We’re adding to our California movie list
If my email inbox is any indication, several essential California films remain to be added to our Golden State watch list.
Readers have recommended to me a total of 215 films that reflect California, ranging from romantic comedies to documentaries, and today I’ll share six of them.
I recently saw ‘American Graffiti’, George Lucas’s 1973 comedy, for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it – not least because the film features so many young actors who went on to fame, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford.
Brian McMahon, a reader who lives in Murrieta, gave a great description of the film: “Set in 1962 in the agriculturally bordered Central Valley city of Modesto, this low-budget masterpiece captures life just before the socially disruptive 1960s. Often referred to as a coming-of-age story, I propose that this last evening of summer with a group of recent high school graduates reflects an important life decision we’ve all made at one time or another: stay within the comforts of home, or go into the unknown.”
Here are five more films we’re adding to our watch list, along with what readers shared about them, lightly edited for clarity. You can watch the first five California films we recommended here.
Feel free to email me at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your picks and why you think they deserve to be included. Enjoy watching.
“LA Confidential” (1997)
“A great story with great acting, in which the look of post-war LA and the early 1950s. It reflects the police corruption and political sleaze of the time. I grew up in LA at that time and it brought back memories. The end credits with Hopalong Cassidy in a parade was the icing on the cake. So California. So LA” — Lynda Ramsey, Los Angeles
“Bullitt” (1968)
“The car chase scenes through the streets of San Francisco are a thrill ride for the viewer. The 1968 Ford Mustang is a classic car from California. And the thrilling chase scene at the end of the film through San Francisco is all California. And Steve McQueen’s portrayal of Officer Frank Bullitt is California Cool.” — Jane Winsor, Orinda
“The birds” (1963)
“’The Birds’ was based on an event that occurred while Hitchcock was visiting Capitola, and subsequently filmed in Bodega Bay. And you can visit a small museum and the places where he filmed during a weekend away to a beautiful little coastal town.” — Greg Meyer, Santa Cruz
“The Great Lebowski” (1998)
“No list is complete without ‘The Big Lebowski.’ Filmed throughout the region, including Malibu, the old Hollywood Star Lanes bowling alley and even Santa Susana Pass Road. Plus the best movie ever, with the classic LA line: ‘Is there a Ralph’s here?’” — Stephanie Wilson, Simi Valley
“The Maltese Falcon” (1941)
“San Francisco’s iconic locations: Chinatown, the Ferry Building and the Golden Gate Bridge! And what genre could be more compatible with the mysterious and moody atmosphere of our misty climate than film noir?” — Tina Perdices, San Francisco
Tell us
We are in the process of putting together ours California soundtrack for years and have recorded most of the hits. Which songs do you think still need to be added?
Tell us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Include your name, the city you live in, and a few sentences about why you think your song deserves to be included.
And before you go: good news
In a famous scene from the 1968 film “Bullitt,” Steve McQueen’s character walks up to the awning of a corner store, grabs a newspaper, then an apple, a bunch of scallions and a stack of frozen TV dinners and goes back to his apartment. on the other side of the street.
The scene was filmed at VJ Grocery, a real family corner store in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood. It has become something of a destination for movie buffs from all over the world, who visit the supermarket to recreate McQueen’s shopping scene. SFGate Reports. The store has had cameos in other films, including “George of the Jungle” and “Hereafter,” and was officially designated as a legacy business in the city in November 2021.
The supermarket is owned by Anastasios Taptelis, who grew up in San Francisco and started working there in 2004, when he was 24; he officially took over the operation from family friends in 2020. The store takes its name from the day it opened – August 15, 1945, also known as V-J Day, when President Harry Truman announced Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Taptelis has had some trouble keeping the store running lately due to rising costs and reduced tourism since the start of the pandemic. Still, the steady stream of visitors who come to reenact McQueen’s routine and experience a bit of movie magic has kept the store going.
Thank you for reading. I’ll come back tomorrow. — Soumya
PS Here it is today’s mini crossword.
Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team via CAtoday@nytimes.com.
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