Movies that made you love cities (for the first time, or even more)

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

I really enjoyed Wild Tales by Argentine filmaker Damián Szifron. You can watch it here on Amazon Prime.

This had a mixed reaction in my movie club. I thought it was fucking hilarious. Others thought it was very frightening.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by JManc

Several movies in Boston's Southie; Good Will Hunting (though parts in Cambridge), Departed, Gone Baby Gone and of course, Southie.

Another good one that gave nice local color to Lowell, Mass was The Fighter.

[GWN]

Wall-E

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

what about movies that give off a more "neighborhood" vibe of their cities rather than the more cliched, stereotypical, landmark, iconic, downtown stuff?

Lately I watched 1992 Belgian film C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous (literal: It Happened in Your Neighborhood; English title: Man Bites Dog).

I don't know about the filming location in Belgium. Maybe somewhere around the Liège or Brussels area. Whatever, I said to myself - it brings about some kind of real feeling of a Benelux town, on purpose.

This film is a disgusting, outrageous (and rather hilarious) comedy about violence and sensationalism in the media.
If you should watch any foreign movie, that would be that one. You have never seen anything like it, that's for sure.
Please just don't show it to your kids or anybody easily offended by violence.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mousquet

Lately I watched 1992 Belgian film C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous (literal: It Happened in Your Neighborhood; English title: Man Bites Dog).

I don't know about the filming location in Belgium. Maybe somewhere around the Liège or Brussels area. Whatever, I said to myself - it brings about some kind of real feeling of a Benelux town, on purpose.

This film is a disgusting, outrageous (and rather hilarious) comedy about violence and sensationalism in the media.
If you should watch any foreign movie, that would be that one. You have never seen anything like it, that's for sure.
Please just don't show it to your kids or anybody easily offended by violence.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that I am familiar with it. I saw it about 25 years ago. First time I ever saw Benoît Poelvoorde. I can recite by heart some of the more famous and shocking lines from the movie.

[suburbanite]

A month ago I dont think I would have been able to name a movie I'd seen that took place in Cincinnati. Out of pure coincidence though, quarantine Netflix suggestions had me watching Dark Waters and The Killing of a Sacred Deer back-to-back. Unfortunately the city isn't really a focal point in either. Dark Waters felt like an Erin Brockovich re-hash (even though it's based on it's own true story) but the latter at least leaves more memorable impressions of it's setting in arid Southern California.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by Acajack

You probably won't be surprised to hear that I am familiar with it. I saw it about 25 years ago. First time I ever saw Benoît Poelvoorde. I can recite by heart some of the more famous and shocking lines from the movie.

Yeah, that's a cult film in our Fr-speaking world anyway. I can remember, I first saw it when I was in high school and it was kind of rivaled by Shallow Grave, another dark comedy from the UK back then.

But frankly, the Belgian thing is just superior. It is bloody cold, freezing as hell, disturbing as if murders were a daily random thing. It is their fake documentary style that made it so creepy and legenrdary.
Also, the psycho in the Belgian movie is actually a cool and hilarious satirical actor who made some kind of career on the Canal+ network, if I remember well.

His name is Benoît Poelvoorde. He is obviously a daring comedian and I hope he still does alright. We don't hear of him any longer.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mousquet

His name is Benoît Poelvoorde. He is obviously a daring comedian and I hope he still does alright. We don't hear of him any longer.

He played a fairly leading role in one of the recent Astérix blockbusters, as a nasty Roman guy. He was also in Coco avant Chanel.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mousquet

Yeah, that's a cult film in our Fr-speaking world anyway. I can remember, I first saw it when I was in high school and it was kind of rivaled by Shallow Grave, another dark comedy from the UK back then.

.

When it first came out, the initial buzz in my circles was that it was real, and that it was a kind of snuff movie that had been released underground.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

A month ago I dont think I would have been able to name a movie I'd seen that took place in Cincinnati. Out of pure coincidence though, quarantine Netflix suggestions had me watching Dark Waters and The Killing of a Sacred Deer back-to-back. Unfortunately the city isn't really a focal point in either. Dark Waters felt like an Erin Brockovich re-hash (even though it's based on it's own true story) but the latter at least leaves more memorable impressions of it's setting in arid Southern California.

Hollywood is still pretty good at spreading things around the homeland.

Rain Man was set in Cincinnati as was a big part of Traffic where the drug czar main character Michael Douglas' home life plays out.

And just checking... so was Little Man Tate with Jodie Foster.

Not a movie but of course Cincinatti has a pretty famous sitcom as well: WKRP.

[redhouston]

I was in high school when the movie Reality Bites came out.
Another Houston movie that did it do me was Jason Lyrics, same time period.

[MonkeyRonin]

Another fictional favourite of mine - the Gotham City of Tim Burton's Batman series:

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Hollywood is still pretty good at spreading things around the homeland.

Rain Man was set in Cincinnati as was a big part of Traffic where the drug czar main character Michael Douglas' home life plays out.

And just checking... so was Little Man Tate with Jodie Foster.

Not a movie but of course Cincinatti has a pretty famous sitcom as well: WKRP.

Cincinnati

Barry Levinson (a Baltimore native) allegedly wanted to set the parts where Tom Cruise's character goes back east in a city that didn't get much movie exposure and ended up choosing Cincinnati for that reason. Most of the Cincinnati scenes was filmed near where I grew up and where a good chunk of my family lives (Columbia Parkway, Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate KY, St. Anne's Covenant in Melbourne KY)

Little Man Tate might qualify as a neighborhood movie? From what I remember, a lot of it was shot/set in Over the Rhine (waaaaay before it was gentrified).

I binge watched WKRP a few years back and, at least early on, there were a lot of references to local neighborhoods (Mt. Auburn, Over the Rhine) and there was an episode that dealt with the aftermath of the Who concert tragedy at Riverfront Coliseum. Aside from the Cincinnati references, that show still holds up pretty well, despite it being a sitcom from the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The Asphalt Jungle literally opens with a car driving along the Cincinnati riverfront (close to where Riverfront Stadium once stood, which is now occupied by The Banks) although I don't believe anyone in the movie specifically mentions or references Cincinnati.

If anyone's familiar with the movie Midnight Run (and if you're not, go watch it ASAP), there's a couple of scenes shot in Flagstaff, AZ (you can see the train station in one shot) as well as around Sedona and the Salt River Canyon.

Another possible neighborhood movie: Rear Window, which is set in an apartment complex in NYC's Greenwich Village.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

A month ago I dont think I would have been able to name a movie I'd seen that took place in Cincinnati. Out of pure coincidence though, quarantine Netflix suggestions had me watching Dark Waters and The Killing of a Sacred Deer back-to-back. Unfortunately the city isn't really a focal point in either. Dark Waters felt like an Erin Brockovich re-hash (even though it's based on it's own true story) but the latter at least leaves more memorable impressions of it's setting in arid Southern California.

That's already on Netflix? I though it came out in theaters back in January. Oh well, everything's upside down right now.

Cincinnati's been trying to get more exposure in movies by luring production companies to the area (http://www.filmcincinnati.com/) There was some goofy Bruce Willis bank heist movie that was shot there last year.

Carol (starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) which was set in New York, was actually filmed in Cincinnati. Anomalisa was set in Cincinnati and there's frequent references to our unique (or bizarre/disgusting, depending on your point of view) brand of chili, but that was a stop motion film with puppets (and a puppet sex scene that gives Team America: World Police a run for it's money).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Cincinnati
.

I can't believe I wrote that wrong. Not that I have a connection to Cincy but I usually try very hard to spell proper nouns correctly.

[Buckeye Native 001]

It's a common mistake. At least it's not as difficult as Albuquerque (which also has a booming local film industry).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

It's a common mistake. At least it's not as difficult as Albuquerque (which also has a booming local film industry).

Imagine seeing the word Albuquerque in front of you for the first time, having to say it but never having heard anyone say it said before.

I only knew how to say it because of Bugs Bunny!

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Cincinnati

Barry Levinson (a Baltimore native) allegedly wanted to set the parts where Tom Cruise's character goes back east in a city that didn't get much movie exposure and ended up choosing Cincinnati for that reason. Most of the Cincinnati scenes was filmed near where I grew up and where a good chunk of my family lives (Columbia Parkway, Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate KY, St. Anne's Covenant in Melbourne KY)

Little Man Tate might qualify as a neighborhood movie? From what I remember, a lot of it was shot/set in Over the Rhine (waaaaay before it was gentrified).

I binge watched WKRP a few years back and, at least early on, there were a lot of references to local neighborhoods (Mt. Auburn, Over the Rhine) and there was an episode that dealt with the aftermath of the Who concert tragedy at Riverfront Coliseum. Aside from the Cincinnati references, that show still holds up pretty well, despite it being a sitcom from the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The Asphalt Jungle literally opens with a car driving along the Cincinnati riverfront (close to where Riverfront Stadium once stood, which is now occupied by The Banks) although I don't believe anyone in the movie specifically mentions or references Cincinnati.

If anyone's familiar with the movie Midnight Run (and if you're not, go watch it ASAP), there's a couple of scenes shot in Flagstaff, AZ (you can see the train station in one shot) as well as around Sedona and the Salt River Canyon.

Another possible neighborhood movie: Rear Window, which is set in an apartment complex in NYC's Greenwich Village.

Wasn't part of Traffic (2000) set in Cincinnati? I especially recall the rich kids' homes scenes (Indian Hill?) and the 'hood scenes (Over the Rhine?).

[Buckeye Native 001]

Yup, but Acajack mentioned it previously.

I might be incorrect (what else is new) but the home where Michael Douglas' character lived didn't look like something normally seen in Indian Hill? Might've been Hyde Park?

[Lear]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Ferris Beuller is a great one.

Had this one more than 15 years in my VHS collection.

New York City: Woody Allen movies, Taxi Driver, Sex and the City
San Francisco: Bullitt
Paris: Amelie + Ratatouille + Breathless
Barcelona: All About My Mother, Pedro Almodóvar
Miami: Miami Vice
London: Early James Bond movies

Berlin (West): Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders (shot 1987 in my neighbourhood) + One, Two, Three, Billy Wilder
Berlin: Bourne Trilogy (I was once an extra in this movie standing next to Matt Damon the whole day)

1961, Billy Wilder, One, Two, Three