50 US states via the movies

Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
in Off Topic Chat
I've been lazily trying to learn all the US states but I can't really place them if you gave me a blank map of America.

Then I thought it might work if I could see some 50 movies, each distinctive for being located in a particular state, so it would help place it. Something that sums and its particular traits, obv, not just being stuck in an office or something.

For a refresher course, here's the 50 states:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state

Can any of our US friends chuck a handful of flicks my way?
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

Roger Moore 1927-2017
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Comments

  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2008
    That sounds like a pretty fun idea...I can think of a few Arizona-related films, although they're more historically-related than current.

    Check out some of John Ford's 'calvary' films, such as
    Fort Apache and
    She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.
    These are both set in Monument Valley, which is located in the North-Eastern region of Arizona.

    Tombstone
    with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer is a pretty good representation of South East Arizona and Cochise County. And part of it was filmed in the city I live in (Tucson) since some of the events of the OK Corral spilled over to here.

    Raising Arizona
    It's good for a laugh, and it might give you an idea of the central part of the state's juxtaposed commercial and rural landscape.

    Also, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's remake of
    The Getaway
    involved the theft from a racetrack in downtown Pheonix, not far from Sky Harbor airport.

    Those are the first ones that come to mind for Arizona. If I think of any others, I'll let you know.
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,906Chief of Staff
    The remake of 3:10 to Yuma takes place in southeastern Arizona (where I grew up--not too far from the real Tombstone), but don't make the mistake of thinking it's the real place. When I saw a little town on a plain as flat as any in Nebraska and heard it called Bisbee my jaw dropped: the real Bisbee is built on a mountainside! That's Hollywood for ya.

    Next to Arizona I lived the longest in Louisiana, but it's hard for me to recommend any movies that were filmed and/or take place there: you'd think the state's number one industry was Voodoo!
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    Thanks Hardyboy, though they don't have to be particularly good movies!
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2008
    Hardyboy wrote:
    The remake of 3:10 to Yuma takes place in southeastern Arizona (where I grew up--not too far from the real Tombstone), but don't make the mistake of thinking it's the real place. When I saw a little town on a plain as flat as any in Nebraska and heard it called Bisbee my jaw dropped: the real Bisbee is built on a mountainside! That's Hollywood for ya.

    Yeah, that's also why I left 1993's Geronimo off my list, since it it replaces the Chiricahua region with Monument Valley...even though the two areas are on different ends of the state!
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    A novel idea NP, although I hope you have some time on your hands. I grew up in Wisconsin and can't think of one single film that represents that state. Living in Illinios now, a lot of fims have been made with Chicago as the backdrop, but Chicago is very different than the rest of Illinios which has large areas of agriculture, small towns and other lifestyles.

    For a quick reference if you go to Wikipedia and type in "movies set in (whatever state)" it will provide a list of films for you to select from.

    Good luck
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,307MI6 Agent
    edited June 2008
    The original Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen takes place in and around my stomping grounds of Boston, Massachusetts and makes pretty good use of the locations. Of course, the movie is almost 40 years old so the skyline is very different today.

    The Departed and Mystic River are two more recent film that use Boston locations. In fact, some of the scenes for Mystic River were shot in and around a church not too far from where I live.

    For a pretty thorough list of films are set in Massachusetts, you can go here (although I'm sure not all of these movies were shot on location).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_set_in_Massachusetts
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent Speeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
    edited June 2008
    Well being that I'm from New York City, the list is endless for motion pictures being made there.


    I do know that A Bronx Tale was filmed just a half block or so from my aunt & uncle's house in Astoria and the Woody Allen flick Manhattan Murder Mystery was filmed a street over from where my grandmother used to live.

    When I was maybe 10 or so, I used to live down the street from the palisades where they filmed the 70s horror flick, The Sentinel in Brooklyn Heights.

    I remember going back home for one of my uncle's funeral and bumping into filming on Die Hard With A Vengeance back in '94.

    Here's a list of some classic films from my native state:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_in_New_York_City

    As I'm currently living in Dallas for the moment, the only thing that I'm sure that filmed here partially was Batman & Robin.

    No...I am not proud of that last one either... :#
    Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"

    Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
    -Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    Ah that's true, RogueAgent, but what about New York state? Anything going on there? :)
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2008
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    Ah that's true, RogueAgent, but what about New York state? Anything going on there? :)

    There was Lake Placid, a poor thriller starring Bill Pullman and Oliver Platt about a giant alligator (or croc?) terrorizing up-state New York.
  • Mr MartiniMr Martini That nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,707MI6 Agent
    A few movies come to mind. I'm right outside San Francisco, CA so some movies you could see are Bullit with Steve McQuenn. Mrs. Doubtfire (lots of San Francisco featured) with Robin Williams and Sally Field (Pierce Brosnan is in it to). The Rock (features Alcatraz prison)with Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery. Sneakers with Robert Redford, I think this mostly takes place all over the San Francisco Bay Area. The Birds features Bodega Bay which is North of San Francisco. I'm there's other movies I could mention to. Not sure about movies that feature Southern California.
    Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    Thanks Hardyboy, though they don't have to be particularly good movies!


    3:10 to Yuma IS a good movie. HB just said the landscape was inaccurate.
  • Krassno GranitskiKrassno Granitski USAPosts: 896MI6 Agent
    Here are some for San Diego in California.

    Top Gun
    K9
    Anchorman - The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
    The Antwone Fisher Story
    Traffic
    Almost Famous
    True Lies

    There's more but you get the idea
    J1 Visa
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    Nightshooter wrote:
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    Thanks Hardyboy, though they don't have to be particularly good movies!


    3:10 to Yuma IS a good movie. HB just said the landscape was inaccurate.

    I know, I was referring to his 'hard to recommend' comment about other films...

    Obv most of these films mentioned are city-based, I guess Vertigo is a great example of having both Frisco and the surrounding area of Redwood. Witness is good for the city (Philly) and Pennsylvanian Amish community. I will try to rustle up examples myself. Obv Oklahoma! musical, though that is dates. Where was The Last Picture Show set? Of course, small-town America could almost be anywhere. Then you have road films of course, good to follow with a map.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Mr MartiniMr Martini That nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,707MI6 Agent
    I should of mentioned this in my previous post, but another movie set in San Francisco is due out in December of this year. It's about the life of Harvey Milk. I think the movie is titled Milk . Sean Penn is in the title role. It should be another good setting for San Francisco in the 60s-70s.
    Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    I suppose this sort of covers it. Mind you, which part of Moonraker was set in Florida? ?:)


    http://www.movie-locations.com/places/usa/usa.html
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    I suppose this sort of covers it. Mind you, which part of Moonraker was set in Florida? ?:)


    http://www.movie-locations.com/places/usa/usa.html

    The primary problem with these lists is that these are movies that were filmed in the states, but did not necessarily 'take place' there. Perhaps the Florida sets in Moonraker is referring to any Cape Canaveral shots of the space shuttles?

    As for the 'The Last Picture Show'...I think that was Texas.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent Speeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
    edited June 2008
    Napoleon Plural wrote:
    Ah that's true, RogueAgent, but what about New York state? Anything going on there? :)


    Well I do know that a small portion of Bruce Almighty was filmed in upstate Buffalo but it wasn't enough to make the locations seem genuine.

    Pretty certain that 95% of that picture was shot in L.A.
    Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"

    Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
    -Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
  • Krassno GranitskiKrassno Granitski USAPosts: 896MI6 Agent
    RogueAgent wrote:
    Well I do know that a small portion of Bruce Almighty was filmed in upstate Buffalo but it wasn't enough to make the locations seem genuine.

    Pretty certain that 95% of that picture was shot in L.A.
    The link below states that some of it was filmed in San Diego as well.

    http://www.socal-sandiego.com/Movies/2000-2010.html
    J1 Visa
  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Nap, here are a bunch that I can think of off the top of my head, in terms of clearly being set in a specific state, and that setting have some influence on the story or tone. A bunch of them stumped me...others can have a go.

    ALABAMA - ???
    ALASKA - Insomnia
    ARIZONA - ???
    ARKANSAS - ???
    CALIFORNIA - Chinatown
    CONNECTICUT - Mystic Pizza
    COLORADO - The Shining
    DELAWARE - ???
    FLORIDA - Miami Vice
    GEORGIA - Deliverance
    HAWAII - Pearl Harbor
    IDAHO - ???
    ILLINOIS - The Blues Brothers
    INDIANA - Breaking Away
    IOWA - ???
    KANSAS - The Wizard of Oz
    KENTUCKY - ???
    LOUISIANA - The Big Easy
    MAINE - The Cider House Rules
    MARYLAND - Diner
    MASSACHUSETTS - Good Will Hunting
    MICHIGAN - Out of Sight
    MINNESOTA - Fargo
    MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi Burning
    MISSOURI - Tom Sawyer
    MONTANA - Badlands
    NEBRASKA - Boys Don't Cry
    NEVADA - Casino
    NEW HAMPSHIRE - ???
    NEW JERSEY - Clerks
    NEW MEXICO - White Sands
    NEW YORK - Do The Right Thing
    NORTH CAROLINA - Cape Fear
    NORTH DAKOTA - ???
    OHIO - ???
    OKLAHOMA - ???
    OREGON - ???
    PENNSYLVANIA - The Deer Hunter
    RHODE ISLAND - ???
    SOUTH CAROLINA - The Lords of Discipline
    SOUTH DAKOTA - Thunderheart
    TENNESSEE - Nashville
    TEXAS - The Last Picture Show
    UTAH - ???
    VIRGINIA - ???
    VERMONT - ???
    WASHINGTON - The Parallax View
    WEST VIRGINIA - ???
    WISCONSIN - ???
    WYOMING - Brokeback Mountain
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2008
    Sir Hilary was smart to start a list...we can use it like the 'Elimination' Lists. If you don't mind, Sir Hilary, I will add a few elements...

    ALABAMA - Space Camp
    ALASKA - Insomnia
    ARIZONA - Fort Apache, Raising Arizona, Tombstone
    ARKANSAS - ???
    CALIFORNIA - Chinatown
    CONNECTICUT - Mystic Pizza
    COLORADO - The Shining
    DELAWARE - ???
    FLORIDA - Miami Vice
    GEORGIA - Deliverance
    HAWAII - Pearl Harbor
    IDAHO - ???
    ILLINOIS - The Blues Brothers
    INDIANA - Breaking Away
    IOWA - ???
    KANSAS - The Wizard of Oz
    KENTUCKY - ???
    LOUISIANA - The Big Easy
    MAINE - The Cider House Rules
    MARYLAND - Diner
    MASSACHUSETTS - Good Will Hunting
    MICHIGAN - Out of Sight
    MINNESOTA - Fargo
    MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi Burning
    MISSOURI - Tom Sawyer
    MONTANA - Badlands, A River Runs Through It
    NEBRASKA - Boys Don't Cry
    NEVADA - Casino
    NEW HAMPSHIRE - ???
    NEW JERSEY - Clerks
    NEW MEXICO - White Sands
    NEW YORK - Do The Right Thing
    NORTH CAROLINA - Cape Fear
    NORTH DAKOTA - ???
    OHIO - ???
    OKLAHOMA - Twister
    OREGON - ???
    PENNSYLVANIA - The Deer Hunter
    RHODE ISLAND - ???
    SOUTH CAROLINA - The Lords of Discipline
    SOUTH DAKOTA - Thunderheart
    TENNESSEE - Nashville
    TEXAS - The Last Picture Show
    UTAH - ???
    VIRGINIA - ???
    VERMONT - ???
    WASHINGTON - The Parallax View
    WEST VIRGINIA - Matewan
    WISCONSIN - ???
    WYOMING - Brokeback Mountain
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    Brilliant, Sir Hils! Alternatively in place of replicating, I could quote it on one page and edit and amend as others call in... I will look at this in more detail later.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,906Chief of Staff
    edited June 2008
    Remember, The Shining was shot where Kubrick filmed all his last movies--in the UK! I went to IMDb to look up what I hoped was an authentic Colorado movie--Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead (there are scenes shot in Denver; otherwise, you're looking at California)--and when I clicked "Denver" as a location, look what I came up with:


    http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Denver,+Colorado,+USA&&heading=18%3Bwith+locations+including%3BDenver,+Colorado,+USA&&skip=0

    Yep, over 300 references to movies with Denver in the title, many of which were shot there! Looks like IMDb could be a big help in finding the 50 states on screen.
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    Wow, the phrase too much information springs to mind! Some real dog films there! Guess I will sift through it, but with 50 states to get thru! :s :o :s
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • MoniqueMonique USAPosts: 696MI6 Agent
    edited June 2008
    How about:

    NEW HAMPSHIRE - HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE
    NORTH DAKOTA - FARGO
    OHIO - MAJOR LEAGUE
    OKLAHOMA - OKLAHOMA

    oh sorry, darenhat picked a good one for Oklahoma!
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2008
    Monique wrote:
    How about:

    OHIO - MAJOR LEAGUE

    'Major League' is kind of a double-header...the spring training sequences were filmed here in Tucson, Arizona. In fact, yours truly was an extra in the bleachers during filming.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    How about No Country For Old Men for Texas? Plus, even though it also takes place in Mexico, what about The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada also for Texas?
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,906Chief of Staff
    Actually, the exteriors for Oklahoma! were shot in Elgin, Arizona--again, not too far from where I grew up. You don't see beautiful mountains like that in flat-to-somewhat-hilly Oklahoma!
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    Didn't Howard the Duck take place in Ohio?
  • MoniqueMonique USAPosts: 696MI6 Agent
    I aapparently suck at this game, so I don't know if it was! But A Christmas Story was, that I know for sure! :)
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    You can put down Napoleon Dynamite for Idaho.
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