Confession: Despite knowing almost no Kevin Bacon movies, I’m one of those people who loves to play 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. You’re about to witness the train wreck that is my making-movie-connections. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So, Boston is all over the Oscars this year. Love it! We can talk later about the effectiveness of film tax credits, but I cheered when my hometown was pictured in 2009′s “Shutter Island.” (…as a concentration camp. I love my hometown, but I wouldn’t call it idyllic.) I will admit that it’s cool to see familiar places on the screen. In a year that has Boston in a number of nominees, I’m challenging myself to a Six Degrees Duel! (with… myself. And probably in under 6 degrees, since Hollywood is a little incestuous.)
Can I find a reasonable connection between Boston and each of the 10 Best Picture nominees? Here we go.
1. 127 Hours: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. Starring James Franco… this year’s Oscars host and 2009′s Hasty Pudding Man of the Year! Check.
2. Black Swan: Good lord, this movie gave me nightmares. I don’t care how campy some people think it is, I’m still terrified. But in case you haven’t seen it… A ballet dancer wins the lead in “Swan Lake” and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odette’s evil sister, Odile, the Black Swan. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman… both Harvard alum! Check.
3. The Fighter: There’s no way you live in Boston and don’t have an idea of the plot here. But in case you live in a cave or a foreign country… A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s. I can’t even watch the trailer to this without cracking up. First, say “Ward.” Then, call up someone not from Boston and ask them to say it. Then realize that you’re missing a letter. Next, start shouting, “Break his hand, he’s a fight-ah!” But… I digress. Dorchester’s own Mark Wahlberg, Cambridge’s Erica McDermott, Conan O’Brien’s sister Katie… this film sweats Boston. Check.
4. Inception: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. Alright, I know I’m relying heavily on Harvard here, which is TECHNICALLY in Cambridge. But since they own a whole bunch of land in Allston, I’m letting it slide. PLUS, best link ever, Inception stars Ellen Page, who was in the made-for-TV movie Homeless to Harvard. Which, miraculously, was filmed entirely in Nova Scotia… but I make the rules and I say it counts. Check!
5. The Kids Are All Right: Two children conceived by artificial insemination bring their birth father into their family life. I loved this movie SO much, but it drove me nuts how everyone seemed to refer to it as “the lesbian movie.” (Don’t even get me started on how I think Best Actor/Best Actress is an anachronism.) Great news though — this is an easy one, and doesn’t even require me to pull the ol’ Harvard trick (though I could!) — Julianne Moore did time at BU and developed a relatively entertaining Boston accent. Check!
6. The King’s Speech: The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. You think I can’t do it, right? That I can’t link what appears to be an all-British movie to our little hamlet here in the new world? Even the American charcter (Wallis Simpson) was played by a Brit! Well maybe you haven’t heard of a fellow named Paul Brett, the movie’s executive producer. Sure, he’s British, too. But he got a “special thanks” in the credits of the movie Conviction, which was filmed in…. Michigan. But it’s about Massachusetts and has an actress playing then-District Attorney Martha Coakley, so I’m calling it for Beantown. Check!
7. The Social Network: A chronicle of the founding of Facebook, the social-networking Web site. This one’s too easy. Zuckerberg, Harvard. Filming locations include Boston, MA. Opening scene mocks BU kids. Try harder, Oscars. Check.
8. Toy Story 3: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it’s up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren’t abandoned and to return home. No, I’m not going to suggest that little Andy is headed off to Harvard. (Though he could be!) I’m looking at you, Hamm: voiced by John Ratzenberger, the only cast member of Cheers ever to have lived in Boston — in the old Combat Zone, no less! Check!
9. True Grit: A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father’s murderer. Matt Damon is in it. Isn’t he, like, an official spokesperson for the city? If it’s between him and Affleck, I’m choosing Damon. Sorry, townies/toonies. Check.
10. Winter’s Bone: An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. Writer/director Debra Granik grew up in Cambridge. Not to mention she went to school at Brandeis which, while not in Boston, is where the Celtics’ practice facility is, which makes them Boston-by-association. Waltham realtors, feel free to use that when advertising on Craigslist. Check!
Can you link all Best Actor nominees to the city? Maybe Best Documentary? Best Original Screenplay?
Which Boston-linked movie (read: all of them) was your favorite?
