As I take my mental walk down memory lane, it’s actually kind of hard to pick which movie was my favorite. When I think of all of the movies, I think about how much I disliked most of them. In fact, it might be easier to pick which was my least favorite. My criteria for which movies were my favorite was simple: which were the ones that I actually dedicated 80% or more of my attention to, meaning which one was I not multitasking while watching. That narrows it down to three movies: Taxi Driver, Do The Right Thing, and The 25^th Hour. Out of the three, I’m not sure that I can pick out an absolute favorite. They all sparked a lot of debate and controversy in class, and honestly, I would watch those three movies again. What’s so funny about all of these movies is that I would not have watched these if it weren’t for this class, not because they are all older movies, but because they just aren’t my kind of movie. I must admit that a little part of me had always wanted to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s. After seeing endless pictures and gifs from the movie on Tumblr, I was slightly excited to finally have an excuse to watch the movie. But honestly, it did not live up to all of the hype. It was actually offensive and boring, but to each his own right?

It’s hard to say which movie was most truthful about New York. I think, however, that each of these movies represented something different about the city: the dirty streets, the classically beautiful architecture, the overzealous men and catcalls, the crime, the list really does go on and on. But luckily I was scrolling through my Instagram feed this morning to see a post by the most melodramatic people I follow, and the connection between all of these films clicked. It was something along the lines of “I’m from NYC. That defines be. I’m not going to apologize for being me.” In each of the movies we saw, the main characters were completely unapologetic about who they were. They all knew who they were and what their direct want or need was. And I think that totally depicts New York in one shot. That’s the Big Apple.

As far as the works we’ve read this semester, I actually really enjoyed all of them. Perhaps that fact that I enjoyed reading the plays more than I enjoyed watching the movies says something about me, and it probably explains why I work in a bookstore. With that being said, the theme of being unapologetic is still present throughout the readings. In God of Carnage, both sets of parents were a little too proud to admit that they were both in the wrong at some points. The characters of In Arabia We’d All Be Kings were completely indifferent to what other people thought about them, and they didn’t care whether or not they were in the wrong.

That’s New York for you!

When asked what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of NYC most would say skyscrapers. So if Manhattan is so well known for its amazing skyline, how does it compare to Dubai? Not very well, to say the least.

To some extent I think NYC is just another city. It would be false to say that there is nothing special about NYC. However, every city is different and unique and I don’t think some skyscrapers, or times square, or the statue of liberty makes NYC any more special and worthy of attention than any other city.

However, second only to Tokyo, NYC is the richest city. I think that is definitely the reason why NYC is so idealized. Money is almost always reflected in someway in the films we watched. Wall Street, The Producers, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s clearly express the importance of money through their clothing (Hepburn’s Givenchy dress), by showing how the rich live (Bud’s and Gekko’s fancy apartments), and by straight up talking about money. These three films also portray NYC as a center of power and wealth.

My favorite film would have to be The Muppets take Manhattan. The movie was very cute and funny. I really liked the fact that it was a film for all audiences and there were some truths in the film, like the rats in the restaurants, Mrs. Piggy getting street harassed, and Kermit getting hit by a car. The movie lacked substance which was fine by me as it was very entertaining- not all films need a greater purpose.

While none of these films we watched expresses my view of NYC, the Muppets take Manhattan and Wall Street do come close. Although I don’t see the need or purpose for all the hype NYC gets, one factor that set NYC apart it would be NYC is a place where people are after money, fame, or both.

I do think that money and fame are very very very very important factors in todays society- but more so here in NYC than in perhaps any other city in the world. Wall Street and The Muppets take Manhattan are similar in that they show people (or puppets) trying to “make it big” in the city and that NYC is a place where dreams come true. However they do so in very different ways. Wall Street portrays NYC as a place where deceit is necessary to climb to the top and the rich are marked with a brand of dishonesty. Many of the famous and rich got to where they are today by cheating, selling their morals, and stepping on others. While I believe that this is accurate 8/10 times. I think its possible for someone to succeed honestly- as shown in the Muppets take Manhattan. Also the dreams of the main characters in these films are are to be rich and to be famous- two qualities which are very characteristic of New York. I think you can find so many people willing to sell out for money and fame in NYC (Anyone come to mind?). New York maintains a culture where success= money and fame. NYC is definitely a city which overly romanticizes fame and money.

There is so much more to New York City than what any one view can portray. Throughout the semester we have read plays and watched various movies that have attempted to shed light on what New York City is all about. Each director or playwright highlighted the images that they found most spectacular about the city, whether this was a positive image or one full of greed and disgust. The only problem is that there is no one correct view of New York City. Just like every other city there are wealthy people and neighborhoods, and there are dangerous areas where you should be wary. Depending on what time period, location, and people you find yourself surrounded by will give you a totally different perspective of New York City.

The very first movie we watched this semester, Wall Street, brought to light the greed and corruption that is present in the financial district of New York City. In wealthy communities as seen in this movie people often find themselves overwhelmed with the need to just keep gaining more money no matter how rich they already are. The flashy life appeals to Bud, and he lets Gordon Gekko become his mentor; this leads Bud to making all kinds of immoral decision. In the end, he does not let himself sell out to Gekko’s obscene morals; he is punished for his actions and appears to be a changed man. Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage then continued to illustrate the lack of morals that New Yorkers have. The plot is full of ex-convicts, alcoholics, and drug addicts. Despite their out of ordinary ways of going about it, they are all full of dreams and aspire to get somewhere. Most of the works we studied this semester portrayed New York City in more than one light, and we as an audience had the ability to choose what stuck out to us.

From all the works we saw this semester, Craig Wright’s Recent Tragic Events stood out to me. It was not the most descriptive in showing New York City as a whole because it focused on one event and how specific people felt during it; despite this, it was a very effective work of literature. There was something off about Andrew’s character from the beginning of the play, and when the plot revealed his connection to Waverly’s sister, I was completely immersed in it. Wright displayed the confusion that was occurring with all the 9/11 events in a very realistic way. There was so much confusion and denial on everyone’s part that no one knew how he should behave.

Deciding which of all the works is the most truthful to what New York City is all about is extremely challenging. They all highlight certain things that are very instrumental to what New York is. With how current events are turning out, I am sad to say that a movie like Do the Right Thing is a part of an image of New York that still is evident. The tragic events that occur in it continue to be a part of our society; yet, this movie is still not exactly what New York City is, at least not today. If I would have to pick one work that illustrates New York City in the most truthful way, it would be Wall Street. Most that are in New York are in search of that dream and accomplishing the impossible. On our way to trying to achieve this, we start to question our ideals. If all our true, hard work is getting us nowhere and when people like Gekko on Wall Street cheat and make it so big, why shouldn’t we be doing the same thing? Being successful and having everything makes it really complicated in standing by your morals. This was something that Wall Street demonstrated very well. It appears that it only shows the greed and corruption, but that’s not where the point lies; there are the wealthy, and there is the middle class, and so on, and we all struggle to survive one way or another, going about things in either honest or dishonest ways. That is something that occurs everywhere. In all of these works it is important to note that New York City serves as a symbol, a symbol that stands for hope and the ability to make something of yourself.

Back in November I got to spend time with one of my friends who had moved to Indiana. It’s been a weird transition for him, a Brooklyn native, to move so far away. He was telling me that in his English class, they had to write down something they wanted to do for Christmas. One of his classmates wrote that she wanted to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center and he had to stop himself from laughing. All of these “New York” things really just draw in tourists; few New Yorkers actually go and see them.

The glorification of New York is everywhere in popular culture. From music to movies, New York is always the place to be. It’s the center of the universe to many. But is it really?

My favorite movies from this semester were The Muppets Take Manhattan and The Producers. They were both lighthearted and hilarious, and a nice breather from the heavy, drudging films that otherwise filled our syllabus. Even though they were comedies, they both still had a heavy dose of reality in both. The Muppets showed us that you have to work hard to make it, but you still can in the end. The Producers showed us that there are cons out there that want to exploit art for a profit.

However, I don’t think either of those works showcased the true New York City. Why? Because in Muppets, the good guys win out and the show is a hit and in The Producers Max and Leo just keep doing their thing (in prison, but still). The only film that really captured New York was undoubtedly Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. Stone shows New York as the urban jungle that it is, and more importantly shows the people who live here accurately. Deep inside, we all have bits of Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko in us. We’re like Bud because we want to get ahead in life; we’re like Gekko because sometimes we don’t mind stamping on others to get there. We’re even like Darien in that we’ll use others as a means to support ourselves.

Wall Street forces the viewer to examine him or herself. If you weren’t riveted by Gekko’s ‘greed is good’ speech, it was probably because you were too busy trying to deny that he was right. In a world where money is everything, greed is natural. It’s even good! Without greed, we’ll just get stuck where we are, no upward mobility for anyone. Maybe greed for money itself is negative, but greed for a better life isn’t so negative. However, the issue comes with the realization that more often than not, a better life is facilitated by more money. So how do you get money? If you’re Bud, you play the stock market game with an unfair advantage. If you’re Gekko, it takes you a while to get caught, but you live the life you want for the time that you’re under the radar and that’s not so bad. Wall Street is the truest reflection of New York because it has brutal honesty without being sensationalist or superfluous. Every person wants to get ahead and in the urban jungle of NYC sometimes you can’t do that by keeping your hands out of the mud. Sometimes you’ve got to get elbow deep in it. And sometimes you get caught.

Throughout this seminar class, we have watched many movies that revolved around the New York setting, with each film uniquely conveying its own message about this fascinating city. My favorite work, however, was definitely Wall Street by Oliver Stone. It depicted the corporate world of NY and revealed a very important truth about it: becoming a success in such a competitive environment often requires resorting to corruption and getting ones hands dirty. It’s unfortunate, but it’s inevitable, and like they say: it is what it is, right?

Stone literally (and accurately) portrayed Wall Street as a jungle: there exist people like Bud Fox, who are the vulnerable prey trying hard to survive and make a living, and then there are people like Gordon Gekko, who are the voracious predators destroying and eating anyone in their way just to make it big in the city.

And with such a jungle-like atmosphere inescapably comes the application of Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. Unlike Gekko, Bud was unfit for working in such a risky, dangerous, competitive world. On the other hand, Gekko, the opulent and legendary stockbroker who Bud aspired to become, took advantage of Bud, who was so desperate to become affluent like him, and got him to do insider trading for him.

In the end, Bud lost everything he ever really cared about. He lost his girlfriend, Darien, betrayed his father and led him to a heart attack, compromised his moral integrity, and was arrested and looking at jail time for insider trading. But what ever happened to Gekko you might ask? Nothing. What a joke! It’s sad, but truth of the matter is that rich people have money, and that equals power. And with this power comes privilege. Simple.

I really appreciated this movie for it showed how greedy the human mind really is (even though we often don’t want to admit it). One quote that really spoke to me from Wall Street was when Michael Douglass notoriously stated: “Greed is good.” And in class, I couldn’t help but notice that many people viewed this quote as something negative; after all, greed is bad, right?

But honestly, if you really think so, you’re just being a HYPOCRITE! Just like fear, anger, sex, and rivalry, greed is ALSO a natural human instinct. Greed is actually the mere gathering of resources that allow an organism to survive and reproduce, and the more the better! These resources range from food, to water, to shelter. Without these things, the organism dies. And in this capitalistic society, money becomes a very important resource for survival, because without it we can’t provide for ourselves.

And this is exactly what I loved about the movie: it showed the true nature of the human mind that we all possess and don’t like to admit we have.