- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Growing up, Home Alone movies were one of my favorite movies to watch with my brother. A huge reason is because it took place in the city I was born and raised in. The movie was taken place in 1992 in New York City, the setting played a huge role in the plot development. It was set during Christmas, so the city was drenched in lights and holiday decorations. There was one scene where the main character, Kevin stopped to look at the big tree at Rockefeller Center, which is still placed every year duringthe holiday time in the city. The city looks more crowded with people and buildings than it was shown in the movie. During the holiday time, the people are a lot happier which was shown in the movie as well. There was a scene where Kevin went into a toy store, and I remember as a little kid how mesmerized I was at the store. It was filled with toys coming out of every corner of the store. When Kevin landed in New York, he was captivated with the whole city. There was one scene where he would stick his head out of a old-fashioned yellow taxi to get a better look at the Washington Bridge, which is the same bridge we saw at the New York Historical Library. He was also taking pictures with his polaroid of all the sights in New York such as Radio City and the Statue of Liberty. It gave the notion that New York City was something to be mesmerized by, you’re like a tiny ant in a big city. There was montage of different attractions he was visiting all alone, it’s like the perfect city to get lost in because there’s so many things to do. People were always on the move in the movie, which is still true today. I saw the main character rushing through different parts of the city in a matter of minutes, and you always see people trying to get to their destination in a hurry. The movie portrayed New York as fast-paced, and I couldn’t agree more. They also depicted the city as an ostentatious way of living, which is still true today as well. Kevin stayed at a five-star hotel, rode limos, and so on. This isn’t true for everyone, but the city is definitely known for their high prices and lavish hotels with incredible views.
New York has definitely evolved immensely since the movie had taken place. First off, there are no longer payphones in New York because everyone has a cellphone or phone watches nowadays. In the recent few years, there was a huge technology boom which led to everyone walking with either their earphones plugged in or their eyes planted on their devices. There was definitely a huge culture and social shift due to technology. You don’t see people stopping to have conversations or take in anything around them, which is honestly upsetting the fact we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Demographically as well, New York City is known for its diversity, we take advantage of it. We don’t realize the amount of cultures around us through New Yorker, we even have streets dedicated to them such as China Town and Little Italy. The movie also showed the Twin Towers, but now Ground Zero has the Freedom Tower, as well as a memorial sites and a huge mall. This site is benefitting economically with people and tourists coming from all around the world to commemorate the lives lost at the Freedom Tower, and shop at the Oculus. It was turned into a tourist attraction, which accumulates profit for the city. New York has evolved incredibly with their people, food, culture, politics, and so on. Visiting New York in the 1900s is not the same when you see it today. It’s crazy to think it will change even more in a matter of years. New York will always have a special place in my heart.
This blog was really fun to read. Home Alone is one of my favorite movies and being able to think of it in a different light, in a way that reflects on the city itself is so interesting. I agree with you completely on the fact that its very disappointing to see everyone walking around the city engulfed in their music and phones. I wish people would engage in conversation with each other more because the feeling of isolation is one of the sad ways New York has changed.
Amazing job!! Home Alone is by far one of the best movies ever created! I love how you perfectly related it to New York City and how well your descriptions of the movie were that I knew exactly what seen you were talking about! I really agree about the whole concept of a culture shift due to technology, it’s crazy how much of an impact it has on people. I never thought about the idea that New York City will continue to evolve, although it is pretty obvious, so I’m happy you mentioned that, because now it is something I’m going to try and keep an eye out for. It’s easier to compare one time period to another, but to compare the same time period to itself is tough and your comments really got my brain thinking about that. Great work!
First off, Home Alone is also one of my favorite movies – a classic. I completely agree with the idea of how New York City has been portrayed has definitely changed through the years. The overall theme of being “a proud New Yorker” is still there but the attractions are much more different. It used to be that the number one attraction was the Statue of Liberty because it was known as the gateway for immigrants into the “land of opportunity.” Now, New York City is filled with tons of popular tourist attractions such as the Empire State Building, Times Square, and the World Trade Center which have all evolved over time due to the constantly changing demographic and social structure of the city. I loved all the ideas you wrote about, great blog!