This week, a legend passed away. Stan Lee, the Godfather of comic books, departed this world after 95 years of bringing his own brand of exuberance to it! As a huge Marvel fan since my early childhood, Stan was an important figure in my life, even though I never actually met him. Through his regular Soapbox columns in the comics I got to know a lot about the man himself, and (of course) through the marvellous characters he created, I got to escape from reality and journey into wonderous adventures.
Adventures that took place, a lot of the time, in New York.
You see, Stan was a native New Yorker, and so it only made sense that he set his comics in the city he knows and loves. Whilst DC created alternate fictional cities to base their tales in, Stan wanted it to feel real, and use landmarks and places he knew – and which the world would be somewhat familiar with. It’s safe to say, my early knowledge of New York monuments and locations came from seeing Spider-Man battle Green Goblin, or Doc Ock, or any number of villains nearby.
As my love for film grew, I began seeing those same locations used in films, and New York soon became a place of wonder and character – all built up from those fictional tales on paper and film. If I am ever asked where my ideal holiday would be (just to note, I have never set foot outside of the UK – the farthest I’ve been is Jersey, and that seemed quite exotic to me), my destination of choice would be New York. I intend to take a trip over there someday (maybe when someone a little saner is running that country), with the intention of doing a film-geek reconnaissance of as many movie based locations I can find.
“New York, New York, it’s a hell of a town, you know the Bronx is up and I’m Brooklyn down,” as the Beastie Boys said. So, we are Brooklyn down this week for #MTOS as we focus on the films and artists of New York.
Kicking off at 8pm UK time on Sunday, the ten questions will get to the heart of the city, and give us a chance to discuss what we all find so endearing about the place.
Q1: New York is the birthplace of a fair number of directors. Which director do you feel captures the essence of the city the best, and which film of theirs would you say is their most NY of the NY films? #MTOS
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Q2: Along with directors, the city is known for a number of prominent actors over the years. Who immediately springs to mind when you think of New York, and which work of theirs would you rank highest? #MTOS
Q3: New York has been used as the setting for plenty of films. What are your top 3 New York based films of all time? #MTOS
Q4: New York definitely has an image granted to it by plenty of films. What would you say the impression of New York is to the average cinema-goer, if all they have to work with is the films that focus on it? #MTOS
Q5: There are a lot of stereotypes associated with the average New Yorker. Have you visited New York, and do any of the stereotypes contain a hint of truth, or are they all just embellishments? #MTOS
Q6: Quite a lot of film titles include the city name of New York. What are the nest and worst films you can think of to contain New York in the title? #MTOS
Q7: Over on the other coast, LA stands and also features prominently in films. Name three of your favourite LA based films, and compare them to your top 3 NY films from earlier. Which city is more appealing on film? #MTOS
Q8: Why do you think filmmakers focus so much around New York – or indeed general storytellers? With many other major cities in the US alone, what makes New York so significant? #MTOS
Q9: What moments on film, set in New York, just make you gasp/send a shiver down your spine every time you see them? Why? #MTOS
Q10: You have the budget to make a film set in New York – What is your dream combination of New York focussed film crew – director, writer, stars, and what locations would be essential to the film? #MTOS
