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Name a movie in which L.A. is one the main "characters".

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Jara sang Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:35 PM
Original message
Name a movie in which L.A. is one the main "characters".
As in a movie that could not have been shot anywhere but Los Angeles. Where the city actually kind of becomes a persona in the film. Pulp Fiction and Boyz n the Hood are the first that come to mind for me, but there are a ton of them.
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CBGLuthier Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:40 PM
Response to Original message
1. Kind of an obvious one
LA Story. One of Steve Martin's best.
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Piperay Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:41 PM
Response to Original message
2. Chinatown nt
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Wilber_Stool Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:41 PM
Response to Original message
3. Escape From LA
Yes, it's a horrible move. I watch it every time it comes on.
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Twillig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:49 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. What's the line in the movie--
"You may have escaped from New York, but this is L.A. and this fucking city can kill Anybody!"

That's close I think. I got that thing on DVD. I watch the pair of them every so often.

President of what?
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LiviaOlivia Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:49 PM
Response to Original message
4. L.A. Confidential, the new Crash and Sunset Blvd.
Edited on Sat May-07-05 05:51 PM by LiviaOlivia
Murder My Sweet, Cry Danger, and Singin' In The Rain.
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punpirate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 05:59 PM
Response to Original message
6. In addition to those mentioned...
... "Sunset Boulevard" comes to mind, as well as "True Confessions," "Mulholland Falls," "Repo Man," maybe even "Blue Thunder."
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RevCheesehead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:02 PM
Response to Original message
7. Volcano.
Kind of self-explanatory, don't you think?
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BigMcLargehuge Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:02 PM
Response to Original message
8. To Live and Die in LA
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Tikki Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:08 PM
Response to Original message
9. "Into the Night".......n/t

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Jara sang Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:28 PM
Response to Original message
10. Reservoir Dogs eom
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democracyindanger Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:29 PM
Response to Original message
11. Grand Canyon
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AlCzervik Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:36 PM
Response to Original message
12. 1941
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bridgit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:37 PM
Response to Original message
13. to live & die in l.a.
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jobycom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:44 PM
Response to Original message
14. L.A. Story
Steve Martin's best work. A revisioning of Shakespeare's Tempest. Charming little film.
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Aristus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 07:16 PM
Response to Reply #14
19. Great film. Lots of references to Wm. Shakespeare, BUT........
in what way is it like 'The Tempest'? :shrug:
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jobycom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 12:36 PM
Response to Reply #19
21. I dunno
I had always heard it described that way, and with the storm scene at the end, I never questioned it. I'm not a Tempest afficianado, I have to admit-- my main encounter with the play was John Cassavantes version of it.

It sort of loosely fits, though. You have a man, and he leaves his girlfriend to have a fling with another woman... That's a pretty unique plot.
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onager Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:48 PM
Response to Original message
15. Farewell My Lovely...
Raymond Chandler's bloody valentine to his adopted town. The 1975 remake with Robert Mitchum and Charlotte Rampling really catches the ambience of Forties L.A., from the black juke joints downtown to the luxury gambling ships anchored offshore.

Day of the Locust

Swimming With Sharks

The Cat's Meow (ok, filmed off the coast, but it dealt with the murder of movie producer Thomas Ince on W.R. Hearst's boat).

2 Days In The Valley

Valley Girl

Helter Skelter

And many more...
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stanwyck Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:18 PM
Response to Reply #15
28. Another Chandler, "The Long Goodbye"
with Elliott Gould, from the '70's. Rent it if you haven't seen it. Very worthwhile. Quirky and neo-noir.
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AlCzervik Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:49 PM
Response to Original message
16. Wonderland
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onager Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:51 PM
Response to Reply #16
17. And "Wonderland's" older sister...
Edited on Sat May-07-05 06:54 PM by onager
Boogie Nights.

Most of that was filmed right around my neighborhood.

On edit:

I hate to mention this one, since it was based on a "book" by whiny right-wing asswad Ben Stein:

"The Boost." The main character whines that he would have never taken up cocaine if he hadn't moved to L.A. Where's the Personal Responsibility?

(Based on Stein's book "'Ludes." Fortunately, Daryl Ponicsan wrote the script. Somebody probably saw Stein's mini-series "Amerika" and made sure he didn't get anywhere NEAR the writing...)
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RagingInMiami Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 06:57 PM
Response to Original message
18. Chinatown
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Richardo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:15 PM
Response to Reply #18
27. That's my choice.
So very well done.
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-..__... Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-07-05 07:29 PM
Response to Original message
20. 'Dragnet"
"This is the city. Los Angeles, California. I work here. I carry a badge"

<cue theme music>

Yeah, I know it's mostly known as a TV show, but there was at least one movie made with Jack Webb and the comedy made with Dan Aykroyd and Tom hanks.
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zauberflote Donating Member (179 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 12:43 PM
Response to Original message
22. Two come to mind
"Mulholland Drive," in which L.A gets the David Lynch treatment, and "Collateral," which director Michael Mann made as a kind of love song to his favorite city.
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sundog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 12:51 PM
Response to Original message
23. Short Cuts
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edbermac Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:05 PM
Response to Original message
24. New York, New York...
Some people think I'm geographically challenged for some reason...
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SouthoftheBorderPaul Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:13 PM
Response to Reply #24
25. Less than Zero....
Edited on Mon May-09-05 01:13 PM by SouthoftheBorderPaul
Though more so in the book...
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MrScorpio Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:14 PM
Response to Original message
26. Two days in the Valley
Sunset Boulevard
Wonderland
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Love Bug Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 01:57 PM
Response to Original message
29. "Earthquake!"
The cheesy, 70s sensor-round all-star extravaganza!
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6000eliot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 02:00 PM
Response to Original message
30. "Mulholland Drive" and "Magnolia"
Both very good movies IMHO.
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Kerrytravelers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 02:05 PM
Response to Original message
31. Collateral. Crash. Training Day...
Ok, Training Day could be anywhere, but the shots of LA were actually shot in the places they said they were.
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Worst Username Ever Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 02:06 PM
Response to Original message
32. LA Confidential
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DS1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
33. Training Day
:shrug:
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bluetrain Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 08:16 PM
Response to Original message
34. The Killing of A Chinese Bookie, Boogie Nights, Magnolia,
Short Cuts, The Player, The Day of The Locust
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Huckebein the Raven Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 08:17 PM
Response to Original message
35. Boyz in the da Hood
L.A. Story
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Nailzberg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 08:26 PM
Response to Original message
36. "Swingers" and "Colors"
And don't somebody start up with the ten minutes of Swinger shot in Vegas. It's part of LA living to jump in a car and drive to Vegas for a night, like some kinda bar a little out of the way. In that aspect, going to Vegas is a trait of LA's character.


And regarding Colors, I see a few people mentioned Training Day, which like Colors could have been a cop story told in another city. I think Colors, even more so than Training Day, is a story that needs to be set in LA. Anywhere else, the story suffers.
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Terran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 08:42 PM
Response to Original message
37. "Miracle Mile" comes to mind
A tad obscure now, it's about a few individuals who learn about about an impending nuclear attack on Los Angeles and what they do, all in one night. The guy who played Dr. Green on ER is the star.
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Terran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-05 08:43 PM
Response to Reply #37
38. Oh, and "Sunset Boulevard," of course! n/t
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