Around Town

Discussion About a Possible Re-Trial of the Boston Marathon Bomber at the Library

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The public is invited to a lecture and discussion called “New Thoughts On The Boston Marathon Bombing.” The author of a new book that examines a possible re-trial of the Boston Marathon Bomber as his likely appeal on the horizon. Organizers sent out the following information (Note: this event is not sponsored by the Watertown Library. The organizers have reserved the space at the library as is open to all any community group):

A January 23 Lecture at Watertown Library: “The Tsarnaev Trial – Anomalies for the Appeal”

There will be a lecture at the Watertown Public Library on Tuesday, January 23 at 6pm. The speaker is Dr. Mary W. Maxwell, author of a new book entitled “Marathon Bombing: Indicting the Players.”

Almost 5 years after the 2013 Marathon bombing, people are making an effort to set the legal record straight. A student at UMass, Dartmouth, Dzhokhar (“Jahar”) Tsarnaev, was convicted of the crime.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Watertown Police Officer Gets the Hollywood Treatment for ‘Patriots Day’ Movie

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The past several months have been a whirlwind Hollywood experience for Watertown Police Sgt. Jeff Pugliese. As one of the Watertown Police officers who faced off in a firefight with the Boston Marathon Bombers, Pugliese is portrayed in the movie “Patriots Day,” by veteran actor J.K. Simmons. Wednesday night, Pugliese and his wife attended the first Boston premiere of the movie (which stars Mark Wahlberg) at the Wang Theater, and before Thanksgiving the couple was whisked off to Los Angeles for the premiere. “We got the red carpet treatment in L.A. It was an experience,” Pugliese said.

Around Town

Hollywood Turns Watertown Into a Film Set for ‘Patriots Day’

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It can seem like Watertown has been turned into a Hollywood set recently with scenes from the “Patriots Day” film being shot several places around town. 

The film chronicling the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the search for and capture of the suspects stars Mark Wahlberg, who was seen shooting a scene at the Main Street Mobile Station on the evening of May 9. Large crowds gathered on the sidewalk of Main Street, and some lucky fans got to meet Wahlberg after the filming that evening. Exactly where the scene fits in the move is not clear. It was supposed to be in Cambridge, but it is not clear if it is the gas station where the man who was carjacked escaped from the Tsarnaevs, or another gas station. On Monday, the crews headed over to the old Police Station in Watertown Square.

Around Town

See Which Town Will ‘Play’ Watertown in the Patriots Day Movie

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Filmmakers originally wanted to use the actual location of the shootout with the Boston Marathon Bombers in Watertown to recreate the action, but when that proved problematic they moved to … Rockland(?). The town in Plymouth County, outside Brockton, will be the site of the Watertown Shootout scenes in the film that stars Mark Wahlburg and J.K. Simmons. Wicked Local Braintree reported that shooting has already begun. When CBS Films announced the film would not be shot in Watertown, some in town speculated that the movie would be shot in Somerville, Boston or a few other communities, but Rockland never came up.

Boston Marathon Bombing

See Who Will Play Boston Mayor Menino in ‘Patriots Day’

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The makers of the movie chronicling the events around the Boston Marathon Bombings announced the latest casting choice, Vincent Curatola who will portray Boston Mayor Tom Menino. Curatola, who is known for his work on The Sopranos and The Good Wife, joins Boston-native and Academy Award-nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Lone Survivor), Golden Globe-winner John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane, Inside Llewyn Davis, Argo), Academy Award-Winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Zootopia) and Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley, Criminal Minds) in Patriots Day. The film will be directed by Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor) and produced by Scott Stuber, Mark Wahlberg, Hutch Parker, Dylan Clark, Stephen Levinson, Dorothy Aufiero and Michael Radutzky. Patriots Day will be co-financed by CBS Films and Lionsgate with the former handling production and marketing and the latter handling distribution.

Boston Marathon Bombing

LETTER: Mother Worries About Impact of ‘Patriots Day’ Filming in Watertown

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Esteemed Councilors,

I’m a resident of District C, and I’m writing to you today to urge you to register your opposition to the filming of Patriots Day in the Laurel/Dexter Street neighborhood. At the time of the shootout — in which over 200 rounds were fired, one person was killed in a particularly gruesome way and a police officer was injured, I lived in that neighborhood. The garage of the home where I lived was about 75 feet from the shootout. My children still live there half the week, as my former husband and I share custody of them. I want to tell you that it’s not just about recreating a traumatic event with pyrotechnics late at night in the same neighborhood that witnessed these horrible events.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Opposes Filming Recreation of Watertown Shootout

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Dear Mr. Driscoll and Councilors Sideris, Dattoli, Falkoff, Palomba, Kounelis, Feltner, Piccirilli, Woodland, and Dushku,

I am writing to oppose the re-creation and filming of gun battle scenes for the movie “Patriots Day” on Laurel Street in Watertown. I live near-by on Boylston Street — close enough that my husband heard the sound of the shootout as it happened, close enough to be woken by the sounds of helicopters over my house that night. When I learned that the five nights of filming planned on Laurel Street within ear shot of my home would be loud, including gunshots until midnight, I felt angry and anxious. I wondered — who would allow this to happen in our town?! As I learned more, I felt the tears fill my eyes.

Around Town

Emotional Responses to News of Filming at Site of Watertown Shootout

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News that Watertown that film producers want to shoot a re-enactment of the Watertown Shootout on the same streets where it happened, complete with late night simulated gunshots, was met with an outpouring of emotions from town residents – mostly negative but some strongly backing it. This month, CBS Films has been meeting with residents of Laurel Street about the filming of “Patriots Day,” a film starring Mark Wahlberg which would recreate the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings, including the shootout with the bombers in Watertown. The schedule calls for closing off Laurel Street for a few days, including three nights when the filming would include re-enactments complete with gunfire as late as midnight. Watertown residents reacted on the Watertown News Facebook page, and on the comment section of Monday’s story. Many reactions on Facebook were negative, such as, “Who wants to relive this.