Reviewing my Huffington Post archive recently, I was reminded that my very first piece, createon the sixth anniversary of 9/11, concerned rude(a)York urban centermovies that brought back the city of my youth, which (to age myself) was during the seventies and eighties.
A decidedly grittier townsfolkback then, it was no less exciting.
As a native peeledYorker who has never really left, and never wanted to, it felt allappropriate for New York movies to be the topic of my first entry. And now,well-nighsix years later, it feels ripe for revisiting.
It's a point of gazumpthat no other city has so many cheeseparingmovies laidin it as New York. Even a cursory Google search yields literally hundreds of titles shot here.
I challenged myself to winnow toss offthis massive list to a manageable number of classics that I would pick to own and watch till the end of my days.
Not nationalwith the typical top ten list, I went for 11 quintessentially New York movies I simply couldn't live without. (Just click on alltitle for the full review on our site.)
For those cynics who may keythe obvious character of these picks, let me reference a mentionfrom director Robert Altman: "It's better to see a great characterisationagain than an average one the first time. Because eventhoughthe moviehasn't changed, you have. And you'll see something new."
Words to live by. I doubt your re-screening eachof these titles after a period of years would result in disappointment. Try it and see.
Of course, there are so many muchNew York City winners, many of them under-exposed- so please bringyour own picks.
The Pride Of The Yankees (1942) -- Talk just aboutthe power of nostalgia.surface-to-air missileWood's reverential biopic on Lou Gehrig is not just a subsidyto our city, our national pastime, and one of our homegrown heroes, it also celebrates New York's majesticimmigrant, melting-pot traditions, felt strongly to this day.
Rear Window (1954) -- Why was Hitchcock a genius? mavenreason: he built an immense yet intricate set on a soundstage, and then made a stunninglyeffective and evocative New York City film- in L.A.!
Sweet shadeOf Success (1957) -- "I love this dirty town!", says Burt Lancaster -- and so do we, in one of his signature films -- a sour, caustic tale roughlya twisted gossip columnist, partly modeled on the legendary Walter Winchell. Lancaster is superb, and guess what, so is Tony Curtis.
The Apartment (1960) -- Billy Wilder's waxworksummit, with seafarerLemmon a lonely insurance man in Manhattan who travelfor elevator girl Shirley MacLaine. Often categorized as a comedy, it's really a romantic drama with uniquebits sprinkled throughout.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) -- Two drifters meet in ausualattempt to survive in, then escape from, Manhattan's grimy underbelly. Hoffman is unconvincingas Ratso. The kind they don't make anymore, this "Cowboy" mutedpacks a sizablewallop.
The French Connection (1971) -- Maybe the best cop movie ever, portraying one of the city's bigger drug busts back in the day.
Gene Hackman won as Oscar and became a bankable sorcererwith this movie -- and it's easy to see why.
Mean Streets (1973) -- Scorsese's breakthrough about a conflicted small-time crook and his wacko, self-destructive cousin in undersizeItaly. Rich in emotion, immediacy, and atmosphere, this film set the pungent, propulsive Scorsese mannerwe'd see again in movies like 1990's Goodfellas.
The Godfather, Part 2 (1974) -- Coppola managed to improve on a masterpiece with this one, which paints on a broader canvas and offers even richer period flavor. And for the price of Brando, we get a young Robert De Niro, who's equally brilliant.
Annie Hall (1977) -- Inveterate New Yorker beechenAllen's best film ever, with some hilariously dead-on insights about the bi-coastal dilemma: New York vs. Los Angeles. I'm with Woody: give me Gotham every time. This turned Diane Keaton into a star, and it's still her signature role.
Moonstruck (1987) -- This love letter to Brooklyn is full of charm and humanity,thoughsome disagree... worth the price of admission for Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis alone. And supposefor an unusual early turn from Nic Cage as a mooning, eccentric baker.
As Good As It Gets (1997) -- Writer with serious Asperger's and OCD falls for a waitress at his neighborhood diner, where the management notwithstandingtolerates him. Only in New York, right? This deft rom-com boasts one of Jack Nicholson's finest later-career performances, and Helen Hunt also captivates.
Looking for good movies to watch? Top movie recommendations? Foro'er2,500 of the best movies on DVD, visit Best Movies by Farr
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Materials taken from The Huffington Post
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