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THE
TOP 5
PROJECT

WEEK NO. FOURTEEN
Main Page (including links to all past Top 5 weeks)

THE TOP 5 FILMS SET IN NEW YORK CITY:

view full results       see how points are awarded
Rank Film Points L #1
#1 Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) 39 11 4
#2 Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) 34 8 4
#3 King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933) 19 6 -
#4 The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) 13 4 2
#5 Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) 9 2 1
The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) 9 3 1
The Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) 9 3 -
L=How many lists each film appears on             #1=How many number one votes each film recieves

First off, let me say that we set a new record here at The Top 5 Project, by receiving seventeen lists this week (one more than the old record holder of Top 5 Musicals). This is also the first time that two films have scored twenty or more points (and we came so close to having a third do it as well). This is a great sign that things are starting to catch on, and hopefully we will gather even more players in the weeks to come. With that said, let's concentrate on the films themselves. With the topic being New York, it was bound to be either Scorsese or Allen at the top, and lo and behold it was. Taxi Driver led the entire way, with Manhattan right on its tail the whole time - but never to quite catch up. Overall, Woody had seven films voted for (two in the top 5) and Marty had six. No surprise with third place either, as King Kong (the original of course, not either of the lackluster doppelgängers that have posed as remakes) slides into a somewhat comfortable number three spot. With The Godfather coming in fourth, we ended up having a three-way tie for fifth, between The Godfather: Part II, Annie Hall and The Sweet Smell of Success. Other films voted for but missing the top 5 include Rosemary's Baby, Shadows, 25th Hour, Midnight Cowboy and Ghostbusters. Click on "full results" to see all 46 films voted for.

Remember to join us next week when we search for The Top 5 Concert Films and come back for future topics such as Top 5 Hitchcock Films, Top 5 Literary Adaptations and Top 5 Silent Films (all coming soon).

Individual lists:

Albert H. Muth
Auteurophile

There are two living directors whose oeuvre could not exist without the New York City experience. Both were born and raised in NYC, and the city is as important to their films as any characters in them.

Martin Scorsese

  1. Taxi Driver (1976)

  2. Goodfellas (1990)

  3. Mean Streets (1973)

  4. The Age of Innocence (1993)

  5. King of Comedy (1983)

HM: New York New York (1977) - It gave us the song.

Woody Allen

  1. Manhattan (1979)

  2. Annie Hall (1977)

  3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

  4. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

  5. Radio Days (1987)

HM: Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Addenda:
Glad to see the Top 5 back and sorry I missed the first two weeks, especially in light of the woeful results. While Kane was the greatest First Film, Terrence Malick's Badlands did not make the list. Oh, ye neophytes and poseurs! Then on the Top 5 Road Films, no one, not even our fearless webmaster, although I applaud his choice of Wild at Heart, named the best one on a single list. That being Lindsay Anderson"s Oh, Lucky Man. Shame shame ignorami!


Chris Fujiwara
Film Critic & Editor, Undercurrent

I'm sure these are not the five best films set in New York, but they come quickest to mind when I think of "New York on film."

  1. It Should Happen to You (George Cukor, 1954) - The idea that one could decide to be or do something, and then just be or do it, is essential to the cinematic image of New York.

  2. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983) - As Lou Reed sang in a couplet that is not, I suppose, celebrated as one of his songwriting peaks: "It reminds me of the movies Marty made about New York,/Those frank and brutal movies that are so brilliant."

  3. The Wrong Man (Alfred Hitchcock, 1957) - Hitchcock's is already the stagnant, depressing New York that will dominate screens for the next 20 years.

  4. Such Good Friends (Otto Preminger, 1971) - The cliché about New Yorkers is that behind their unsentimental exteriors, they're really softies, but behind the unsentimental exterior of this film lies only more unsentimentality.

  5. The Seventh Victim (Mark Robson, 1943) - Undoubtedly some sort of ideal state of cinematic representation of urban life is realized in this great film.

go to: Chris Fujiwara's site and/or Undercurrent


David Sterritt
Chairman, National Society of Film Critics

  1. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968) - All right, it's set more in the Dakota building than in the city as a whole, but its diabolical plot and sensational acting plug into New York devilishness as few movies ever have.

  2. The Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) - "Are we kids, or what?!?" Both the dialogue and the images of Mackendrick's publicity-world classic are vintage New York and vintage Age of Advertising from start to finish.

  3. Shadows (John Cassavetes, 1959) - Cassavetes's directorial debut isn't really "an improvisation," as a title-card claims, but it's a definitive take by a master filmmaker on New York in the Beat generation era.

  4. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - Travis Bickle has entered American folklore, and every element of Scorsese's nasty masterpiece deserves to do the same. As one of the film's original reviewers observed about the steam so often spewing from manholes as Travis's cab wheels by, we know that Dante's Inferno is on the other side of that pavement--and the lid isn't on very tight

  5. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) - Lee's flawed but astonishingly powerful drama comes under the special category of movies set in New York after 9/11, and the film's use of Ground Zero imagery is as brilliant as it is appropriate and sensitive. Make this a tie with "Do the Right Thing," 1989, another of Lee's superb portraits of the city he knows best.



J.E. Snavely
Home Theatre Cinephile

    1. The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948)

    2. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

    3. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

    4. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards, 1961)

    5. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)



Jeffrey M. Anderson
Film Critic & Freelance Entertainment Writer

  1. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) - This is the ultimate post-9/11 New York movie, period. No one but Lee understands the awkward, restless combination of hope and hopelessness that came from the terrorist attacks. Witness only one small facet of the film's many shades: Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance, teaching poetry, feeling useless and out of touch with his best friends, but hopelessly in love with a vibrant student (Anna Paquin).

  2. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) - This is the flip side, Woody Allen's gorgeous valentine to the city at its best. Shot in black-and-white widescreen and marrying Gershwin to the Big Apple forever more, the film depicts an intellectual's paradise, run by taste and culture, and even a bit of neurotic, reckless love.

  3. The Warriors (Walter Hill, 1979) - What better way to tour the pre-Starbucks New York than via subway, racing through everything between Central Park and Coney Island, with hundreds of violent gangs chasing you?

  4. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004) - There's a scene in Sam Raimi's superior sequel -- the best superhero movie yet made -- that seems to me to epitomize the strength and heroism of New Yorkers. When Doc Ock beats Spider-Man nearly to a pulp on the speeding elevated train (no elevated train in New York, but whatever), a band of riders team up to lend him a hand, lifting his injured body and carrying him through the cars to safety.

  5. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - And, of course, Martin Scorsese is New York and New York is Martin Scorsese. I love "Bringing Out the Dead," with its crazy night vision of the wounded and lonely, but "Taxi Driver" is so essential, from its Bernard Herrmann jazz score to its images of steam escaping from the sewer lids to De Niro's mirror monologue.

Runners up:
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), The French Connection (1971), King Kong (1933), King of New York (1990), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Ghostbusters (1984)


Laura Clifford
Film Critic & Co-Host, Reeling: The Movie Review Show

1. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

2. King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933)

3. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)

4. The Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)

5. All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)

go to: Reeling Reviews website


Kelley Baker
Filmmaker

  • Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - This is just a great movie. Deniro and Scorsese at their best. What's not to like, intensity, violence, gore, and Jodie Foster. Watch out John Hinckley, I saw her first!

  • Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969) - I first saw this as a double bill with The Graduate and realized that Dustin Hoffman was going to be a major presence in the cinema for years to come. Jon Voight wasn't scary yet, and I am sure that Angelina was not even born yet. Like Taxi Driver, this presents a different side of New York's character. I just remember being blown away by this movie. I have seen it about half a dozen times. The acting is amazing!

  • King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933) - Nothing says New York like an out of towner climbing the Empire State Building and then being shot down. Sure, the effects may be cheesy, but this was a really fun movie. I felt sorry for the big guy, we all know what it's like to fall in love with someone, then got shot down. Literally! I haven't seen the new one, no desire. Sorry Peter, all my friends say you're a nice guy. I just don't think this movie should have been remade. Then again, I don't think Psycho should have been remade and I worked on it...

  • Marathon Man (John Schlesinger, 1976) - What is it with Dustin Hoffman? Another great role, and another look at New York City. I just love the neighborhood feeling. Hoffman always training, getting beat up by the local gang, he really is an anti hero here. And who can forget the final scene with Laurence Olivier in the pump house. This movie also has the most effective torture scene in ANY movie. The whole audience squirmed (yes, I saw it when it came out, in a theater), during the Dental Scene. That scene still bothers me, and I really hate going to the dentist.

  • Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984) - Mindless fun with a great cast. I love the original, saw the second and was sorry I did. I just had fun when I saw it opening night here in Portland. It felt like it wasn't taking it self seriously, just what I needed when I saw it.

go to: Kelley Baker's Angry Filmmaker website


Amy Trout
Doodlebug

Yes, this is a Top Three List...


    1. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

    2. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

    3. Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen, 1986)



Peter Sobczynski
Film Critic

Because of a combination of laziness, penury and a general distaste for travel, I have never actually been in New York. However, these are the films that for me perfectly sum up the idea of New York.

  1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  2. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

  3. The King of New York (Abel Ferrara, 1990)

  4. King Kong (Cooper & Schoedsack, 1933)

  5. Quick Change (Howard Franklin & Bill Murray, 1990)



Honorable Mentions:
Too many Scorsese films to mention (After Hours, Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York, Bringing Out the Dead, The King of Comedy).
and
The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971), The Royal Tennenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001), Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989), Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet. 1975), Dressed to Kill (Brian De Palma, 1980)


Carter Liotta
Filmmaker

    1. The Godfather Trilogy (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-90)

    2. Husbands and Wives (Woody Allen, 1992)

    3. Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, 1977)

    4. A Night at the Opera (Sam Wood, 1935)

    5. Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984)

    With an honorable mention going to Short Circuit 2 (Just Kidding)


Michael Parent
Film Student

  1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - To me, Scorsese is the King of New York movies and Taxi Driver is his most interesting movie. A personal favorite and a great Film Noir about New York in the 70's. "Are you talkin' to me?"

  2. Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975) - All I can say about this movie is: Wonderful! It's funny, it's Pacino and Cazale, and it's a compassionate film three years before the death of Cazale.

  3. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) - Arriving second after Scorsese for the title of King of New York movies. Allen is living in his films and for his films. His movies are so personal that the line between his life and his films is so thin. When I watch this movie I want to live in New York too!

  4. The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) - Well, De Niro and Pacino in the same movie at the top of their careers and a masterpiece achievement as good as the Godfather Part II is enough to hit 4th place in the movies set in New York.

  5. Once Upon Time In America (Sergio Leone, 1984) - Being a huge fan of gangster movies and Leone, when we marry both we got something at the top of the Art. Even with all the crap the studios had done to Leone by destroying his movie, his final version is extraordinary. Some say the movie killed the man...

Runners up:
Annie Hall (Woody Allen), The Producers (Mel Brooks), Escape From New York (John Carpenter), Serpico (Sidney Lumet), Ghostbusters (Harold Ramis), Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger), Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese), Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese), Gangs Of New York (Martin Scorsese)


Jeff Cardarelli
Film Enthusiast

    1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

    2. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

    3. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)

    4. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)

    5. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)



Matt Severson
Film Enthusiast

    1. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

    2. King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933)

    3. The Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
    On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)

    4. The Godfather I & II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-74)

    5. Mean Streets and Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1973 & 1976)




Kevin Cassidy
Film Enthusiast

    1. Metropolitan (Whit Stillman, 1990)

    2. King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933)

    3. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

    4. Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)

    5. Crimes and Misdemeanours (Woody Allen, 1989)



Doug Pratt
DVD Critic, DVDLaser.com

    1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

    2. Footlight Parade (Lloyd Bacon, 1933)

    3. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)

    4. West Side Story (Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise, 1961)

    5. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)



Kevyn Knox
Film Critic, Essayist + Historian

  1. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) - You could place pretty much any Woody Allen film in this spot, but it is Manhattan that is Woody's love poem to the greatest city on Earth.

  2. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1973) - Like Allen, you could toss just about any Scorsese film in here, but it is Taxi Driver that plays out as king of the New York underworld of freaks, losers and more freaks.

  3. Shadows (John Cassavetes, 1959) - Cassavetes brings the city to life in much the same way that Kerouac, Ginsberg and Corso did in their Beat writings. Raw, sexual and with a jungle fist of rage.

  4. King Kong (Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsak, 1933) - How can you go wrong with a big ass ape and a hot young blonde on top of the Empire State Building?

  5. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969) - The underbelly of New York is shown here in two of the finest performances ever put onto film in Hoffman and Voight.

A Random Sampling of Possible Runners-Up:
25th Hour, When Harry met Sally, The Out-of-Towners, Klute, Serpico, The Godfather I & II, All About Eve, Spider-Man I & II, New York Stories, After Hours, Raging Bull, Mean Streets, The Odd Couple, Gloria, Annie Hall, Hannah & Her Sisters, Radio Days, Husbands & Wives, Crimes & Misdemeanors, The Freshman, Rear Window, A Night at the Opera, Guys & Dolls

*points are given as follows: for numbered lists, first place recieves 5 points, second place recieves 4, third place 3, fourth place 2 and fifth place gets 1 point; for unumbered lists, each film will recieve 3 points; total points are then tallied up and a comprehensive Top 5 list is created


The Next Topic is:
Name The Top 5 Concert Films

e-mail me at kevynknox@thecinematheque.com with your picks for week #16,
no later than 4pm on Sunday, July 23, 2006.

HOME * REVIEWS * AWARDS & PREDICTIONS * LISTS * MIDTOWN * FILM FESTIVALS * ODDS & ENDS * LINKS * CONTACT