What the hell New York magazine?
I
love you,
but
these lists in your current issue
suck like your mother.
I know I
haven't been here
long,
but here are my
better (okay, so more recent)movie/tv picks that are often overlooked:
THE CRITIC (1994-1995):
The Critic, Jay Sherman is a cranky, opinionated yet funny and lovable blob. It was extremely well written (hey, even Judd Apatow wrote a few episodes) and featured one of the best opening sequences on TV that captured New York perfectly. Jay is always torn between his passion and what he has to do to make a buck. What New Yorker doesn't feel that way?
THE CRUISE (1998):
The first of three documentaries, which may seem like cheating, but think of how many documentaries and new movies you see take place New York. How often are those things reflective of the actual city? Never; that's why tourists get all confused. But if you were a lucky tourist you would have gotten a tour by Timothy "Speed" Levitch who narrates the city in a turning place between nostalgia for the past and excitement for the future.
I LIKE KILLING FLIES (2004) AND BOOK WARS (2000):
Killing Flies documents Greenwich Village's
Shopsin's - which isn't there anymore; its been forced to move to an even smaller home. It is (was) a small hole in the wall owned by one of the most eccentric people that may have ever lived, Kenny Shopsin. The documentary follows Kenny and the "gang" as they move to their new home two block down. However, the shop is now in Essex Market (which is closer to me, but still doesn't give me the courage to go) because of skyrocketing rent.
Book Wars documents something uniquely New York, the book vendors near Washington Square Park and 6th Avenue, showing the difference in attitude between the two (and they are
way different). It shows the vendors and the patrons and their extreme book lust. Although neither of these two documentaries are particularly well made, they are still well crafted and passionate about their subjects.
DOWNTOWN 81 (1981):
We all know New York sorta sucked in the 70s and 80s but we also all know that the creativity in music and art was untouchable and unreproducible.
Downtown 81 captures it perfectly. Featuring the great Jean Michel Basquiat (one of the only painters/pop artists I can stand) and the best or the worst of the city. Basquiat roams the street hoping to sell a painting to get his apartment back and runs into friends as well as tags the city with his art and name. It features, well, everyone...no really, everyone. Unfortanely Basquiat died before being able to rerecord most of his lines, but Saul Williams (who is an amazing performer as well!) takes over the narration.
AFTER HOURS (1985):
How do you miss this one on great New York movies list? First, it features old school Soho when artists actually lived there and it was for real sketch and not just Ben Sherman produced sketch. It's the ultimate worse-night-ever story in a city where no one wants to help you and those that do, don't actually end up helping. One of the best scenes take place at the Spring Street station: the main character is just trying to get home but can't because the fair has skyrocketed
(sorry if the numbers aren't correct) from 80 cents to $1.50 - he tries to jump the bars and hilariously fails. Fab.
PI (1998) and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000):
Darren Aronofsky has a problem. A deep seeded problem that no one will ever cure but that makes for two great movies.
Pi, for me reflected the sort of Polanski-esq entrapment of the New York City apartment (oh my god, I said Polanski-esq -
shoot me!) and being trapped not only in ones surroundings, but also one's mind. Plus it features some Jewtastic moments (Kabbalah before it was cool
)!
Requiem made me, on a side note, want to vomit when I watched it. It takes place in Coney Island's forgotten sister Brighton Beach. It's brutal, dangerous, sickening, honest and (like the next movie) features people in the throws of excess and all the ugliness that comes with it.
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000):
Seriously, how could you have a New York list without this movie? Sure you had
Wall Street - "greed is good" and all that stuff, but come on! American Psycho takes that to a creative level beyond anything. And could you skip a movie that features a monologue about Whitney Houston when the guy is about to hatchet someone to death. Classic!
ELF (2003):
No really. Aside from the fact that it's more charming than a Brit at a bar in Chelsea, it's the classic
Midnight Cowboy, fish out of water story. A fish out of water story that couldn't take place anywhere else than New York. Yeah, it takes place in present day but it has these great little 1950s details. It features Amy Sedaris - the ultimate sign of pure awesomeness and some great advise like:
"If you see gum on the street, don't pick it up! It's not free candy."The two they got right:
KIDS (1995) and
25TH HOUR (2002).
Kids was Larry Clark's
Tulsa come to New York and he hasn't made anything as good since. 25th Hour is a great if not overlooked Spike Lee movie. Taking place right after September 11th and featuring one of the most haunting shots of the then recent destruction and Ed Norton delivers the best rant out living in a city and being forced to interact with people who don't know or want to know.
On the fence: movies I'm sure if they're great New York movies, or just take place in New York.
Bringing Out the Dead (1999),
Sudden Manhattan (2000),
Summer of Sam (1999) and
The Warriors (1979).
