Best movie about your home town or home state.

[jobycom]

I grew up in Mississippi. Most films about the state attack it as backwards, racist, etc. Obviously, there is some justification in that, but the stories are always about bad white men, stylized black people, and brutal crimes. And they always are from a white perspective. Good white guy battles bad white guy for the sake of po', helpless black folk--as though the whole state is white, and African Americans are some subspecies to protect, without a real story to tell. Two films which transcend that, mostly, are "In the Heat of the Night," and "A Time to Kill." Still, believe it or not, there is life in Mississippi outside of race crimes, and I can't think of a good film that captures it. Especially about the Coast, where I'm from.

Texas, where I live now. Many great ones, but my favorite is "Lone Star," which most people seem not to have seen. Kris Cooper, Elisabeth Pena, Kristoferson, McConaughey. It's about a sheriff in a small Texas border town trying to solve a forty year old murder and realizing his father may have committed the crime, all the while he is reigniting a childhood romance. The portrayal of race relations and politics in this town is the truest I've ever seen, and the last line is the most brilliant statement ever about Texas.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I know my hometown has no movies about it - and I can't think of any for Wisconsin

I'm sure there have been movies set in Wisconsin, but for the life of me, I can't remember any off hand.

Help, please!

[jobycom]

6. Hehe. How about Rodney Dangerfield's "Back to School?"

Found a list: http://www.onmilwaukee.com/movies/articles/wiscmovies.html

Best one that actually takes place in Wisconsin might be "The Paint Job." Will Patton, Robert Pastorelli... not brilliant, but a fun, disturbing little indie flick. Not very Robert Kincaide-ish.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. It was indeed filmed in Madison, but in the film it was elsewhere - New England, I think

At least, it seemed to me that they were trying to make it seem that the school was somewhere in New England.

I've never seen The Paint Job - I will try to find it!

[Jimbo S]

11. "The Godfather of Green Bay"

Hilarious indie that came out a couple of years ago.

[Rambis]

40. self delete

x

[AllegroRondo]

82. For Keeps - set in Kenosha

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Keeps%3F

not a very good film, though.

[PRETZEL]

2. I would venture maybe

"The Deer Hunter"

or perhaps "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh"

Tough choice:shrug:

[Dragonbreathp9d]

3. Rocky Horror Picture Show

Denton!








































































but its not denton tx....

[MissMillie]

4. too many to name

Amistad
Mystic River
A Civil Action

[jobycom]

8. Once again, the singularity of the concept of "best" is disposed of.

A reversal of Highlander: "There can NOT be only one!" :rofl:

[MissMillie]

9. ok then

I'll take a Civil Action off that list

I can't decide between Amistad and Mystic River. You pick.

[jobycom]

13. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Never saw either. Mystic River scared me. Movies involving fathers losing daughters give me uncontrolable nightmares.

I have heard of Amistad, but never saw it. Must have come out while I was a grad student. I didn't see many films back then.

I was just teasing, I hope you know. I listed more than one film, too. :)

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

20. I thought Amistad takes place in New Haven

and Mystic River in Boston.

Mystic Pizza, however, takes place in Mystic, CT.

[likesmountains 52]

5. That was a really great movie..

[jobycom]

29. Which one?

[likesmountains 52]

31. Lone Star..don't know why it never got much play...

[BarenakedLady]

7. Not a movie, but a cable TV show

Showtime's Brotherhood.

http://www.sho.com/site/brotherhood/home.do

[kwassa]

12. Yeah, but if you lived in Providence ....

The idea of an Irish mob is hilarious. The producers were afraid to make it Italian.

My neighbor cross the street used to hang out on Federal Hill and somehow befriended Raymond Patriarcha, head of the New England mafia, and would have beers with him.

We both went to college in Providence a long time ago.

[BarenakedLady]

16. Oh, I know.

It's still a great show though. The scenery and the accents (some are bettah than othahs, of course), makes me homesick.

I grew up in Warwick and I worked for the State for several years, I know the corruption.

Did you hear about the movie they want to make about Buddy Cianci? Oh dear.

[kwassa]

35. Buddy was like mayor for life

so you are from Wah-wick? yes there are some great accents there.

True story.

this guy said to me "Did you see the gods at the factory across the street?"

"Gods?"

"Yeah, gods."

"You mean like Buddha, Vishnu, Jehovah ..."

"No, gods with guns."

"OHHHHHHHH ...... you mean guards?"

"Am I that bad?"

[kwassa]

14. Nothing, outside of Baltimore, which has many films and shows

and only a small part of Maryland is Baltimore. Where I live is nothing like Balmer.

great television: Homicide, The Wire, The Corner

Movies: most of Barry Levinson, Diner, Tin Men, Avalon, Liberty Heights,

John Water's films like Hairspray, and Pink Flamingos.

OOPS!

Edit to correct for the one film shot in this area that went big:

The Blair Witch Project.

[BOSSHOG]

15. Rocky

I was born in Philadelphia and I think Rocky was a good visual portrayal of the city.

[Patiod]

21. Also "Stealing Home"

Not the best movie, but lots and lots of shots from right around where I grew up, near Chestnut Hill

[MrSlayer]

48. Heh. My dad has a full face close up in that movie.

I'm forced to watch any time it shows on HBO or whatever. It's pretty cool.

[Patiod]

73. That is so cool!

What scene?

I get a kick out of the scene where two people are talking at the bar at the old Wheel Pump Inn, sitting under a reproduction of Bouguereau's "Nymphs and Satyr". I can't TELL you how many evenings I sat under that same picture with friends from a theater group.

[MrSlayer]

94. When they are in the diner.

He's the cop sitting at the counter with a coffee. He also has a close-up in Mannequin 2.

[RebelOne]

17. My home state now is Georgia

Here are the top 10 films about Georgia.

www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Feature.jsp?id=s-63

Miami, FL was my hometown, but there are too many good films about that state to list.

[racaulk]

34. OMFG, I cannot believe that The Color Purple did not make that list!

:mad:

[northzax]

18. Goonies

Astoria and Cannon Beach, Oregon.

[fizzgig]

66. i have a pic of me in front of haystack rock

an ultimate pic for us 80s kids :D

and i love cannon beach...i found such peace there

[Fire Walk With Me]

19. Grosse Pointe Blank, because it's all true. Every minute of it.

Excepting the good 80s music. Exceptionally few folks there were into good 80s music. And you won't find a radio station on that street. And I didn't live in the rich areas depicted in the film. And you won't find minimarkets because they're against zoning, as is fast food. In fact, it was a hellish place of zombie-like proportions and bovine stares.

"We went down to the mall, and laughed at all the shoppers." -Dead Milkmen, "Punk Rock Girl"

"This world is full of clowns, who don't get my jokes." -Too Much Joy, "Clowns"

[jobycom]

23. Good movie.

It's in my collection, which is fairly small.

[skygazer]

22. Not many movies about my state

And none about my home town that I know of. There have been several movies filmed there but the only ones I know of that are about the state (or supposed to be set in the state) are Man With A Plan, which I heard was good but never saw and Where the Rivers Flow North which I did see and which was depressing but good.

[Gormy Cuss]

81. skygazer --- "Man With a Plan" is charming and funny.

If you ever do have a chance to see it, it'll bring you straight home. When I saw it I thought that he must be a relative because he acted and sounded so much like my older rural Maine relatives.

[Seashell Eyes]

24. The Wizard of Oz

:D Also Nurse Betty, which has some scenes of Kansas in it. It also mentions the rotating restaurant and has this great quote: "What could some cornbread white bitch from Kansas who's dragging our sorry asses up and down the Louisiana Purchase possibly mean to you?"

[Sequoia]

25. "Heat of the Night" is great.

Rod Steiger is one great actor as is "They call me Mr. Tibbs."

[onager]

26. Deliverance

:evilgrin:

Though mostly about Georgia, much of it was filmed in Upstate South Carolina, about 15-20 miles from where I grew up. The construction...or destruction...you see in the movie was real, and underway during the filming. Miles and miles of beautiful foothill/mountain vistas were about to go underwater in a massive reservoir project.

When people ask where I'm from, I like to tell them: "Just exit Interstate 85 North and drive 'till you hear 'Dueling Banjos.'"

George Clooney recently shot part of Leatherheads in Anderson, SC, also not far from where I grew up.

Anderson was also the location for Radio a few years ago. That story was centered on T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, which several of my relatives attended.

[jobycom]

28. Speaking of George Clooney, I just thought of another one for Mississippi

How could I forget "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?"

[Twillig]

89. I think every state has 'Banjo-land'

I know Oregon does.

[BlueIris]

27. "One Flew Over The Cuck-Coo's Nest." nt

[JTG of the PRB]

30. The Shining.

Part of it takes place in Boulder with actual FOOTAGE of Boulder back in the 70's, and the rest takes place in the Rocky Mountains.

It's not really ABOUT Colorado; more about, you know, murder and insanity and ghosts. But it's the best that I KNOW of that takes place in Colorado.

[ceile]

32. None about my hometown, but many were made there

including "Terms of Endearment" and "Rushmore". But where I live now-I would definitely have to go with "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused". Both of those movies have Austin down to a tee.

[jobycom]

36. I didn't like Dazed and Confused much.

It was cute, but I didn't think it deserved the buzz it's gotten. It was a low budget, weakly written, poorly directed American Grafitti in the 70s instead of 50s. At least, to me. It did amuse my daughter to see her hometown in film--especially Zilker Park and Top Notch Burgers.

I've never seen Slacker. I figure I can just look in the mirror for that. :)

[ceile]

42. Slacker is.....well, odd.

He (Richard Linklater) just kinda follows a select few around town. They go visit their friends, go eat.....but he picked some major characters. I'm trying to remember if it was scripted at all or just pure ad lib...anyhoo, it's definitely worth renting if you can find it.

[Burma Jones]

33. Pink Flamingos and Diner offer diverse views of Maryland

But that's up near Balmer Hon.....

My part of Maryland is not the stuff of Moviedom.....from Wikipedia:

Montgomery County of the U.S. state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington, D.C. and Southwest of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the nation<1>, and has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years old that hold an advanced degree.<2> The county seat is Rockville and the largest municipality is the city of Gaithersburg. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, the most populous of which is Silver Spring. It is a part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.

Montgomery County is an important business and research center. Along with the rest of the state of Maryland, Montgomery County is the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region. The county is the third largest biotechnology cluster in the nation, holding the principal cluster and companies of large corporate size in the state.

Much research is done in the county through institutions like Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery County Campus (JHU MCC), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the University of Maryland.

Many large firms are based in the county. Discovery Communications, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Host Marriott, Robert Louis Johnson Companies (RLJ Cos), Choice Hotels, MedImmune, Chevy Chase Bank, TV One, BAE Systems Inc, Hughes Network Systems, and GEICO are just a few of the large and popular firms headquartered in Montgomery County.

There are also several government agencies that are based in Montgomery County including, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring are the largest urban business hubs in the county; combined, they rival many major city cores.


We're boring, liberal as all get out, but really boring.

[bluethruandthru]

47. Hey...I'm not boring!

It's my county too! :hi:

[Burma Jones]

90. I wouldn't live anywhere else.....

But, Manhattan we ain't......

[TZ]

79. Nice list..I don't think we are boring...

Considering that on that list is both my previous non-temp job and my current employer....
Montgomery county rocks...and we have real life drama...wasn't there a made for TV movie about the serial sniper?

[Burma Jones]

88. Well, OK, maybe not so boring. We were living in NY during the sniper spree

I grew up here and always compared the DC area with Baltimore and NYC. From 1983 to 1996 I lived in Silver Spring/Takoma Park, back when it was good and funky and before all this Silver Sprung stuff.

And I am very happy to live here in predictable, well governed and reliable Montgomery County

[Bjornsdotter]

37. The Blues Brothers

...and Chicago's finest.

Cheers

[volstork]

38. Altman's "Nashville" n/t

[philosophie_en_rose]

39. 10 Things I Hate About You

:shrug:

I can't think of other movies set in Seattle.

[NancyBreen]

65. Sleepless in Seattle

[philosophie_en_rose]

76. I didn't like that one, though.

:)

[XemaSab]

41. Arachnophobia

:hide:

(The only film that has *a scene* shot in Shasta County is "Stand by Me." Yes, the scene on the trestle.)

[MnFats]

43. "Fargo" was a pretty good deal for us.

you betcha.

[SaveElmer]

44. I believe it is ...Heckuva Deal...

Oh yaaaa!!!

[Love Bug]

87. I prefer "Grumpy Old Men," myself

[GOPisEvil]

45. Come on, the best movie with Austin in it is "Nadine".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093596/

;)

[jobycom]

61. Never saw it, but maybe you can remember another film I was trying to recall.

I don't know if it was officially set in Austin, but it was filmed here, and had something to do with vampires. I swear I think it starred Johnny Depp, back when he was making bad vampire movies, but I'm not sure on that.

Thought of it for another reason, and I've been scanning Johnny Depp films on IMDB, and can't recognize it. Maybe it was someone else who reminded me of him. Would have been late 80s, maybe 90 or 91.

[PassingFair]

46. Detroit 9000

A couple of people I know are IN this movie!

Good for a laugh!

[Blue_Roses]

49. "Steel Magnolias" by far in Louisiana!

I remember when they filmed it.

[Lethe]

50. Texas Chainsaw Massacre!!!

eh, on second thought maybe Dazed and Confused

[Contrary1]

51. Indiana:

Can't decide between "Hoosiers" and "A Christmas Story".

[SoCalDem]

52. "Picnic" was shot (parts of it) in my hometown..

The "mansion".. I have been in that house,..a grandparent of a high school friend lived there.:)

[cynatnite]

53. Grapes of Wrath...

I spent most of my growing up years in Oklahoma. This movie is one of my favorite movies. My mother hates this movie because she felt it made Oklahomans look bad. Can't convince her otherwise. She'd pick the musical Oklahoma, but I've never cared for it all that much.

For it's time, I think this movie was right on. The book even more so. 'Of Mice and Men' is my favorite of Steinbeck's, but this book was pretty good, too. Still keep both within easy reach on my bookshelf. I've read them several times over the years.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

70. bad movie, EXCELLENT book

[enigmatic]

54. "Stranger Than Paradise"

Clevo never looked more realistic than in the middle part of the film:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Than_Paradise

Celia Stark as Aunt Lottie should have won an Oscar for her role...

[pokerfan]

55. Vision Quest and Benny & Joon

off the top of my head

[KitchenWitch]

56. Grumpy Old Men!

Laughed my ASS off.

[jobycom]

59. You know now someone will start another thread...

"Help KitchenWitch find her ass!"

[KitchenWitch]

60. *snerk*

:spray:

[jobycom]

62. Or

"Who has seen KitchenWitch's ass?"

[KitchenWitch]

63. Just as long as there are no "skin boat to tuna town" comments!

:rofl:

[Maddy McCall]

57. I'm a Texassippian, too. MS: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" TX: "Giant"

"O Brother" was filmed in Mississippi, and is one of my all time favorite movies.

And "Giant" is my all-time favorite movie about my native state.

[jobycom]

58. Have you seen "Lone Star?"

Just for comparison. I've never seen "Giant." It's always on my back burner.

Didn't know you were from Texas.

[Maddy McCall]

68. Born in San Antonio, raised in Janis Joplin's back yard (Port Arthur).

I haven't seen Lone Star...I'll see if I can find it.

You must see Giant--just be sure to set aside a whole evening to watch it. It's looong, but just a great movie.

[jobycom]

77. I'm adding to netflix as soon as a post this.

:)

[EFerrari]

64. "Cannery Row"

[fizzgig]

67. cannibal: the musical

laughed myself stupid watching that movie

:rofl:

[Bryan]

69. For Colorado? Probably "Cannibal: The Musical"

The classic docudrama/musical comedy about 19th-century cannibal Alferd Packer, made as a student film by the South Park guys when they were CU students.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal_the_musical

It's the quintessential Colorado film: winters are brutal, money is scarce, and Republicans are irremediably depraved (the judge at Packer's manslaughter trial allegedly declared "There was only seven Democrats in Hinsdale County and you done et five of them.").

[Dragonbreathp9d]

71. I used to live in VA so:

Donnie Darko

[kernelfarmer]

72. Is this heaven?......

No, it's Iowa.

Field of Dreams!

[formerrepuke]

74. Ohio: "Silence of the Lambs" or "Gummo"... both filmed elsewhere,

but highlight the psycho white-trash cracker hordes that make this place such a *challenging* place to live.

[stuntcat]

75. "Blue Velvet"

Blue Velvet is set in Lumberton, they use "Lumberton" signs, but the film was shot in Wilmington NC, a couple of hours East of Lumberton.

[azmouse]

78. Raising Arizona

Some great desert scenery and I knew someone from the movie.

[TZ]

80. Well technically the city I was born in doesn't have a great

movie I can think of, but it *does* have an old funny TV show that everybody knows: WKRP in Cincinnati!:)

[buddhamama]

83. Mystic Pizza

[DS1]

84. Clerks

[Gormy Cuss]

85. "Empire Falls" is a pretty good depiction of small town Maine.

It's about a decaying town with lots of pride and sense of place. I have a soft spot for "The Whales of August" (great cast: Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Ann Sothern, Vincent Price) because it was shot in an area that I know well (Cliff Island near Portland.) It's about long time summer people in a year-round island community.

For my longtime adopted home, the Boston area, I'd say that "Mystic River" captured the dynamic of the older neighborhoods in and around the city.

[sakabatou]

86. What film has done a California film?

[ghostsofgiants]

91. The Shipping News, I guess.

The only other one I know is The Rowdyman, but I've seen neither.

[momophile]

92. 'Centennial' for Colorado, hands down

the nearly 24-hour long, 1970s mini-series based on the Michener book by the same name. starring the king of mini-series himself - Richard Chamberland. as well as so many other great actors/actresses. I just finished watching it with co-workers a couple of weeks ago. the millionth time I've seen it. seems like it was played on tv every six months when I was a kid.

[Initech]

93. The Big Lebowski

No film character does a better job of defining L.A. slackerdom than The Dude does!

[Taverner]

96. Hell, that movie captures CALIFORNIA

Not just LA!

We got life above the 'vine buddy!

Just kidding

[Initech]

98. It not only stars Jeff Bridges but another L.A. icon...

Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers! :smoke:

[Taverner]

95. LA Story, Crash, Short Cuts, The Graduate

Yeah I know I dissed Crash in an earlier thread, but it wasn't a bad movie, and it captured LA's tribalism pretty well. I just don't think it lived up to expectations.

[Aristus]

97. "Singles" is a terrific movie set in Seattle. "I Love You To Death"

is a hilarious film set in Tacoma. Lots of fun to watch.

[Felix Mala]

99. Hoosiers - (Although I'm in the race crowd in Breaking Away...)

The gray skies, the wet, the mud during sectional time, what we call Hoosier Hysteria... Of course, they ruined it all with class basketball...

[soleft]

100. Atlantic City

I'm still waiting for Danny Davito to make a movie about Asbury Park.

[Strawman]

101. I liked Zebrahead (Detroit)

Michael Rappaport was in it. It is set in the 1980's or early 1990's. The film came out in 1992 I think. It was about an inter-racial relationship between two teens in Detroit. It was well done and I'm pretty sure it was filmed in Detroit.