Thursday, October 13, 2005

Hollywood and New York

If there's one thing that living in New York has revealed to me, it's the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of how the city is portrayed in film.

If I'm watching something on TV that is set in New York and one of the characters is hanging out on the street or walking down a sidewalk, it is suddenly very obvious to me if they are the only one walking down that street. It's such a small, minute detail but I am amazed at how startlingly obvious that seems to me now, because you're never the only one. I was out last night walking around at 3am and I wasn't alone, so don't even get me started on the daytime.

The other thing that struck me is often times in movies when someone gets thrown out of a restaurant or an establishment, they often land on a huge pile of garbage bags that are conveniently lined along the sidewalk. Oddly enough, that is true. I always thought that was just a device Hollywood made up but lo and behold, I was mistaken.

So the next time you're watching a movie set in New York pay attention. If the characters are outside and alone, then it's wrong. If they're thrown onto trash bags, then everything is fine.

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