STALLONE GUNNED DOWN DURING DEER HUNT? The top-rated movie (based on IMDb) set in each of the fifty states.
[Quick criticisms: Indiana should get Hoosiers or Breaking Away, not Christmas Story. Give Primary Colors to Arkansas over Sling Blade; for Florida, I prefer Out of Sight to Scarface.]
Remember that, according to imdb rankings, The Shawshank Redemption is the greatest film ever made. Whereas in reality, it's not even the greatest movie released that day. (Based on imdb's listed release date of 10/14/94.)
ReplyDeleteThey couldn't find a better one for North Dakota? Isn't Fargo set entirely in Minnesota but for the opening scene?
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to see The Straight Story beat out Field of Dreams for Iowa. For Pennsylvania, I'm not terribly surprised that The Deer Hunter is top-rated, but I personally would rank Rocky, Trading Places, and Philadelphia ahead of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso: Sixth Sense, Bob Roberts?
ReplyDeleteI think the release date is 9/23/94, but otherwise I hope you mean "Hoop Dreams" instead of that nihilistic awfulness of Pulp Fiction (which I really enjoyed the first time, but later regretted enjoying.)
ReplyDeleteIs it weird that The Station Agent may be my favorite NJ-set film? Am I forgetting something obvious?
ReplyDeleteClerks?
ReplyDeleteI was referring to Pulp Fiction, but Hoop Dreams absolutely works as well. And yes, I see that imdb offers up different release dates for Shawshank - the one on the main page was 10/14, so that was the one I went with. (Also, wikipedia lists 10/14 for PF and SR, which was where I initially saw the release dates.)
ReplyDelete(Though it's kind of splitting hairs. The point remains that The Shawshank Redemption is not the greatest film ever made.)
Well, Chasing Amy. Also anything set at Princeton (though I prefer IQ to A Beautiful Mind), Welcome to the Dollhouse, Lean On Me, Harold & Kumar?
ReplyDeleteI cannot quibble with the choice for Illinois. One of my favorite movies, and if the Illinois movie has to be about corruption and crime (and really, it was as guaranteed to be about crime as the Maine movie was guaranteed to be a King adaptation) then at least they chose crime and corruption that is pretty look look at and listen to, and charming as hell.
ReplyDeleteI can quibble. Why not The Fugitive, The Blues Brothers, or Ferris Bueller's Day Off?
ReplyDeleteOr The Untouchables.
ReplyDeleteWell sure, if you want to make lists of great movies about Illinois, they're all on it. But if you have to pick just one, none hold a candle to The Sting. The Sting is a brilliant piece of moviemaking, where everything - acting, script, story, cinematography, costumes, and music (by G-d, the music) comes together to create a perfect whole. It's genius on every level, down to the smallest role and tiniest detail.
ReplyDeleteNot to slight the other three (though I've never been as fond of the Fugitive as you are), which are all excellent. And I love Ferris and Blues Brothers as much as the next guy. But they're not on the same level as The Sting.
Never saw 50/50, but how did it beat Singles for Washington?
ReplyDeleteBecause Singles didn't listen to Xavier McDaniel, and should've waited longer to come out.
ReplyDeleteBest. Cameo. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI believe the majority of it is set around Fargo, except for Marge's little trip to the Twin Cities and some other things.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of ratings, I'm surprised Hoop Dreams isn't ahead there.
ReplyDeleteAnd Twilight!
ReplyDeleteMarge is from Brainerd, MN, which is about halfway between the Twin Cities and Fargo, and Jerry Lundegard is from Minneapolis, so almost the whole movie takes place in those two locations. I had forgotten this, but according to Wikipedia, Lundegard is arrested outside of Bismarck, ND. So I guess that makes it the first and last scenes in ND.
ReplyDeleteWell, my remembrance was wrong! Honestly, it still might be the best choice, unless you think Leprechaun should be it.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_set_in_North_Dakota
Is Fargo the Minnesota movie with multiple performances by Morris Day and the Time? Because I like that one.
ReplyDeleteWell, is philadelphia really PA?
ReplyDeleteSo, you assume primary colors is based on bill Clinton?
ReplyDeleteI think of Philadelphia as the spiritual capital of New Jersey and I would choose Rocky or Trading Places over Deer Hunter.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on SotL not fitting Maryland; Diner would be another great choice.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad that my home state's movie (Inherit the Wind) represents one of the low points in our history. And my current state's (Gone with the Wind) isn't much better. Actually, all of the states around me don't fare so well: Racism, slavery, military brutality, etc.
ReplyDelete