming is taking place through the summer in and around the Lowell area, as Wahlberg and Bale were spotted earlier this month touring possible filming locations. Bale was actually guided around town by the real-life Dicky Eklund, and the two were reportedly spotted shadow boxing around the streets in the Highlands section of Lowell. Director David O. Russell of the HBO documentary High on Crack Street, Rich Farrell, producer of Lost Lives in Lowell, and other crew members were also on hand for the tour, making stops at various locations around town, including homes on Wilder, Smith, Westford and Shaw streets, as well as Ramos Package Store on Branch Street. Actual filming should commence this July.