New York Movies Email

Original Title: New York Movies
Original Date Sent: March 6, 2011
Sent to: Oh, this girl I used to know.
Context: This girl had recently moved to New York and I decided to write a little primer. I'd add a couple more that I've seen since then if I could. But I can't because that's against my arbitrary rules. So here's the original email. Better or worse than a mixtape? You be the judge.

In no particular order...

The Warriors (1979) Dir. Walter Hill: My favorite New York Movie and one of my top 5 movies of all time. The story is based on a Greek History narrative called The Anabasis. Essentially, a gang from Coney Island is invited to a giant gang meeting in the Bronx. During the meeting, the leader of the gangs is assassinated and The Warriors are blamed. What follows is a citywide chase movie with legendary fight scenes, an absolutely perfect soundtrack, and a vision of the wet street of New York (complete with neon lights reflecting off of them) that is still to this day copied by any film or TV show that shoots in New York. The one time I ever lost my cool on set was when I met David Patrick Kelly, who (among a slew of other great roles) plays the snide little bad guy in this movie.

After Hours (1985) Dir. Martin Scorsese: Scorsese's most underrated movie. A computer analyst goes out for a quiet cup of coffee, meets a girl, and is set off on a surreal nightmare through the streets of Soho before is was completely tamed by cops, Europeans, and rich kids. Really funny, unique (in general, but especially for Scorsese), and surprising. It has everything that Scorsese does will with the added bonus of paranoia and comedy.

Taxi Driver (1976) Dir. Martin Scorsese: If you haven't seen this, I'm not sure how you got into film school.

Do the Right Thing (1989) Dir. Spike Lee: Probably the only Spike Lee movie I like. And man, it is one hell of a movie. So vibrant. Takes place over the course of a hot day in Bed-Stuy. Racial tension seen from both sides in a neighborhood struggling to maintain its identity. The Italians hate the Blacks for moving into their neighborhood. The Blacks hate the semi-affluent Whites for coming into their neighborhood in an effort to gentrify. In the end, it all boils over when frustrations between the Italian Pizza Shop owner and a group of political-minded young blacks comes to a head. The acting is good across the board, but Danny Aiello really stands out.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Dir. Sidney Lumet: Both Lumet and Pacino's best movie. Based on the true story of two incompetent bank robbers who wind up taking hostages and creating a media sensation. Lumet famously wrote about his directorial technique of tightly scripting the police while letting Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, and the hostages improvise most of their interactions. The result was a balance of humor, awkwardness, and pathos that produced several iconic moments. You will not be sorry you watched this movie.

Serpico (1973) Prince of the City (1981) Q&A (1990) Dir. Sidney Lumet: Continuing on the Lumet thing, this is his unofficial Police Corruption Trilogy. Serpico is the most famous thanks to Pacino's beard, but I would argue it's the weakest of the three. Prince of the City explores the slimy side of prosecuting police officers for corruption. In a time when the thin blue line was thinner than ever, undercover cops had to do criminal things to get results. PotC tells the story of one officer who turned in some of his comrades only to have his checkered past looked into as well. Probably would be considered a classic if a big name had been cast as the lead instead of Treat Williams. Q&A focuses on the conflict between a clean cut internal affairs investigator and an unapologetically corrupt cop played by Nick Nolte. Nolte is a force of nature. His beady eyes and bushy mustache seeming too small for his beat red face. Lumet is so underrated it hurts me to think about it.

King of Comedy (1982) Dir. Martin Scorsese: Another underrated Scorsese movie (and De Niro too, for that matter). De Niro is an unsuccessful comedian who stalks his talk show host hero (played by a bitter old Jerry Lewis). Scorsese proves once again that he has a comedic touch. At the same time, he paints a disturbing portrait of a psychotic man who believes so fully in his own destiny that he will commit any crime to make it happen. This one is especially rewarding for those of us in the production world who have ever had to serve as a buffer between a famous person and an over-eager fan.

Pickup on South Street (1953) Dir. Sam Fuller: Back in the day, shooting on location was a sure sign of a low-budget independent film. Sam Fuller specialized in gritty, violent films shot on location. This one is no exception. If you're not already a Richard Widmark fan, you will be after seeing this. Nobody played a petty criminal like Widmark; this, Kiss of Death, Night and the City. It's practically its own sub-genre.

Cruising (1980) Dir. William Friedkin: Usually considered a complete disaster. An offensive piece of garbage. A fundamentally terrible movie with no justification for existing. Stomach-Turning. Any criticism you can come up with in your head, you could probably apply to this movie. HOWEVER, I love it. 80's Sex Thrillers might be my favorite overly-specific sub-genre. Why do I love them so much? What I look for in a movie is to be enveloped in another world. To live someone else's life for two hours (or three or four...). This sub-genre, when done well, is almost always successful on this front. They present some kind of weird subculture and have a relatively naive character enter into it and quickly drown in the disgusting details. Cruising takes an unblinking look at the gay S&M underworld of the early 80's, a world which I admit I previously knew very little about. Plus, this movie really gains an unintended metaphorical meaning in the post-HIV world. To top it all off, it is quotable as hell and a fun movie to watch with squimmish friends.

Death Wish 3 (1985) Dir. Michael Winner: Charles Bronson is old as fuck, has a huge gun, and kills hundreds of no-goodnicks. Kinda speaks for itself. The main bad guy's death seen is one of the best of all time (ya know, if you're into that whole thing).

Escape from NewYork (1981) Dir. John Carpenter: Look around New York. Step out your door and just take it all in. Does Manhattan seem like it should be a gigantic prison that houses the world's most dangerous criminals because it is already so far gone that it might as well be a prison? Well, in 1981, apparently, it did. Any movie with Kurt Russell, Donald Pleasance, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, and Isaac Hayes is bound to be awesome. The fact that it takes place in a city-wide prison only makes it better.

Out for Justice (1991) Dir. John Flynn: Steven Seagal attempting a Brooklyn accent, kicking ass all over town, and defending helpless dogs and prostitutes should be enough. But if it isn't, William Forsythe is absolutely awesome as a crack-smoking mafia kingpin (William Forsythe, for the record, is not Italian and couldn't pass for Italian after a six month stay in a tanning bed). The high point? Seagal is beating up everything in sight in a pool hall filled with Mafiosos when all the sudden he encounters an Asian stick fighting specialist who just happened to hanging out there. Only in New York!

That's enough for one night. You should also watch pretty much any Woody Allen movie if you're looking for more of a New York fix.

Mike