|
Movie critic has been running a weekly series about readers' favorite New York movies. Previous topics have included best movie, best love story and best director. Last week she asked readers to name their "guilty pleasures".
I sent her an email, and my choice made this week's column.
| These New York films are your favorite guilty pleasures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having spent months praising the best of New York film, we thought it might be time to set our sights just a little lower. You know, toward the movies you put on when it's just you and a pint of Haagen-Dazs (or a bottle of Scotch, since that's what it might take to get through a few of the suggestions below).
If we've learned anything from writing today's column, it is this: You never, ever have to feel ashamed of your guilty pleasures, because there is always someone else out there watching "Can't Stop the Music" whenever it's on cable.
Like, for example, Jack Tomai. "I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I really enjoy this silly movie," he confesses, about Nancy Walker's 1980 disco extravaganza. That's okay, Jack; you're not alone. "There is very little logic to 'Can't Stop the Music,'" agrees Robert Friedman, "but despite its flaws, it really is a nostalgia trip. It's loaded with '70s sensibilities, and some really weird musical numbers. Plus you've got Bruce Jenner in Daisy Dukes, and the opening sequence features Steve Guttenberg roller-skating through New York. It's an idiotic delight!"
Mike Schaeffer suggests "China Girl" and "Ms. 45," "a double dose of bad vibes courtesy of NYC maverick Abel Ferrara." He also likes "Report to the Commissioner," noting that "my favorite scene may be the one where Richard Gere, playing a sleazy Times Square hustler, is pistol-whipped by enraged detective Michael Moriarty. Trust me. Giggling will ensue."
Moriarty shows up again in Steve Mitchell's pick, the Larry Cohen cult fave "Q: The Winged Serpent." "It takes a very special filmmaker to tell the story of a giant Aztec demon plucking topless sunbathers off the rooftops of Manhattan high rises," Mitchell says, while plugging other Cohen masterpieces like "Black Caesar," "God Told Me To," and "Maniac Cop."
"'Escape From New York' is definitely a guilty pleasure!" says Andrew Oringer. "The genius of this movie is in the depiction of postapocalyptic New York, using sets that do nothing more than mimic the way New York really looked when the movie was made in 1981! Kurt Russell channels Clint Eastwood, and John Carpenter reunites with ["Halloween's"] Donald Pleasence - what more could you want?!"
Well, some readers want romance, or at least sex. Like a few others, Michael-Patrick and Athena Hogue suggest "9 1/2 Weeks," which they call "a true erotic feast for the eyes, and several other senses." And Pamela Elliott has no problem acknowledging her affinity for "Coyote Ugly." "The theme is absolutely ridiculous," she admits cheerfully, "but I love watching it for the New York scenes, the music and the dancing."
Mike Vogel prefers the more genteel tone of "You've Got Mail," observing that "while it has its ups and downs, it definitely captures the feel of my neighborhood - the upper West Side. For that alone, it's worth watching as a guilty pleasure."
Eileen Morgan goes for the Geena Davis-James Gandolfini comedy "Angie," "a put-on-your-p.j.s-and-get-the-ice-cream movie, perfect for a snowy night or a sick day." And Nathalie Sanoff has a soft spot for "One Fine Day," particularly since she and her granddaughter were extras in the film. "All the cast and crew were wonderful," she says of their experience, "especially George Clooney."
Meanwhile, Ron Bleiberg thinks he has hit on the ideal option for this category. "Every time A Stranger Among Us is on cable, I'll stop and watch it through to completion. And my wife can't understand why. So I watch it in another room. If that isn't a guilty pleasure, I don't know what is."
Sounds like one to us, and so do these submissions: "Angel Heart," "Night of the Juggler," "Shakedown" ("it has a drag race!!!" says fan Barry Hammer), and the mother of all guilty-pleasure movies, "Valley of the Dolls."
|
Later
|
