Tuesday, November 5, 2013

New York, New York

Since I'm leaving for New York tomorrow, I thought I'd make November's selections films about New York.

I'll be staying in Brooklyn so, of course, my first selection is for one of my favorite all time films, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. If you haven't seen it, you're really missing out. Peggy Ann Garner gives the best performance ever as a young girl trying to grow up in a very harsh environment. The film is an adaptation of Betty Smith's 1943 best selling book. It's a beautiful story and if you decide to see it, get your hanky out. It's a real tearjerker.




My second selection is another all time favorite, Dog Day Afternoon. The story plays out in a Brooklyn bank and on the street in front of the bank. Where else but New York would you have citizens on the side of the criminals?  "Attica, Attica".  The performances of Al Pacino and John Cassale are the best ever. The story is so far fetched you'd think a writer would be nuts to come up
with it. But it's actually based on a true story. Unbelievable. You really have to see this one too.





Film number three is Woody Allen's Manhattan. It's not my favorite all time movie, but it has the best scenes of New York, the best New York kind of music and is just fun to watch.