Black Mass

Discussion in 'Movies' started by Diane Lane, Apr 10, 2016.

  1. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I finally decided to treat myself last night, and rented the movie to stream. It's only $3.99 on a couple of sites, in SD, and $4.99 in HD. Since I need new glasses anyway, I usually don't bother paying extra for HD.

    I have read the book, and am pretty familiar with the story since I'm from the area. It's a pretty gritty film, based on the life of a well known crime boss from South Boston, and his alliance with an FBI agent working out of the Boston Division.

    I did way too much yesterday, and by the time I settled down to watch it, it was too late, so I had to stop it halfway through. I'm about to go back downstairs and start my chores, so I'll finish watching it while the clothes wash and chicken thighs cook. I know how the story ends, since it's based on true events.

    Incidentally, if anyone's a fan of the Ray Donovan show, there are mentions of the Black Mass movie and some of those involved in it, although the names used in Ray Donovan are changed.
     
    #1
    Ruby Begonia likes this.
  2. Ruby Begonia

    Ruby Begonia Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2015
    Messages:
    3,360
    Likes Received:
    5,244
    Sounds interesting Diane. I gave Ray Donovan a shot the first season. I had to leave it; his wife spoke like an idiot and although Jon Voight was great, I became generally disgusted by each scene.

    Maybe this FBI story will be better.
     
    #2
  3. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    @Ruby Begonia Do you mean what she said, or her accent? The accents are definitely off. I enjoy the show. Jon Voight is actually the one who mentioned Black Mass several times. James Woods' character Sully was actually a depiction of Whitey Bulger, although of course they used a different name. Here's an interesting list I found of movies that portray version of Whitey Bulger. I had no idea there were so many. I LOVED Brotherhood. That's one of my all time favorite shows.
     
    #3
    Ruby Begonia likes this.
  4. Ruby Begonia

    Ruby Begonia Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2015
    Messages:
    3,360
    Likes Received:
    5,244
    Diane, I meant what she said. Maybe her accent made her vulgarity worse. The show was just too much for me, I didnt get very far. Whitey Bulgar, wasn't he the Ice Man?
     
    #4
  5. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I'm not familiar with the Ice Man, who is that? Whitey was a hood rat from South Boston who allied himself with the Winter Hill Gang in Somerville, MA, and also the mafia in Boston/New England. He then double crossed the mafia, feeding info to the FBI, so the FBI did his work of taking out his competition. His brother was President of the Massachusetts Senate, then President of U Mass.
     
    #5
  6. Ruby Begonia

    Ruby Begonia Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2015
    Messages:
    3,360
    Likes Received:
    5,244
    Diane I get my criminals mixed up. The ice man was mafia hit man, killer Richard Kuklinski.
    upload_2016-4-11_16-18-32.jpeg I didn't know Whitey's brother was pres on the MA Senate! I didn't know the role in Ray Donovan was about him. Maybe I should revisit!
     
    #6
    Diane Lane likes this.
  7. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    Ahh, I just saw something about Kuklinski the other day, but I can't recall where. I may have been scrolling through television programs and seen it, or maybe it was while looking around online. Hopefully I'll remember, and can follow it up.

    Yes, there was always a lot of controversy swirling around the duo and whether Billy Bulger's position and connections kept Whitey from being caught, but it seems some of that was explained when the alliance with the FBI came to light. If you haven't watched Brotherhood, it's basically their story, although it's set in Rhode Island and the names are changed. I like that it personalizes the story and makes the characters likable, because both Billy and Whitey Bulger had a lot of support within their communities.
     
    #7
    Ruby Begonia likes this.
  8. Ruby Begonia

    Ruby Begonia Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2015
    Messages:
    3,360
    Likes Received:
    5,244
    I'll look for it Diane, thanks!
     
    #8
    Diane Lane likes this.
  9. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I was looking around on Netflix the other night and saw a movie about Kuklinski @Ruby Begonia. I don't recall the name of it, but I think it's in my list of movies and shows I want to watch. I put anything I might be interested in watching in my list, although I don't always get around to watching them all. . If I watch it, I'll try to remember to come back and post about it.
     
    #9
  10. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2015
    Messages:
    6,508
    Likes Received:
    8,960
    @Diane Lane, we must be on the same page because I just watched Black Mass Thursday night. Great movie! I'm not one for movies based on true events but this one was exceptional.
     
    #10
    Diane Lane likes this.
  11. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    Hi Von, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Were you familiar with the Bulgers before seeing the movie? I thought Johnny Depp played a pretty creepy Whitey. Incidentally, he hated being called Whitey. Incidentally, his longtime girlfriend (one of them) Catherine Grieg was serving an 8-year sentence, but was also recently sentenced to an additional 21 months for contempt of court, because she refused to name those who'd helped Whitey while he was on the run. She'd previously received an additional 9 months for civil contempt because she refused to testify before the grand jury. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whitey-bulger-catherine-greig-girlfriend-gets-more-prison-time/
     
    #11
    Ike Willis likes this.
  12. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2015
    Messages:
    6,508
    Likes Received:
    8,960
    Nope. I didn't even recognize Johnny Depp! He played the part beautifully though.

    I don't understand why women such as Catherine Greig would waste their life like that except to know that she has something to look forward to when she is released. Sad.
     
    #12
    Diane Lane likes this.
  13. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I know, it was hard to reconcile how Whitey looked in the movie with Johnny Depp. He actually looked creepier than Whitey in real life. I guess they didn't want to perpetuate the myth of the neighborhood godfather. Over the years, growing up in the area, I heard a lot bout Whitey, and he was portrayed as a savior who kept Southie (South Boston) drug free, and kept the criminals on the straight and narrow. A lot of the residents bought into that, because he would help little old ladies on occasion, and help people out with jobs, etc., but always with a purpose. Obviously that portrayal wasn't true, but I think some still doubt that he was an informant, since he supposedly hated 'rats.'
     
    #13

Share This Page