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We assume that you have places to go and things to do. You are undaunted by rain. You will not, we're sure, be staying home for a double feature of '80s DVD. Like, say, To Live and Die in LA (complete with theme song by the incomparable Wang Chung) and Beverly Hills Cop (with theme song by the Pointer Sisters).
But just in case, we have to tell you that these two movies, awful in their 80s-ness, totally deserve to be on your LA-movies-to-see list.
First of all, if you're a fan of CSI and have never seen To Live and Die in LA, don't wait another minute. William L. Petersen is the movie's star, and he was a lean mean 28 32 (thanks, fstasu53, we've fired our fact-checker) at the time. The movie was directed by the talented William Friedkin, who won an Oscar for The French Connection; by the 80s, Friedkin was doing so much coke that he had a heart attack while driving the Harbor Freeway. Does To Live and Die in LA reflect a coke-fueled manic meanness? If so, it's in the villanous character played by Willem Defoe. The landscape of LA has changed since the movie was made, so it's neat to look for what still exists and what might be gone (the strip joint has been razed).
Eddie Murphy may have deserved his fall from grace, but the fact is that he used to be damn funny, like Chris Rock funny. Beverly Hills Cop is best when he just gets to hog the screen. Did we mention manic before? Murphy is definitely manic, but it's a mania that always stays just this side of zinging out of control. There are some priceless 80s styles in this film: shoulderpads, hair — and take a look at how tight Eddie's jeans are in the picture. And there are car chases, which give those crazy perspectives of 20-years-ago-LA whizzing by. Check for scary shop facades and the outdated skyline.
If you try this vintage LA DVD double feature, tell us what you think. What LA movies are on your must-see list?
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As a once-a-year visitor to LA, I actually still feel a slight thrill at the sight of a familiar area in a film I'm watching. Last year I went on an LA-themed/based book and movie binge. Here are some of the stand-outs film-wise:
A Lonely Place,
The Big Sleep,
They Shoot Horses Don't They?,
Truck Turner,
Colors,
True Romance,
Jackie Brown,
LA Confidential and
Magnolia.
And one tv show that boasts more of (1970's) LA per minute than ANY feature film I could find:
The Rockford Files.
Los Angeles was photographed well in "live & die".
Perfect casting. When I first saw this in 1985 the car chase seemed unrealistic, but thanks to the modern news helicopter I no longer feel that way.
Hi Carolyn...
-Repo Man (because while away at school in England I got to catch a glimpse of my hometown, including a quick shot of the 9-0, a bar any USC student or alum will recognize)
-The Player (because they visit my beloved Rialto Theatre in South Pas)
-Sunset Blvd. (I got to go to a screening of this at the, then, newly opened theatre on the Paramount lot in the early 90s. Afterward, friends and I walked past some of the parts of the studio they used in the film.)
-The Tarantino trilogy of Reservoir Dogs, True Romance and Pulp Fiction
I also like films that depict LA in an earlier era, accurate or not, like...
-Chaplin
-LA Confidential
-Bugsy
-The Mambo Kings (the scene where they come to "Hollywood" to meet with Desi Arnaz and stay at the legendary Garden of Allah on Sunset Blvd.)
-1941 (brilliant miniature sets built by Greg Jein and crew, who brought you the ships from Close Encounters.
-The Rocketeer
...dang, too many more to mention or rememeber for that matter.
Must be the subject of choice for blogs. But it's a good one. Here's my pix picks to add but as double features. A combination of location as celebrity, or films based in LA. Double feature sets / Chinatown + L.A. Confidential [Downtown never looked so tough and cool] / LA Story (1991) + Mulholland Dr. (2001) (Did LA ever look as romantic? Who knew?) / The Thirteenth Floor (1999) + Bladerunner (1982) [Downtown's 4th at Main and Wlshire Blvd recreated in the early 1900s. Plot thin. Art direction amazing. And we know about Bladerunner. Same streets, fast forward.] / War of the Worlds (1953) + Miracle Mile (1988) [City Hall under fire. Downtown strewn with papers. Aliens advancing. (Was this recent?)
+ Stuck on the streets before the end of the world with a 24 hour notice]/ Real Women Have Curves (2002) + Zoot Suit (1982) [Characters shaped by a city.] / Sunset Blvd + Bowfinger [The city as lost celebrity.] / Double Indemnity (1944) + Marlowe (1969) [ Two different eras] / City of Angels (1998) + Heaven Can Wait (1978) [Fantasies about LA with angels, or pro football being in LA.] / Any one of Terminator franchise + Them (1954)
[We know how to get blown up real good. Arnold was right, the first one looks like an indie flick.
The LA river is alive.] / Speed + Car Wash / Volcano + Earthquake / Echo Park (1986) + MacArthur Park (2001) [The streets looking for hope.] / And: The Music Box - Laurel and Hardy makes a stairway a celebrity / TV: And pre TiVo is the best way to see this city documented as changing background. Add to Rockford files; CHiPs, Adam 12, Emergency, LA Law, Charlies Angels
Los Angeles Plays Itself. Future number one. documentary if it ever gets released
"To Live and Die in L.A. is an underappreciated movie, that for it's time, was a very good film. And Mr. Petersen was 32 at the time that movie was released to theaters. It doesn't set well with me when the facts in any story are blantantly wrong.
Love hte films that have been mentioned so far, but for my money it's hard to beat the sense of "LA" that Michael Mann brings to the screen in Heat or Collateral.
Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself
I've wanted to see this so badly the past couple of years, yet due to my east coast residence have not had the chance. But while scouring the net for something special to do during my trip to LA next week, found that the Egyptian Theatre is playing it at 8pm on Wednesday the 26th. Huzzah!
Don't forget John Cassavetes. Several of his films use Los Angeles as their backdrop. Rent "Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976).
"Mikey and Nicky" is also a great movie with a commanding Cassavetes performance (directed by Elaine May) but I'm not sure if the city portrayed is necessarily L.A.
Ju-Osh, that's good news about the documentary. Thanks! I looked at my list and tweaked it on my modest blog - http://360.yahoo.com/viewfromaloft - Maybe the "laist film festival and double feature picture show" can fill a theatre on Broadway.
Along these lines, I have a work-in-progress blog dealing with movies shot in San Pedro (where I live). I'm (slowly) re-photographing movie locations to show the passage of time. "Live & Die" has more scenes in the Pedro area than any other I've done so far. If anyone reads this (unlikely) I encourage you to check it out! (Click on "Phill")