SPARE CHANGE: My favorite — and least favorite — movies filmed in Newport
Some oddznendz culled from the horn of plenty:
• Have you been down to the movie yet?
That's the question of the week with the ongoing filming of "Hocus Pocus 2."
I stopped down briefly, checked out the splashy set, couldn't see much else, went home. The place is locked down like Fort Knox, so your chances of meeting a celebrity seem remote.
The Washington Square set brings to mind the making of "Amistad" in the winter of 1997. Director Steven Spielberg transformed the square into a Colonial-era village, with local businesses bearing the names of fictional storefronts (there was compensation involved).
Newport Food Scene: 'Hocus Pocus 2' has been magical and a boost for nearby restaurants
A couple of things on moviemaking: It gets boring quickly, take after take after take. It's fun to see the stars but after a while, it's same old, same old.
Also, most locals are cool about celebs in town and cut them some slack. But sometimes ordinarily rational people turn into rabid lunatics with actors around.
A woman near the "Hocus Pocus 2" set said, "I just have to meet Bette Midler. I have to get to know her while she's here."
Whoa, Nelly!
Bette, you might want to tighten security.
• I realize I'm becoming increasingly out of orbit, but I never heard of the original "Hocus Pocus" until a month ago.
• There are celebs who enjoyed their time here. The elegant Morgan Freeman with "Amistad" and fellow cast member, young Matthew McConaughey, who somehow found time to get to know a few local women.
Spare Change: Well-liked and full of encouragement, Robert 'Weave' Weaver will be missed
And Bill Murray was everywhere during the making of "Moonrise Kingdom" in 2011. He spent some hours at Perro Salado enjoying the Honky Tonk Knights.
Emma Stone seemed to charm everyone while making Woody Allen's "An Irrational Man." Woody? Not so much.
• Daily News digital editor Scott Barrett did a nice job compiling a list of movies filmed in Newport.
A couple overlooked include "The Demon Murder Case" from 1982. Andy Griffith and Cloris Leachman starred, but the movie is notable mainly for featuring a young, unknown Kevin Bacon as a teenage killer.
It was mainly forgettable. Even Bacon seemed to think so.
He played here maybe 20 years ago with his Bacon Brothers Band.
I asked him about being here to make "Demon Murder."
He replied, "Wait. What movie?"
And then, "Oh, yeahhhh. That's right."
Kevin's made a few more memorable movies since then.
Spare Change: Letting voters choose the mayor of Newport is an obvious move
• I remain proud to have crashed the circle of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. I've met Bacon, his brother and his "Diner" co-star Tim Daly.
I want this mentioned high up in my obituary.
• Oh, and the documentary "Jazz on a Summer's Day" is a portrait of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. It features some goofy hipster scenes but is packed with strong performances, including the charismatic and overlooked Anita O'Day.
This the best look at the early festivals in existence.
• "Reversal of Fortune" is routinely labeled as being filmed in Newport. But I'm pretty confident that only exterior scenes of the mansions were shot here. A terrific movie nonetheless.
• My favorite movies made here: "True Lies" and "Moonrise Kingdom," "Reversal of Fortune" and "High Society."
Least favorites? "Evening" (embarrassing), "The Great Gatsby" (a butchering of a classic novel) and "Wind" (Ambien in movie form).
• So the car museum refused to let me drive my 2011 Honda CRV in their fancy schmantzy car procession a while back.
Wait till I see that Jay Leno. Hmmph!
• Another month, another plan to downsize the new Rogers High.
What's next? Slapping an addition on the Hut and making that the school?
• R.I.P.: Allen Shers, my Fifth Ward landlord from 1991-94.
• Enjoy the best holiday of them all — food, football, nap, more food, more football. How can you beat it?
Jim Gillis is a Daily News columnist. Send him email at jimgillis13@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Spare Change: Favorite and least favorite movies filmed in Newport RI
