What makes a strong New York movie? What stands out, like the city itself, is often unpredictable and a little shabby around the edges, sometimes infuriating but always compelling.
of Tribeca Festivalwill run from Wednesday through June 18, and from the beginning we’ve loved this kind of production, with a focus on celebrating films set in backyards. This year, one such film produced by one of the festival’s founders will be screened.
Robert De Niro’s directorial debut, A Bronx Tale (1993) Closing out the festival with a 30th anniversary screening De Niro and the film’s screenwriter and co-star Chaz Palminteri, from the Bronx, are expected to attend. The film pays homage to the locales in which much of it is set, and De Niro brings his knowledge to the material.
The festival is proud to be a local festival, and it’s a fitting time to reflect on the memorable ways movies have played a vital role in New York City. Below, in alphabetical order, are 10 notable films that helped capture the warts and all of this city.
This dark comedy, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a dynamic example of a one-night stand that ushers in a wave of late-night mishaps sweeping through Soho. Griffin Dunn brings the right amount of pathos to office worker Paul Hackett, whose overnight journey begins with a near-disastrous taxi ride and goes downhill from there. Anyone who has stayed out late in New York City and knows how weird things can get can relate.
The story of this film (written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze) is that of a puppeteer who finds a portal into John Malkovich’s consciousness, but is so original that it sometimes unfolds itself before your eyes. feels like it was invented. But more than that, the film does a good job of showcasing the city’s quirky side. His seven-and-a-half-floor ceiling in an office building is so low that you can’t reach it without using elevator timings and crowbars, but it’s a great visual gag and tries to find one that’s affordable on its own. It reflects the process. Urban Housing: Tried and failed, mostly. The movie does a good job of the New Jersey Turnpike joke.
Be careful when it’s hot in the city. Set on a sweltering summer day, Spike Lee’s masterpiece focuses on the boiling racial tensions among residents of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. But as dark as it is, it’s also a love letter to the city’s richness of character and sass. Its characters include smooth-talking Mookie (Mr. Lee), sly DJ Chronicle’s Mr. Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson), daring Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), and disgruntled This includes the pizzeria owner Sal (Danny Aiello). Many others who continue to push the energy of this film to breaking point.
Speaking of summer heat, Al Pacino in the sweaty, off world creates plenty of heat of his own in this nervy rattle from Sidney Lumet. Chaos is home to a character named Sonny (Mr. Pacino) who robs a Brooklyn bank and sets the screen on fire along the way. Over the years, the actor has taken hits for over-hyping (“whoa”) in some of his performances. But here, more than enough. The city is certainly a place to find spectacle, and Mr. Pacino is working overtime to deliver it.
From the songs to the engaging performances to the overall atmosphere, John M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Chiara Alegria Hudes’ Broadway musical is lively and moving. target. Using the Washington Heights neighborhood as its canvas, the film paints a breathtaking portrait of the city through dynamically choreographed numbers and surreal flights of fantasy. A Busby Berkeley-inspired scene at a city pool and a serene sequence in which his two characters dance just above the exterior walls of an apartment building capture the wonder that lurks on every corner of the city.
Nicole Holofcener’s error comedy has dark and funny moments that I often think about. The main character, Kate (Catherine Keener), sees a black man in a ski cap standing outside a nice restaurant. She felt he must be homeless, so she offered him her own doggy bag. He told her he was waiting for a table. Ms. Holofcener is great at portraying these New Yorkers who think they’re doing the right thing, but are often wrong. The tension between compassion and entitlement drives this thoughtful function.
Places like New York can be challenging, but they can also be overwhelming. Nowhere is this more apparent than in British director Steve McQueen’s story of a sex-obsessed city dweller (Michael Fassbender). The film’s Manhattan melancholy is embodied in a slow, sadly melancholy magical rendition of “New York, New York” performed by Mr. Fassbender’s co-star Carey Mulligan. Sometimes being able to spend time away from it helps to get involved.
The multi-layered performances of Kandinsky and Stockard Channing, who are ambidextrous, are transformed by college kids and the elites of New York’s Upper East Side, who claim to be friends with a young man named Paul (Will Smith). inspire the bitter tale of Son of Sidney Poitier. It’s a sharp, satirical portrayal of the ways wealth and class can negatively affect relationships.
At the beginning of Scorsese’s film, Travis Bickle (De Niro) says irritatedly, “All the animals come out at night.” What he thinks are bugs are actually the hallmarks of this nightmarish tale by Paul Schroeder, making the city beat with irresistible vibrancy and vigor. Mr. De Niro is fascinating as both our city guide and our conscience. And Bernard Herrmann’s score brings epic technique to all the madness.
Lee Quinones (and A retrospective screening will be held during the festival), directed by Charlie Ahern, this film captures the throbbing soul of early 1980s New York with its lovingly graffitied subway cars and delightful hip-hop beats. The party that concludes the movie is sure to impress you.
