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Mass. movie bracket: 6 honorable mentions you should still watch
Plus: A few movies to add to your streaming watchlist
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This month marks the 50th anniversary of “Jaws,” the Steven Spielberg shark film widely considered to be the birth of the modern blockbuster.
The 1975 thriller remains one of the most notable movies ever filmed in Massachusetts, with hundreds of locals involved in the logistically challenging six-month shoot on Martha’s Vineyard from May to October 1974.
In honor of the milestone, I decided to put together a 32-film bracket and let readers pick the best Massachusetts movie of all time. We called it Massachusetts Movie Madness.
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The bracket includes movies from all over the state, not just Boston – though the capital city is well represented.
You’ll be able to vote for your favorites throughout the next week or so. The ultimate winner will be unveiled on Friday, June 20 – the exact day “Jaws” hit theaters in 1975.
Before that, however, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the movies that didn’t make our final field of 32.
Mass. Movie Madness honorable mentions — and where to watch them
It may be hard to believe, but in the eyes of our nominating committee (read: me), these perfectly fine films aren’t quite bracket-worthy for one reason or another. If your favorite Massachusetts movie is listed below, 1) I’m sorry, and 2) I welcome your aggrieved emails.
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“Little Women” (1994): Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 film is wonderful, but with *spoiler alert* a slightly better adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel that filmed way more scenes in Mass. already making our field of 32, this one is on the outside looking in. (Available to rent)
“The Crucible” (1996): The third Winona Ryder ‘90s movie to just miss the cut (along with “Little Women” and 1990’s “Mermaids”), “The Crucible” famously built a 1690s Salem from scratch on Choate Island in Essex, forcing crews to ferry materials back and forth from the mainland. (Hoopla)
“Boondock Saints” (1999): Troy Duffy’s vigilante action thriller was the ultimate word-of-mouth hit at the start of the DVD era, and stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are reportedly making a sequel. But in a bracket already stuffed with Boston crime movies, not every one of them makes the cut. (Peacock, Prime Video, Hulu, Tubi, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel)
“The Equalizer” (2014): Denzel Washington spent plenty of time dishing out vigilante justice in Boston in “The Equalizer” and “The Equalizer 2” (also streaming on Netflix), but neither one quite reaches the elite tier of local crime movies. Don’t worry, there’s still a Denzel movie in our field of 32. (Netflix)
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“Patriots Day” (2016): Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg’s dramatic retelling of the Boston Marathon bombings was both too soon and too sensationalized, flattening the story of many brave first responders into a single loudmouth officer played by Wahlberg. (Available to rent)
“Confess, Fletch” (2022): Paramount bungled the pandemic-era release of “Confess, Fletch,” a very funny comedy starring Jon Hamm as the onetime investigative journalist popularized by Chevy Chase in a pair of 1980s movies (and a book series by Gregory Mcdonald before that). It’s not popular enough to get in the bracket, but I highly recommend it. (Paramount+)
Play or Skip
Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.
Press play on these movies:
- “The Accountant 2” (2025): The best part of “The Accountant 2” (read my full review) is the chemistry between on-screen siblings played by Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. Whether cracking wise or cracking skulls, when the pair are together, they elevate an otherwise by-the-numbers action movie. (Prime Video)
- “Duster”: This fun 1970s-set crime drama from J.J. Abrams about an FBI agent (Rachel Hilson, “This Is Us”) taking down a crime lord (Keith David, “They Live”) with the help of his getaway driver (Josh Holloway, “Lost”) is light on substance, but it’s nice seeing Holloway on screen again. (HBO Max)
- “Mountainhead” (2025): In his feature film directorial debut, “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong shows us the dynamics of four wealthy tech CEOs on a weekend retreat (Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, Cory Michael Smith) as the world destroys itself in real time thanks to one of their social media platforms. The quartet’s Silicon Valley-speak and utter detachment from humanity is almost too real to be funny. (HBO Max)
But you can go ahead and skip this one:
“Captain America: Brave New World” (2025): Despite attempts by Harrison Ford to make something out of a thankless role, “Brave New World” is a bland, humorless, replacement-level Marvel movie. For anyone who watched the trailer and expected to be treated to a full villain arc for Red Hulk (Ford), prepare to be disappointed. (Disney+)
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End Credits
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Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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