How to make Ben Affleck's life a bit more miserable

By adamg on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:31pm

Not everybody in the North End is thrilled to bits that Affleck's "The Town" will take over pieces of the North End for filming next month (hey, they're closing the entire Charlestown Bridge during daylight on both 10/3 and 10/4). La Diaba begins to ponder her own personal protest when the crews take over her street:

I'm not saying I want to ruin their shoot, just make their digital erasing guys pull down some very expensive overtime hours in post. Any ideas?

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Ben Affleck

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Comments

TP your own house. Duh.

By anon on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:41pm.

TP your own house. Duh.

Have you read Midnight in

By Meghann on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 1:03pm.

Have you read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? That should answer your question.

why would you want to mess up the shoot?

By huh? on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 1:36pm.

i'm sorry, does the city / state NOT need the money that its getting from all the movies around town, right now?

doesn't the neighborhood your in have places where people who work or at least come down to people watch might want to eat or drink something?

pay for parking?

hey, if you don't need their money, we could use it in Allston. some stupid college dug a huge hole in our neighborhood and now won't bother filling it in.

the great tax lie

By Brett on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 2:34pm.

i'm sorry, does the city / state NOT need the money that its getting from all the movies around town, right now?

I biked by the "base camp" for the Zookeeper recently; they're over by Maggianos. Every single truck and van had out-of state plates. The vans were predominantly from NY; the larger vehicles (semis etc) were all from California. Several blocks of metered parking had been roped off for their vehicles.

There was a 3-truck convoy from a catering company that took up an entire block. The sides of the vehicles proudly proclaimed that they were based in California. Do you think they've got MA residents working in those minimum-wage jobs? Do you think they're even "employees"?

Now, the state is also giving them a giant tax break- so what little they DO pay in taxes, someone is kindly lopping off a big chunk of. Meanwhile, Hollywood has the art of creating expenses to exactly match costs down to a science so that on paper, they don't technically make a profit on anything, and thus no taxes. Zookeeper Productions Inc. probably isn't even incorporated in this country.

So, take that line about "we're getting lots of tax income from this!" and stuff it. Plus, if you think anyone is more likely to visit Boston because of a summer crapfest movie like "The Zookeeper", you're clinically insane.

Now, factor in the costs of all the extra city services and the inconveniences to everyone (for example, when that bridge is being shut down for two days) to local businesses (which the state gets taxes from) and you realize that this bullshit really is just a bunch of bullshit. Hollywood can go fuck itself all the way back to Vancouver, for all I care.

Closing the Charlestown Bridge for two days ?!

By Ron Newman on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 2:21pm.

Who the hell granted this permit? If this bridge is closed, the only way to get between Charlestown and the rest of Boston is to WALK across the Charles River Dam!.

A large number of buses use this bridge as well, most notably the 111 to Chelsea. And there's a Bruins game at the Garden on Saturday 10/3.