jasarsenault Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 A gallery has asked me to help put together a series of films based on either urban settings or about urban topics in general. It can be docs or fiction in which the urban setting is extremly important. I have begun making a list of possibilities, but I was just curious if anyone else had any good ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidSloan Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Spike Lee's: He Got Game, and Crooklyn Boaz Yakin's: Fresh John McTiernan's: Die Hard 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Robert Edge Posted March 22, 2005 Premium Member Share Posted March 22, 2005 Have a look at this thread: http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...wtopic=5158&hl= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 22, 2005 Author Share Posted March 22, 2005 Thanks for the reply. Actually, now that you mention that thread I remember reading it. Thanks for the ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted March 23, 2005 Premium Member Share Posted March 23, 2005 Mike Leigh's "Naked" has a great mood for urban night. "Blade Runner" obviously... A lot of 1970's films have a great feeling for the grittiness of a major city, like "French Connection", "Rocky", "Taxi Driver", etc. For a more romantic look, try Gordon Willis' work in "Annie Hall" or "Manhatten". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis E Curbelo Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 A gallery has asked me to help put together a series of films based on either urban settings or about urban topics in general. It can be docs or fiction in which the urban setting is extremly important. I have begun making a list of possibilities, but I was just curious if anyone else had any good ideas. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have to say COLLATERAL by far this years best night work....But again that's my answer to everything this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Andino Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 For urban nights (and especially NYC nights) nothing beats AFTER HOURS That film's amazing! Also The Warriors New Jack City Do the Right Thing & Eyes Wide Shut For more older urban settings Gangs of New York (Sorcese is great at depicting a city) From Hell The Untouchables Touch of Evil Mulholland's Falls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 23, 2005 Author Share Posted March 23, 2005 There are so many great ones it will be hard to pick just a few. I just finished watching the doc "Style Wars". Very good film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Nyankori Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 Is or is not "Urban Film" an euphemism for black mainstream film? Im not trying to debate what black cinema is, was,etc just confused about the term "urban film". I mean would anyone consider Woody Allen, an urban filmmaker??? Here in Atlanta we have the Urban Media Makers Forum and its definately has an African American agenda. http://www.urbanmediamakers.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 23, 2005 Author Share Posted March 23, 2005 (edited) Not specifically meaning black. As in Urban styles and settings. For example, "Style wars" takes place in New York dealing with Urban art. The artists they talk to are from a variety of ethnicities. Edited March 23, 2005 by jasarsenault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Nyankori Posted March 23, 2005 Share Posted March 23, 2005 Not specifically meaning black. As in Urban styles and settings... a variety of ethnicities. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> OK so does "Urban" mean city or non-white/mainstream ??? Is there an assumption about the demographics of the city or urban areas??? Urban to me means city not ethnic. Is it a euphemism in a pc world or not??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 (edited) You've got it. I mean Urban as in city. Art and culture that develope in the city and even the city architecture itself. Which is why not all films listed this far were non-white/mainstream. Edited March 24, 2005 by jasarsenault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted March 24, 2005 Premium Member Share Posted March 24, 2005 Urban just means city -- and it can be a city anywhere in the world. "Manhattan" is an urban film. Mike Leigh's "Naked" is an urban film. "Lost in Translation" is an urban film... and it's not particularly about African-Americans, is it? Urban just means urban, as opposed to suburban or rural.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Nyankori Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Thanks for the clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Nyankori Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 FYI: It appears we have a regional conflict here. The Atlanta film community interprets "Urban" as black if not just ethnic. I, for one, hate euphemisms - just say what you mean. That being said I apologize for perverting this thread but I felt compelled to dot the I's and cross the T's. Oh shite is that a euphemism? http://www.atlantafilms.com/cgi-bin/yabb/Y...;num=1111693585 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 I would have to disagree with Urban meaning black, although it has become associated with black culture. I have a lot of friends working in "Urban" forms and they are all ethnicities. Again, " Style Wars" is a film about Urban art, and only some of the characters are black. Hip Hop music is an Urban art form is it not? Yet not all people working in hip hop are black. For example, im working on a doc about chines hip hop artists. This takes place in major Urban settings about an urban art. Yet it would not be considered an Urban film? In any case, I think Ill stick to the dictionary version of the word for my own, since there seem to be many interpretations. I see where the term can come about with different meanings though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasarsenault Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 But to clarify... I mean Urban settings, characters, and art! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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