Holiday Scoreboard!

We haven't done a Scoreboard posting in a while, so lets do that before we review "The Fighter" and "Locked In" later this week.

We've recently decided to add a "Boston Documentary" category. If they seem to score higher than their fictional counterparts... just remember, we have a lot of PBS fans around here.

Here are the latest rankings. As always, we grade on a curve:

BOSTON MADE MOVIES

A..... The Departed

A..... Jaws

A-.... A Civil Action

A-.... The Friends of Eddie Coyle

A-.... Gone Baby Gone

A-.... Good Will Hunting

A-.... Shutter Island

B+.... Black Irish

B+.... Mystic River

B+.... School Ties

B...... Blown Away

B...... The Boondock Saints

B...... Edge of Darkness

B...... Love Story

B...... Monument Ave

B...... The Thomas Crown Affair

B-..... 21

B-..... The Invention of Lying

B-.... The Proposal

C+.... Surrogates

C...... The Bostonians

C...... The Maiden Heist

C...... Paul Blart: Mall Cop

C-..... Alex & Emma

C-..... The Box

C-..... Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past

C-..... What's The Worst That Could Happen

D+.... Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

D+.... My Best Friend's Girl

D...... What Doesn't Kill You

D-..... Bride Wars

D-..... Furry Vengeance

D-..... The Women

F....... The Pink Panther 2

"DEFINITELY NOT MADE IN BOSTON" BOSTON MOVIES

(you cheap bastards!)

B-.... Daisy Kenyon

B-.... Practical Magic

D-.... Knowing

BOSTON DOCUMENTARIES

A-.... Standard Operating Procedure

B...... High On Crack Street

B...... Overnight

(click the links on the sidebar for our reviews of each film)

The Golden Globes and The State of Massachusett

The Golden Globe nominees were announced yesterday, and several Boston movies had a strong showing. They include multiple nominees for "The Fighter", "The Social Network", and "The Town".

If the Golden Globes serve as major clues to whom might receive Oscars, this is a very good sign. In fact, Boston movies might actually win more Academy Awards than Razzie Awards this season.

So things are looking up for film in New England, right? Wrong. With the threat to the film tax credit back in March, and the recent ousting of Nick Paleologos from the Mass Film Office, we had a terrible year. Other than some small, small budget indie flicks, there was 1 major movie shot here in 2010. That's it. Just 1. It was a rom-com starring Anna Farris... probably not awards material.

The Boston Globe did a nice job recapping the trouble with our state government and the film office in this article. The Boston P.A., and all the other out-of-work crew members are glad that the Globe took this stance. We need to bring the film jobs back to Massachusetts.

Movie Review: High On Crack Street (1995)

In anticipation of tomorrow's release of "The Fighter", it's as good a time as ever to discuss crackheads in Lowell.

In "The Fighter", you'll see Christian Bale playing former boxer Dicky Eklund -- who not-so-coincidentally is the real life star of the HBO documentary, "High On Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell." Dumb movie title, yes. Dumb movie? Absolutely not.

This documentary takes us into the actual crack houses. I watched it with a friend from Lowell, who kept commenting, "I know that street. I know that corner." Oh, nostalgia. The film follows Dicky and two other crack addicts as they try to break the habit. It's compelling, and heartbreaking, and probably way more effective than D.A.R.E.

Filmmakers Maryann DeLeo and Richard Farrall called on the talents of Emerson College professors and interns to film this footage. Image the permission slip on that field trip!

"I, _____, release Emerson College from all liability in the event that I get murdered in a crack den during the filming of this production. In perpetuity, in all medium, worldwide."

"High On Crack Street" is pretty interesting, if you can get your hands on a copy.

Final Score = B