Cities portrayed in movies

[Banterer]

Originally Posted by initiald

video

That was a great video. A lot of movies that are filmed in Montreal are never set in Montreal. For instance, part of one of the x-men movies is set in "Paris", yet "Paris" is just mostly just shot in Montreal areas with French architecture. And they use CGI to shape the Olympic Stadium into the DC RFK stadium. Quite impressive.

[BrandonJXN]

Going back to Chicago for a second, I saw Candyman when I was a kid. I was *terrified* after watching that movie. I'm not hardly bullshitting. To this day it still unnerves me. The fact that it was shot at Cabrini Green with *real* gang members as extras was even more scary with the reputation that Cabrini Green had.

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[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Nobody seems to remember this film when I bring it up, but "Electric Dreams" from 1984 made San Francisco look like a nice city; I was 14 when I saw it, and it was a film that made me want to visit San Francisco (and now of course I'm there often on long weekends). Plus a beautiful young Virginia Madsen is in it. It's a cheesy film, very 1980s dated with the computer "technology," but again, I think it makes San Francisco look like a great city.

I remember this film, specially a sequence with some great ELO music!

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I knew that San Francisco has been the setting for quite a number of films, but I guess I didn't realize that after LA and NYC, it actually ranks third (!).

Maybe I haven't seen too many films set in San Francisco.

Looking back, there are even some film noirs from the 1940s and early 1950s that I've seen that are set in San Francisco; the ones that have actually been filmed there show a somewhat gritty city, I assume because they are film noirs. I can't think of the title of one of them, but I remember it showed great shots of the Ferry Building area when it was a rundown section of town, well before the now-demolished Embarcadero Freeway was built.

One of my favorite films of that period is the 1947 Bogart-Bacall film DARK PASSAGE, filmed mostly in San Francisco.

As for making a city look good in the 70's, no one has mentioned the San Francisco set WHAT'S UP, DOC? with it's wild and comedic chase scenes filmed all throughout the city.

If one is interested, there's a fantastic site called Reel SF, where "City Sleuth" periodically picks out a film set in San Francisco and goes through each and every scene and shows what it looks like in the film and what it looks like now. In some cases, he even goes through an interior scene with a San Francisco backdrop in it, filmed on a Hollywood soundstage and divines where that location is, and sometimes it's been reversed. As he says in his opening section, his focus is anal! But it's worth it and wonderful.

http://reelsf.com/about/

[Xing]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

Going back to Chicago for a second, I saw Candyman when I was a kid. I was *terrified* after watching that movie. I'm not hardly bullshitting. To this day it still unnerves me. The fact that it was shot at Cabrini Green with *real* gang members as extras was even more scary with the reputation that Cabrini Green had.

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I wonder how they pulled that off. I recently worked on a film about Obama, and I hooked up, and they shot at the real Altgeld Gardens where he did his community outreach. The place was intimidating, but the people were really nice. No gang members were used lol. Michelle Obamas fictional house in the film was two blocks from the real one.

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[mousquet]

Watch "Killing Zoe", a movie from the 90s if you want an ultra fantasized, super creepy sight of Paris. I'm no moviegoer but usually enjoy the work of Quentin Tarantino who was responsible for the screenplay of that movie. The villain is a French gay psychopath dangerously addicted to heroin and amphetamine. Nothing homophobic, though. Don't go paranoid if you're gay, it's only complete violent fantasy à la Tarantino. The good boy is an American guy who succeeds in seducing a fairly hot French girl. You may enjoy it, though it's kind of old... yea, 1993.

To be honest, I take the popular movie industry as some effective way to advertise a city, when it's not mere propaganda like the US saving the planet over and over, then waving their flag to the face of the world. So cheesy... Nothing much to do with so called art, but I think more blockbusters, whether from the Hollywood industry or from anywhere should be allowed to be set in Paris. I heard shooting a big budget movie was not an easy job over here. It would require the agreement of the local administration that would be stupidly unfriendly and picky in that respect as in many others. Why not turning business-friendly for good?

Another cool blockbuster widely set over here is the Bourne Identity. That's some good entertaining pop action stuff. I liked it.

Also "Amelie", a French blockbuster from the early 2000s, I believe, but I didn't really like it. It's too slow, boring. Just all about Audrey Tautou's cuteness.

[Martin Pal]

^^^^^^

If that's all "Amelie's" about, I wonder what the new musical of it is like?

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by SFView

Current Top 21 Ranking of Number of Films Set in US Cities by City:
1. New York City (11 C, 1,719 P)
2. Los Angeles, California (2 C, 966 P)
3. San Francisco, California (2 C, 363 P)
4. Chicago, Illinois‎ (2 C, 286 P)
5. Washington, D.C.‎ (1 C, 238 P)
6. New Orleans, Louisiana‎ (1 C, 128 P)
7. Miami, Florida‎ (116 P)
8. Boston, Massachusetts‎ (1 C, 92 P - TIE)
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania‎ (2 C, 91 P - TIE)
9. Seattle, Washington‎ (1 C, 90 P)
10. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania‎ (87 P)
11. Houston, Texas‎ (67 P)
12. Detroit, Michigan‎ (54 P)
13. Baltimore, Maryland‎ (53 P)
14. Atlanta, Georgia‎ (50 P)
15. Cleveland, Ohio‎ (39 P)
16. San Diego, California‎ (31 P)
17. St. Louis, Missouri‎ (28 P)
18. Dallas, Texas‎ (1 C, 22 P)
19. Phoenix, Arizona‎ (21 P)
20. Portland, Oregon‎ (20 P)
21. Memphis, Tennessee‎ (17 P)

Here is a mini-movie created using short clips of footage from the many, many movies filmed in Pittsburgh over the years. If you like city and skyline shots, this will appeal to you. It is very well done.

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[chris08876]

Movies are a great source of tourism promotion for the cities listed. I'd say movies, and music.

Current Top 21 Ranking of Number of Films Set in US Cities by City:
1. New York City (11 C, 1,719 P)
2. Los Angeles, California (2 C, 966 P)
3. San Francisco, California (2 C, 363 P)
4. Chicago, Illinois‎ (2 C, 286 P)
5. Washington, D.C.‎ (1 C, 238 P)
6. New Orleans, Louisiana‎ (1 C, 128 P)
7. Miami, Florida‎ (116 P)
8. Boston, Massachusetts‎ (1 C, 92 P - TIE)
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania‎ (2 C, 91 P - TIE)

[IconRPCV]

San Francisco in the 70's was were it was. I remember watching, "What's Up Doc?", and "Foul Play" and wanting to go there. I really didn't see the movies till the 80's but they are ingrained in my brain and are part of why I love SF.

And cornering LA, there are so many films, most of which have not a clue as to what it is really like here. One director that does well in capturing the feel of LA is Paul Anderson, any of his films really captures the feel and place of LA, my favorite being, "Magnolia". "Hail Ceasar" and "LA Confidential" really show LA's Golden Age of Hollywood well.

I love that SD gets destroyed by a T-Rex in "Jurassic Park 2"

[chris08876]

I think some cities have it good! NY has been the site of much destruction and gloom.

We have to deal with alien invasions, asteroids (they just happen to hit here), and Tsunamis. Not to mention all of the villains seem to always come here. Good news is that we have superman and spiderman along with a bunch others to protect us, but still. It's not all fine and dandy here!

Not to mention that Manhattan was once a giant maximum security prison. Lots went down here. But hey, if you have a neighbor that's a problem, we do have the Goodfellas. Joe Pesci will straighten him out in no time.

Just don't ask him if he's funny. He doesn't like that.

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[pdxtex]

as a kid growing up in snowy rural ann arbor, anything depicting sunny, suburban california seemed like the ideal life. mall culture of the 80s was definitely showcased in film. there are lots of movies that show a city in a positive light though. every single john hughes movie is an homage to north chicago lake communities, the blues brothers is the absolute finest chicago tribute film too. gus van sants dirty portland of the 70s and 80s is mostly true. not dangerous though, just gritty and a little seedy. even dirty harry movies are a tribute to SF. sure they are complete exploitation films but they love that cities backdrop......midnight in the garden of good and evil is a good city specific film too. savannah seems neat.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

as a kid growing up in snowy rural ann arbor, anything depicting sunny, suburban california seemed like the ideal life. mall culture of the 80s was definitely showcased in film. there are lots of movies that show a city in a positive light though. every single john hughes movie is an homage to north chicago lake communities, the blues brothers is the absolute finest chicago tribute film too. gus van sants dirty portland of the 70s and 80s is mostly true. not dangerous though, just gritty and a little seedy. even dirty harry movies are a tribute to SF. sure they are complete exploitation films but they love that cities backdrop......midnight in the garden of good and evil is a good city specific film too. savannah seems neat.

And Savannah is totally neat.

[hauntedheadnc]

Despite the fact that we are the anti-Charlotte, Asheville pretends to be Charlotte in Masterminds.

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In Anywhere USA we pretended to be ourself.

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[ThePhun1]

67 movies set in Houston? Most of them must have been Westerns. Off the top of my head there was Urban Cowboy, Jason's Lyric and Independence Day (one scene) and that's it. I'm sure someone else can add two or three and I know of at least one Western set in Galveston but that's it.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

67 movies set in Houston? Most of them must have been Westerns. Off the top of my head there was Urban Cowboy, Jason's Lyric and Independence Day (one scene) and that's it. I'm sure someone else can add two or three and I know of at least one Western set in Galveston but that's it.

Westerns? Here?

Terms of Endearment/ Evening Star, Logan's Run, Sidekicks...

plus all the movies where NASA played a major role...

[Buckeye Native 001]

That movie staring Jeff Bridges where he played the country singer (he won an Oscar for it) was filmed in Houston. Was it called Crazy Heart? I can't remember but there were several scenes filmed in the underground tunnels of downtown.

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

That movie staring Jeff Bridges where he played the country singer (he won an Oscar for it) was filmed in Houston. Was it called Crazy Heart? I can't remember but there were several scenes filmed in the underground tunnels of downtown.

Being filmed in Houston is one thing and the list changes because of that with movies such as Robocop (or at least one in the series) and the MC Hammer movie. But movies set in Houston? 67? The number is mindnumbing though I forgot about the NASA connection, which adds movies such as Armageddon, Mission to Mars, Red Planet and Deep Impact.

That said, that barely counts to me and is more like a government agency being featured in a movie. Plus, most of those movies aren't primarily set in Houston. The TV show Reba counts more even if it wasn't filmed in the city and was merely a loose representation of Houston while Jason's Lyric is the most extreme version, as it presented the city as if it were a tight urban environment and slightly overexaggerated the country mindset of the people (though there are some country/urban people like that around here). I'd have to see that list, 67 seems a bit high. Not that I've seen close to every movie, I'm not a pop culture buff but I can only reasonbly assume that either list is full of Westerns or includes movies filmed in Houston, if not both.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

67 movies set in Houston? Most of them must have been Westerns. Off the top of my head there was Urban Cowboy, Jason's Lyric and Independence Day (one scene) and that's it. I'm sure someone else can add two or three and I know of at least one Western set in Galveston but that's it.

Reality Bites?

Loved that movie.

[Flyers2001]

"Rocky" defines Philadelphia and shows what a city of neighborhoods we have here. The running scene through the Italian Market to the Art Museum Stairs is a memorable moment. Rocky shot in 1976 during the "Gentlemen's Agreement" in which no building would be taller than William Penn's Hat on City Hall, shows some skyline shots that are almost not recognizable today. Philadelphia is still a city of neighborhoods, but a much expanding and taller center city.

Some fun facts about Rocky. It was made on budget for a little over 1 million dollars, but earned $225 million in the global box office. It was shot in 28 days. The film has spawned 6 sequels and counting...

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Movies are a great source of tourism promotion for the cities listed. I'd say movies, and music.

Did you watch the one i posted? Better than any tourism video.