Getting Urbanized
by Buckywunder | created - 24 Jul 2016 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicAs a newbie to "new urbanism," I am finding that films that adhere to the new thinking and visions of what cities are changing from/to are few and far between. But I am also including narrative fiction films where "the city" is almost a character within the story itself.
This is my attempt at capturing what films are helpful in this regard so that I can recommend them to people who share this interest with me and are interested in joining this community of like-minded folks throughout the world...
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1. Urbanized (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
A documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
Director: Gary Hustwit | Stars: Amanda M. Burden, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Jan Gehl
Votes: 2,303
This is an excellent overall starting point for a person interested in urbanism and the changing thinking as we begin to conceive/plan for the cities of the future in the age of climate change. The way we live is really about to radically change and this describes many of the reasons why. Even though it is five years old in a rapidly changing field, it still does a good job covering the bases of the new thinking spreading around the world as cities begin to solve problems and learn from each other about what works and what does not.
2. Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (2016)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs fights to save historic New York City during the ruthless redevelopment era of urban planner Robert Moses in the 1960s.
Director: Matt Tyrnauer | Stars: Thomas Campanella, Vincent D'Onofrio, Mindy Fullilove, Alexander Garvin
Votes: 666 | Gross: $0.31M
A documentary film about the two great theories about cities that emerged in the 20th century. Modernist/top-down urban planning uses urban renewal and prioritizes the automobile. It is represented by Robert Moses. The other theory regarding city life at the level of the street is through the lens of Jane Jacobs, author of the 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities...
3. Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1980)
58 min | Documentary
This highly influential film in architecture and planning circles by William H. Whyte analyzes the success and failures of urban spaces. Observing the natural order of spaces and the way ... See full summary »
Director: William H. Whyte | Star: William H. Whyte
Votes: 184
The film, produced in conjunction with the Municipal Art Society of New York, records the daily patterns of people socializing around the Seagram Building plaza. The plaza was the site of a landmark planning study by William H. Whyte, the American sociologist, showing how people actually use space, varying from the supposed intent of the architects.
4. City Limits (1971)
29 min | Short
Writer Jane Jacobs on North American cities.
Director: Laurence Hyde | Star: Jane Jacobs
"This short documentary features acclaimed author and activist Jane Jacobs' forthright, critical analysis of the problems and virtues of North American cities. Jacobs orients her fascinating observations around Toronto, to which she moved after leaving New York City because Toronto "is a city that still has options ... it hasn't made so many mistakes that it's bound to go downhill.” Her remarks, made in 1971, are prescient yet earnest and will interest all urban stakeholders. This colourful city film, accompanied by an upbeat, jazzy soundtrack, is a must-see for all civic and community groups—indeed, for all urban dwellers worldwide..."
5. The Human Scale (2012)
83 min | Documentary, News
Half of the human population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this will increase to 80%. Life in a megacity is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, ... See full summary »
Director: Andreas Dalsgaard | Stars: Jan Gehl, Rob Adams, Robert Doyle, Lars Gemzøe
Votes: 795
6. Megacities (1998)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
A look at the people who live precariously, but with an unusual level of resourcefulness and imagination, in four gigantic urban agglomerations: Mumbai, New York City, Moscow and Mexico City.
Director: Michael Glawogger
Votes: 1,027
7. The City (I) (1939)
43 min | Documentary, Short
A prescient documentary about city planning, which presents idyllic suburbs and nuclear families as a solution to the chaos, poverty and social decay of industrialized inner cities.
Directors: Ralph Steiner, Willard Van Dyke | Star: Morris Carnovsky
Votes: 368
The City is a pioneering short documentary film from 1939 that contrasts the problems of the contemporary urban environment with the superior social and physical conditions that can be provided in a planned community. It was directed and photographed by Ralph Steiner and Willard Van Dyke from a treatment by Lewis Mumford based on an outline by Pare Lorentz (ed. from the ideas of Catherine Bauer Wurster). Aaron Copland wrote the musical score and Morris Carnovsky provided the narration." (Wikipedia)
8. Bikes vs Cars (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Bikes vs Cars is a documentary about the bike and what an amazing tool for change it can be. It highlights a conflict in city planning between bikes, cars and a growing reliance on fossil fuels.
Director: Fredrik Gertten | Stars: Aline Cavalcante, Dan Koeppel, Raquel Rolnik, Joel Ewanick
Votes: 742
9. Small Is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary (2015)
Unrated | 68 min | Documentary
Small is Beautiful is a documentary following four people as they build their own tiny houses in pursuit of a mortgage free lifestyle, discovering that living tiny is about so much more than just the house.
Director: Jeremy Beasley | Stars: Dee Williams, Ben Campbell, Nicholette Jean Codding, Mitchell Mast
Votes: 219
10. TINY: A Story About Living Small (2013)
Not Rated | 66 min | Documentary
Two young people decide to downsize their lives by building a 'tiny home' on a flatbed trailer.
Directors: Merete Mueller, Christopher Smith | Stars: Daryl Gibson, Merete Mueller, Jay Shafer, Christopher Smith
Votes: 843
11. Los Sures (1984)
Not Rated | 57 min | Documentary
In the late 70s and early 80s, Los Sures was one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. In fact, it had been called the worst ghetto in America. Diego Echeverria's film skillfully ... See full summary »
Director: Diego Echeverria | Stars: Marta Avilés, Evelyn Borges, Tito Lopez, Ana Maria Soto
Votes: 149 | Gross: $0.08M
Inside Pre-Gentrification Williamsburg
This refurbished 1984 documentary on the Brooklyn neighborhood once known as “Los Sures” recalls a time before hipsters:
www.citylab.com/housing/2016/04/a-time-capsule-showing-pre-gentrification-williamsburg/476958/
12. Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story (2003)
30 min | Documentary, Short
Narrated by Cheech Marin and scored by Ry Cooder, this half-hour documentary captures how a community was betrayed by greed, political hypocrisy, and good intentions gone astray.
Director: Jordan Mechner | Star: Cheech Marin
Votes: 40
13. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (2011)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary
2011 "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" explores the rise & fall of titular housing complex in St. Louis, examining racism & gov. Policies through interviews with former residents & historical footage. Ft racism, urban poverty & inequality in America.
Director: Chad Freidrichs | Stars: Slyvester Brown, Irvin Dagen, Elmer Fiedler, Robert Fishman
Votes: 931 | Gross: $0.04M
In a word: Devastating...
14. The Great British Housing Disaster (1984 TV Movie)
49 min | Documentary
Documentary about the system built housing of the 1960's.
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: David Jones, Tom Akroyd, Bill Allen, Cleeve Barr
Votes: 53
15. Push (I) (2019)
92 min | Documentary
A documentary shedding light on the global phenomenon of the commodification of housing and consequent lack of affordability, especially through the eyes of Leilani Farha, a United Nations special rapporteur on housing who lives in Canada.
Director: Fredrik Gertten | Stars: Leilani Farha, Saskia Sassen, Stig Westerdahl, Joseph Stiglitz
Votes: 708
16. Sprawling from Grace (2008)
82 min | Documentary
With more than 250 million cars and trucks on the road and the demand for oil out pacing the Earth's ability to supply it, have we now become slaves to this unsustainable freedom?
Director: David M. Edwards | Stars: Thomas S. Ahlbrandt, Justin Barr, Dena Belzer, George W. Bush
Votes: 68
17. A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil (2006 Video)
Not Rated | 52 min | Documentary
There is hope! This inspirational documentary shows a city where urban solutions are not just theory, but a reality. The film shows innovations in the areas of transportation, recycling, ... See full summary »
Director: Giovanni Vaz Del Bello | Stars: Jaime Lerner, Cassio Taniguchi, Nicolau Klüppel, Carlos Ceneviva
Votes: 29
18. Radiant City (2006)
93 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
An examination of the nature of modern suburbia.
Directors: Jim Brown, Gary Burns | Stars: Daniel Jeffery, Bob Legare, Jane MacFarlane, Ashleigh Fidyk
Votes: 498
19. The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, War
The modern suburbs have ultimately become an unsustainable way of living. They were originally developed in an era of cheap oil, when the automobile became the center of the way people ... See full summary »
Director: Gregory Greene | Stars: Barrie Zwicker, James Howard Kunstler, Peter Calthorpe, Michael Klare
Votes: 1,026
20. The Big Uneasy (2010)
Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary
Follows three remarkable people--the leaders of two scientific investigation teams, and one whistleblower--as they reveal the true story of why New Orleans flooded.
Director: Harry Shearer | Stars: Harry Shearer, John Goodman, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Coolidge
Votes: 145
21. Dark Days (2000)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
Director: Marc Singer | Star: Marc Singer
Votes: 7,173 | Gross: $0.43M
22. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Music
A collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Edward Asner, Pat Benatar, Jerry Brown, Johnny Carson
Votes: 41,404 | Gross: $1.72M
23. Show Me a Hero (2015)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History
Nick Wasicsko takes office as mayor of Yonkers in 1987 and has to face the issue of building public housing in the white, middle-class side of town.
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Natalie Paul, Carla Quevedo, Peter Riegert
Votes: 12,027
24. Portlandia (2011–2018)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
A sketch-comedy series that parodies life in Portland, Oregon.
Stars: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Adams
Votes: 23,055
This should need no explanation...
25. Crash (I) (2004)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton, Karina Arroyave
Votes: 448,809 | Gross: $54.58M
26. The Get Down (2016–2017)
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A ragtag group of teenagers run wild in the streets of the Bronx in the late 1970s.
Stars: Justice Smith, Shameik Moore, Herizen F. Guardiola, Skylan Brooks
Votes: 23,662
27. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
PG | 130 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell
Votes: 498,606
28. Sunrise (1927)
Passed | 94 min | Drama, Romance
A sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing
Votes: 53,802 | Gross: $0.54M
29. The Red Balloon (1956)
Not Rated | 34 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.
Director: Albert Lamorisse | Stars: Pascal Lamorisse, Sabine Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov
Votes: 20,095
30. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen
Votes: 21,494
31. Paterson (2016)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Nellie, Rizwan Manji
Votes: 88,806 | Gross: $2.14M
32. Subway Riders (1981)
120 min | Thriller
A Psychotic saxophone player (played both by Amos Poe and John Lurie) lures victims to deserted spots with his music and then guns them down.
Director: Amos Poe | Stars: Robbie Coltrane, Charlene Kaleina, Cookie Mueller, John Lurie
Votes: 162
33. Subway (1985)
R | 104 min | Thriller
On improvising a burglary at a shady tycoon's home, Fred takes refuge in the hip and surreal universe of the Paris Metro and encounters its assorted denizens, the tycoon's henchmen and his disenchanted young wife.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Isabelle Adjani, Richard Bohringer, Michel Galabru
Votes: 16,329 | Gross: $0.39M
34. A Cambodian Spring (2016)
126 min | Documentary
"A Cambodian Spring" is an intimate and unique portrait of three people caught up in the chaotic and often violent development that is shaping modern-day Cambodia. Shot over six years, the ... See full summary »
Director: Christopher Kelly | Stars: Luon Sovath, Tep Vanny
Votes: 204
35. Roger & Me (1989)
R | 91 min | Documentary
After General Motors closes its factory in Flint, Michigan, eliminating 35,000 jobs, filmmaker Michael Moore undertakes a quixotic quest to interview General Motors' chairman, Roger B. Smith.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Roger B. Smith, Rhonda Britton, Fred Ross
Votes: 27,506 | Gross: $6.71M
36. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
A New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting a strange, unpredictable adventure.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edson, Cecillia Stark
Votes: 40,617 | Gross: $2.44M
37. Repo Man (1984)
R | 92 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A young punk, recruited by a car repo agency, finds himself in pursuit of a Chevrolet Malibu with a huge, $20,000 bounty--and something otherworldly stashed in its trunk.
Director: Alex Cox | Stars: Harry Dean Stanton, Emilio Estevez, Tracey Walter, Olivia Barash
Votes: 40,936 | Gross: $3.57M
38. Do the Right Thing (1989)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama
On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson
Votes: 112,263 | Gross: $27.55M
39. The Cruise (1998)
PG-13 | 76 min | Documentary
Timothy "Speed" Levitch, an eccentric New York City tour bus guide, takes tourists around the island of Manhattan and shares an archive of beautifully distorted information about the city.
Director: Bennett Miller | Star: Timothy 'Speed' Levitch
Votes: 1,932 | Gross: $0.24M
40. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Approved | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
A man and his wife decide they can afford to have a house in the country built to their specifications. It's a lot more trouble than they think.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny
Votes: 12,796 | Gross: $6.00M
41. Smithereens (1982)
R | 93 min | Drama, Music
A talent-challenged girl tries to promote herself to stardom in New York's waning punk music world.
Director: Susan Seidelman | Stars: Susan Berman, Brad Rijn, Richard Hell, Nada Despotovich
Votes: 2,619
42. L'Atalante (1934)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Newly married couple Juliette and a ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Le père Jules and a cabin boy.
Director: Jean Vigo | Stars: Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre
Votes: 17,453
43. Easy (2016–2019)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
Intertwined groups of friends in Chicago fumble through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture.
Stars: Michael Chernus, Jane Adams, Elizabeth Reaser, Jacqueline Toboni
Votes: 15,372
Insightful fictionalized, contemporary urban life for Gen Xers and Millennials, set in Chicago...
44. Utopia (I) (2014– )
27 min | Comedy
Comedy set inside the offices of the "Nation Building Authority", a newly created government organization responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects.
Stars: Rob Sitch, Celia Pacquola, Dave Lawson, Emma-Louise Wilson
Votes: 2,891
It’s “The Office” for urbanists...
45. The Landlord (1970)
PG | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
At the age of 29, Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) "runs away" from home. This running away consists of buying a building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Initially, his ... See full summary »
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Beau Bridges, Lee Grant, Diana Sands, Pearl Bailey
Votes: 3,077 | Gross: $0.96M
Little known Hal Ashby jumped into the adult side of the pool in Hollywood with this feature that was decades ahead of its time…
46. Paris Belongs to Us (1961)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Anne Goupil is a literature student in Paris in 1957. Her elder brother, Pierre, takes her to a friend's party where the guests include Philip Kaufman, an expatriate American escaping ... See full summary »
Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Betty Schneider, Giani Esposito, Françoise Prévost, Daniel Crohem
Votes: 2,711
47. Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
The absurd antics of an Indiana town's public officials as they pursue sundry projects to make their city a better place.
Stars: Amy Poehler, Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt
Votes: 287,464
48. Rent (2005)
PG-13 | 135 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In New York City's gritty East Village, a group of bohemians strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Rapp
Votes: 55,885 | Gross: $29.08M
49. Don't Look Now (1973)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Votes: 62,248 | Gross: $0.98M
50. Tales of the City (1993)
Unrated | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The stories of several colorful characters living in San Francisco.
Stars: Olympia Dukakis, Donald Moffat, Chloe Webb, Laura Linney
Votes: 4,322
51. Tales of the City (2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she ... See full summary »
Stars: Laura Linney, Elliot Page, Paul Gross, Murray Bartlett
Votes: 9,046
52. Daybreak Express (1953)
5 min | Documentary, Short, Music
Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording of "Daybreak Expresa" this is a five-minute short on the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated train line in Manhattan, New York City.
Director: D.A. Pennebaker
Votes: 1,330
53. Model Shop (1969)
M | 97 min | Drama, Romance
George is unemployed, broke, about to be drafted to Vietnam, and suddenly madly in love with the divine Lola, a woman he has only briefly glimpsed. Now George searches for his potential amour through the City of Angels.
Director: Jacques Demy | Stars: Anouk Aimée, Gary Lockwood, Alexandra Hay, Carol Cole
Votes: 2,129
54. The Neighbors' Window (2019)
21 min | Short, Drama
It tells the story of a middle aged woman with small children whose life is shaken up when two free-spirited twenty-somethings move in across the street.
Director: Marshall Curry | Stars: Maria Dizzia, Greg Keller, Juliana Canfield, Bret Lada
Votes: 5,876
55. The Last Hurrah (1958)
Approved | 121 min | Drama
Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.
Director: John Ford | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Jeffrey Hunter, Dianne Foster, Pat O'Brien
Votes: 4,152
56. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 521,438 | Gross: $36.76M
57. Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America (2014)
TV-G | 55 min | Documentary
Olmsted was America's first great landscape architect - even the co-inventor of the term.
Directors: Diane Garey, Lawrence R. Hott
Votes: 29
58. Outside Again (2017)
25 min | Documentary, Short
A documentary by Adrian Heathfield and Hugo Glendinning Outside Again is a short documentary on Tehching Hsieh's performances, made by photographer Hugo Glendinning with writer and curator ... See full summary »
Directors: Hugo Glendinning, Adrian Heathfield | Star: Tehching Hsieh
59. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 165,087
60. Murdoch Mysteries (2008– )
TV-PG | 48 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the 1890s, William Murdoch uses radical forensic techniques for the time, including fingerprinting and trace evidence, to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders.
Stars: Yannick Bisson, Helene Joy, Thomas Craig, Jonny Harris
Votes: 17,413
Toronto(!) is an urban backdrop for this Canadian television program...
61. Escape from New York (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 157,203 | Gross: $25.24M
62. Concrete Cowboy (2020)
R | 111 min | Drama, Western
Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.
Director: Ricky Staub | Stars: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Lorraine Toussaint, Jharrel Jerome
Votes: 9,759
63. The First Angry Man (2019 TV Movie)
54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
He saved your home. Then he ruined your country. This is the story of Howard Jarvis and the birth of the great American tax revolt.
Directors: Jason Cohn, Jason Cohn | Stars: Bill Boyarsky, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, Gray Davis
Votes: 10
The history of California’s 1978 Proposition 13 which *still* shackles the state with an uneven and unequal tax system…
64. My Brooklyn (2012)
85 min | Documentary, History, News
Director Kelly Anderson's personal journey as a Brooklyn 'gentrifier' to understand the forces reshaping her neighborhood along lines of race and class. The film reframes the gentrification... See full summary »
Director: Kelly Anderson
Votes: 69
65. The Great McGinty (1940)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy
Dan McGinty has great success in his chosen field of crooked politics, but he endangers it all in one crazy moment of honesty.
Director: Preston Sturges | Stars: Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, Allyn Joslyn
Votes: 4,406
66. City Hall (2020)
272 min | Documentary
A look at Boston's city government, covering racial justice, housing, climate action, and more.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Star: Marty Walsh
Votes: 722
67. Sublet (2020)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A New York Times travel writer comes to Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. The energy of the city and his relationship with a younger man brings him back to life.
Director: Eytan Fox | Stars: John Benjamin Hickey, Niv Nissim, Lihi Kornowski, Miki Kam
Votes: 2,962
68. Of Time and the City (2008)
Not Rated | 74 min | Documentary, Biography
A filmmaker looks at the history and transformation of his birthplace, Liverpool, England.
Director: Terence Davies | Stars: Terence Davies, George Harrison, Jack Hawkins, John Lennon
Votes: 2,250 | Gross: $0.03M
69. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,280 | Gross: $1.24M
70. Wings of Desire (1987)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois
Votes: 76,840 | Gross: $3.33M
71. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 349,390
72. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 487,775 | Gross: $44.59M
73. An American in Paris (1951)
Passed | 114 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary
Votes: 36,817 | Gross: $4.50M
74. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 877,095 | Gross: $141.32M
75. Alphaville (1965)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A U.S. secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel
Votes: 27,563 | Gross: $0.05M
76. The Truman Show (1998)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 1,193,871 | Gross: $125.62M
77. High-Rise (2015)
R | 119 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans
Votes: 45,143 | Gross: $0.34M
78. Chungking Express (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Votes: 95,550 | Gross: $0.60M
79. Killer of Sheep (1978)
80 min | Drama
Set in the Watts area of Los Angeles, a slaughterhouse worker must suspend his emotions to continue working at a job he finds repugnant, and then he finds he has little sensitivity for the family he works so hard to support.
Director: Charles Burnett | Stars: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett
Votes: 7,523 | Gross: $0.40M
80. La Dolce Vita (1960)
Not Rated | 174 min | Comedy, Drama
A series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering tabloid journalist living in Rome.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux
Votes: 78,104 | Gross: $19.52M
81. I Am Cuba (1964)
Not Rated | 141 min | Drama
Four vignettes about the lives of the Cuban people set during the pre-revolutionary era.
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov | Stars: Sergio Corrieri, Salvador Wood, José Gallardo, Raúl García
Votes: 10,635
82. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006–2007)
TV-MA | 51 min | Documentary
An examination of the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Stars: Darleen Asevedo, Jay Asevedo, Shelton Shakespear Alexander, Lee Arnold
Votes: 4,819
83. The Land of Many Palaces (2015)
PG | 61 min | Documentary
China's ghost city is awakened.
Directors: Adam Smith, Ting Song
Votes: 33
84. Playtime (1967)
Not Rated | 155 min | Comedy
Monsieur Hulot curiously wanders around a high-tech Paris, paralleling a trip with a group of American tourists. Meanwhile, a nightclub/restaurant prepares its opening night, but it's still under construction.
Director: Jacques Tati | Stars: Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden, France Rumilly
Votes: 25,866
85. Columbus (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.
Director: Kogonada | Stars: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes
Votes: 20,910 | Gross: $1.02M
86. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,071 | Gross: $32.87M
87. Taxi Driver (1976)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks
Votes: 919,040 | Gross: $28.26M
88. Taxi (III) (2015)
Not Rated | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
Banned from making movies by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi poses as a taxi driver and makes a movie about social challenges in Iran.
Director: Jafar Panahi | Stars: Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh
Votes: 16,526 | Gross: $0.32M
89. Duplex (2003)
PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy
A young couple has a chance to move into a gorgeous duplex in the perfect New York neighborhood. All they have to do is bump off the current tenant, a cute little old lady.
Director: Danny DeVito | Stars: Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein
Votes: 61,873 | Gross: $9.69M
90. East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story (2020 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary
The history of the East Lake Meadows public housing project in Atlanta and the people who lived there from 1970 to its demolition in 2000, with special emphasis on the activism of Eva Davis asserting the rights of the tenants.
Directors: Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Henry Cisneros, Bill Clinton, Jelani Cobb, Eva Davis
Votes: 91
91. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)
R | 92 min | Drama, Romance
With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams.
Director: Leslie Harris | Stars: Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido, Chequita Jackson
Votes: 1,361 | Gross: $0.48M
92. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001)
TV-Y | 30 min | Family, Fantasy, Music
Fred Rogers explores various topics for young viewers through presentations and music, both in his world and in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
Stars: Fred Rogers, Betty Aberlin, David Newell, Joe Negri
Votes: 9,529
93. My Blue Heaven (I) (1990)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Crime
An all too uptight FBI agent must protect a larger than life mobster with a heart of gold, currently under witness protection in the suburbs.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Joan Cusack, Melanie Mayron
Votes: 22,489 | Gross: $23.59M
“The URBAN hood finds the SUBURBAN good”…
94. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,317 | Gross: $76.61M
Talk about brownfield development…
95. Berlin: Symphony of Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary
This movie shows us one day in Berlin, the rhythm of that time, starting at the earliest morning and ends in the deepest night.
Director: Walter Ruttmann | Star: Paul von Hindenburg
Votes: 4,791
96. Central Park (2020–2022)
TV-PG | 25 min | Animation, Comedy, Musical
This animated musical series tells the story of how a family of caretakers who live and work in Central Park end up saving the park--and basically the world.
Stars: Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn
Votes: 4,309
97. Central Park (1989)
176 min | Documentary
Frederick Wiseman chronicles everything and everyone that appears in the world's most famed park.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Stars: LeVar Burton, Francis Ford Coppola, Luciano Pavarotti, Vittorio Storaro
Votes: 184
98. Public Housing (1997)
200 min | Documentary
Renowned documentarian Frederick Wiseman takes an intimate and nuanced look at the Ida B. Wells housing project in the south side of Chicago, Illinois.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Star: Helen Finner
Votes: 280
99. Jasper Mall (2020)
85 min | Documentary
A year in the life of a dying shopping mall.
Directors: Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb
Votes: 1,523
100. Owned: A Tale of Two Americas (2018)
83 min | Documentary
'Owned' is a fever dream vision into the dark history behind the US housing economy. Tracking its overtly racist beginnings to its unbridled commoditization, the doc exposes a foundational story few Americans understand as their own.
Director: Giorgio Angelini
Votes: 421
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