The Departed

Last night, three friends and I saw a movie filmed in Boston about Boston mobsters ("The Departed"), in a Downtown Boston theatre, making for an interesting phenomenon. Since it was Friday night, the theatre was packed to the rafters so my pals and I couldn't sit together. I ended up using the stand-alone seat next to the handicapped space up front, allowing an unfamiliar freedom, meaning I could fidget as much as I wanted, plus cross and uncross my legs without fear of annoying anyone.

But the most interesting part was that I was sitting in front of a row of young black women who kept up a running commentary during the movie. Normally I hate it when people talk, but these women were saying exactly what my inner voice was saying: "Oh, watch out, boy!" "Girl, you're crazy!", "Sheeeeeeiiiiiiiit!" A steady rumble of disapproval could be heard when a main character told yet another lie.
Unfortunately, the women also laughed out loud at all the wrong parts of the movie. Every time somebody was shot, they'd hoot -- and being a Scorsese movie, there was plenty of violence).

As an aside: the picture above was taken just a block or two from where I work in South Boston, and you'll note the city skyline in the background. Like "Mystic River," this movie showed a Boston that felt real and very, very seedy. And for my money, this is the best movie Leonardo DiCaprio's done in a long, long time. Two thumbs up!