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

[Acajack]

OK so most of us on here are city-lovers at least to some degree.

So I was wondering if there any movies that played a role in developing your interest in and appreciation for cities.

Actually, it can be cities in general, or one city in particular.

[Acajack]

Here is one for me.

After Hours by Martin Scorsese. With Griffin Dunne.

This is an under-appreciated Scorsese film but as youth I was totally fascinated by the multiple "realities" on display (and often crashing into each other) at night in a big city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZzb_6LtMjY

(This trailer doesn't really do it justice IMO.)

[JManc]

Blade Runner. LA as a hyper dense city was as much as central figure as the human characters were. Sparked my interest in cities.

[MolsonExport]

Taxi Driver (1976). NYC during the summer of 1975. the grit, the shit, and the extremely interesting urban fabric of the city during those troubled times.


http://www.themoviedistrict.com/taxi-driver/

Even earlier, I was enthralled with the fictional cityscape scenes as a pre-teen watching Fritz Lang's silent film masterpiece, Metropolis (1927).

filmwalrus

[dc_denizen]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Even earlier, I was enthralled with the fictional cityscape scenes as a pre-teen watching Fritz Lang's silent film masterpiece, Metropolis (1927).

also had a nice score.

• Video Link

In an interview, Fritz Lang reported that "the film was born from my first sight of the skyscrapers in New York in October 1924". He had visited New York City for the first time and remarked "I looked into the streets—the glaring lights and the tall buildings—and there I conceived Metropolis,"[15] although in actuality Lang and Harbou had been at work on the idea for over a year.[2] Describing his first impressions of the city, Lang said that "the buildings seemed to be a vertical sail, scintillating and very light, a luxurious backdrop, suspended in the dark sky to dazzle, distract and hypnotize".[16] He added "The sight of Neuyork [sic] alone should be enough to turn this beacon of beauty into the center of a film..."[15]

[montréaliste]

Bullitt for San Francisco,
The French Connection for NYC

An honorary award for "Paper Moon" for Peter Bogdonovich's splendid depiction of St Joseph Missouri and all the small towns thereabout. His then wife Polly Platt was the Poroduction designer.

[iheartthed]

Off the top of my head and in no particular order:

Home Alone 2 - It's like a time machine. I compare current Manhattan with 1990s Manhattan each time I watch it.

Crooklyn - I think it's the best movie Spike Lee has ever made. It was a perfect love letter to 1970s Brooklyn.

City of God - I was sold on Rio de Janeiro from the moment I saw it.

Die Hard with a Vengeance - Also some great shots of 1990s Manhattan.

Falling Down - 1990s L.A. in a nutshell. Especially liked the scenes in Venice and Santa Monica.

Beverly Hills Cop - Incredible shots of 1980s grit in Detroit. Also great juxtaposition of Detroit grit with 1980s high society culture of L.A./Beverly Hills. Now that I think about it, this might have been the first of the wave of movies/TV shows focused on L.A./Beverly Hills high society, such as Troop Beverly Hills, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, 90210, Clueless, etc.

Black Panther - I saw this movie about just a couple months after returning from Busan, so many of the locations were still fresh in my mind.

Any Mission Impossible movie for major European capitals, particularly Prague.

Any Bourne movie for major European capitals, particularly Berlin.

Any Bond movie since the 90s for major European tourist destinations, particularly London.

[ilcapo]

Movies such as 25th hour and Bone Collector made me fell in love with New York.
Several other movies aswell, but there was something particular about these for some reason.


Danish movie "Pusher" made me interested in Copenhagen and Football Factory to London. Oh and the tv series Sherlock aswell.

As you can tell im drawn to a specific genre and these movies would probably make most people negative to these cities.

[Buckeye Native 001]

To Live and Die in LA is one of my favorite movies and it shows off some of the seedier and more industrial parts of Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Pedro. So much so that I made a deliberate effort to drive across the Vincent Thomas Bridge whenever I was in the area.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Moonstruck - 80's New York. Not only my favorite movie, but such a rich detail of 80's New York...

Adventures in Babysitting - 80's Chicago. This one is a real adventure around the Chicago cityscape. Chicago was presented as modern, affluent AND gritty. Those skyscraper top scenes are worth watching alone.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 80's Chicago. Very similar to Adventures in Babysitting, but with more focus on high school kid shenanigans. I used to live for the parade scene in downtown Chicago...

[jd3189]

So many for New York. West Side Story. Spike Lee’s movies. The Godfather, Home Alone 2, etc.


The Little Rascals for LA


Scarface for Miami

[ThePhun1]

Not a movie but playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was blast, as I loved their simulations of LA, San Francisco, Vegas and even the areas in between to an extent.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by ilcapo

Movies such as 25th hour and Bone Collector made me fell in love with New York.
Several other movies aswell, but there was something particular about these for some reason.


Danish movie "Pusher" made me interested in Copenhagen and Football Factory to London. Oh and the tv series Sherlock aswell.

As you can tell im drawn to a specific genre and these movies would probably make most people negative to these cities.

The studio scenes for Bone Collector were all shot in Montreal. I should know, I worked on that movie...

[MolsonExport]

"The Score" (2001, starring de Niro, Norton, and Brando, Directed by Frank Oz) was actually set in Montreal. One scene was filmed at my then-girlfriend's parent's mansion in Senneville (West Island suburbs of Montreal). I watched them set up and take down the scene.




cultmontreal, the movie district

[softee]

Most of Woody Allen's movies with New York as the co-star, especially Manhattan and Annie Hall.

Do The Right Thing for the Brooklyn late 80s grit.

Blade Runner for the futuristic claustrophobic rain soaked L.A.

Ghostbusters for a more positive 80s version of New York.

The three Sam Raimi Spiderman movies for more New York goodness.

Police Academy and Adventures in Babysitting because they were both shot in 1980s Toronto and had lots of cool gritty street scenes (playing an unnamed American Metropolis and Chicago).

Beverly Hills Cop just for the opening sequence in mid 1980s Detroit.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the awesome aerial shots of Chicago with the cool music.

[ue]

...

[muppet]

It's interesting to note some cities that inspired generations were actually shot or based on other cities.

Bladerunner was a vision based on Ridley Scott's experience of the heaving, neon-lit nightlife of Tokyo in the rain.


https://architexturez.net/pst/az-cf-179184-1464783198


World War Z just mentioned was shot in Glasgow


https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/g...-city-12596410

[muppet]

Monsoon Wedding -Delhi


http://moviescreenshots.blogspot.com...ding-2001.html


Dr Zhivago - Moscow ( I think most of these were sets built in Spain)


https://www.facebook.com/20612650574...1278394099290/


Last Emperor - Beijing


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liUd2tukV3E

Q The Winged Serpent - 70s NYC



Lost in Translation - Tokyo


https://www.ourgoldenage.com.au/film...in-translation

Babel - Tokyo




Trainspotting - Edinburgh (it's meant to be set in Glasgow though)

[jd3189]

Tokyo really looked like the future back then.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

"The Score" (2001, starring de Niro, Norton, and Brando, Directed by Frank Oz) was actually set in Montreal. One scene was filmed at my then-girlfriend's parent's mansion in Senneville (West Island suburbs of Montreal). I watched them set up and take down the scene.




cultmontreal, the movie district

I had friends who worked on The Score while I worked on "Heist" a David Mamet picture with Gene Hackman and Danny de Vito, both were shot simultaneously.
Heist was set in Boston but entirely shot in Montreal. While downtown and Old Montreal could pass for Boston, our use of Pointe-St-Charles, ou old Irish neighborhood for Southie was stretching it, architecturally speaking...