What movies act as time capsules?
February 9, 2023 12:03 PM Subscribe
What movies act as time capsules? I want to make a list of films that evoke a strong sense of time (and possibly place). Through dialogue, sets, etc. they transport you to the era in which they're set.
Last night, I watched In the Heat of the Night, and it transported me to 1967. It made me realize how much I appreciate other films that do this.
Some examples include It's a Wonderful Life, The Apartment, Wargames, Dazed and Confused, Stand By Me, and (although it's not a film) Stranger Things. Here's my quick list of examples based on the films I've watched in the past couple of years.
I'd prefer films like In the Heat of the Night that evoke the period in which they were actually produced. Movies like Stand By Me and shows like Stranger Things are also good, but they're made thirty years after their setting, which often leads to anachronisms. (Not to mention that a lot of modern films "prettify" their settings, which makes them feel fake af.)
What are some great examples of movies that act as time capsules?
Last night, I watched In the Heat of the Night, and it transported me to 1967. It made me realize how much I appreciate other films that do this.
Some examples include It's a Wonderful Life, The Apartment, Wargames, Dazed and Confused, Stand By Me, and (although it's not a film) Stranger Things. Here's my quick list of examples based on the films I've watched in the past couple of years.
I'd prefer films like In the Heat of the Night that evoke the period in which they were actually produced. Movies like Stand By Me and shows like Stranger Things are also good, but they're made thirty years after their setting, which often leads to anachronisms. (Not to mention that a lot of modern films "prettify" their settings, which makes them feel fake af.)
What are some great examples of movies that act as time capsules?
Hair
posted by Thella at 12:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Thella at 12:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Rockers, but that may be because it's half documentary.
Easy Rider sure does evoke 1968.
posted by credulous at 12:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Easy Rider sure does evoke 1968.
posted by credulous at 12:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Graduate
posted by Daily Alice at 12:17 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Daily Alice at 12:17 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
Glengarry Glen Ross
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 12:18 PM on February 9, 2023
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 12:18 PM on February 9, 2023
Wayne's World.
posted by saladin at 12:19 PM on February 9, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by saladin at 12:19 PM on February 9, 2023 [20 favorites]
Altman's Nashville. Such a fun double feature with Dazed and Confused since they both take place around the bicentennial.
posted by twelve cent archie at 12:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by twelve cent archie at 12:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Clerks, for me, just embodies the 90s
posted by whisper_robin at 12:26 PM on February 9, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by whisper_robin at 12:26 PM on February 9, 2023 [14 favorites]
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and The Lost Weekend (1945) are both films about addiction that I think do this.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is a gem about veterans adjusting to life after World War II.
posted by FencingGal at 12:28 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is a gem about veterans adjusting to life after World War II.
posted by FencingGal at 12:28 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
Elvis Mitchell's "Is that Black Enough for You?" documentary will fill your head with many, many films!
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:31 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:31 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oddly enough, F/X -- which is fun and dumb for all kinds of reasons -- offers an incredible glimpse of lower Manhattan (in particular the Meat Packing District and Tribeca) at a transitional moment (late 1980s, just as Battery Park was becoming a thing). There's a chase scene down the West Side Highway with the Twin Towers in the distance that just gets to my old downtowner heart every time. Bonus: the boat pond; old police cars; phone booths and other stuff you have to explain to your kids! Read all about it here.
posted by The Bellman at 12:31 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The Bellman at 12:31 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Legends of the Fall.
A River Runs Through It.
Dazed and Confused.
My friends and I were all in small town high school in 1976 and, "It's a documentary, not a movie." Climbing the water tower, fights at keggers, the older guys hitting on high school chicks, being chased by seniors on the last day of junior high, etc. Only we made our bongs in ceramics class and made rolling trays in metal shop. I definitely hung out with stoners talking about how George Washington smoked weed.
posted by ITravelMontana at 12:32 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
A River Runs Through It.
Dazed and Confused.
My friends and I were all in small town high school in 1976 and, "It's a documentary, not a movie." Climbing the water tower, fights at keggers, the older guys hitting on high school chicks, being chased by seniors on the last day of junior high, etc. Only we made our bongs in ceramics class and made rolling trays in metal shop. I definitely hung out with stoners talking about how George Washington smoked weed.
posted by ITravelMontana at 12:32 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Third Man
posted by Windopaene at 12:36 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Windopaene at 12:36 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I wasn't in New York (or alive) in 1969, so I don't know how accurate it was, but Midnight Cowboy seemed to evoke that world well.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
Airplane
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Reality Bites is not a GOOD movie per se, but it definitely captures a lot of 90s talking points, including but not limited to grunge music, being a "slacker," fears of "selling out," the looming threat of AIDs, sticking it "the man," working at the Gap, finding Ethan Hawke attractive, the list goes on!
posted by cakelite at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [31 favorites]
posted by cakelite at 12:39 PM on February 9, 2023 [31 favorites]
The first couple scenes of E.T. might not be a time capsule per se, but that's almost exactly what my mom's kitchen looked like at the time.
posted by adekllny at 12:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by adekllny at 12:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
OK this is a really specific time/place/niche, and it's probably more like what I, as a 14 year old, imagined it to be than what it actually was, but as a 14 year old who read a lot of music business stuff, Airheads really seemed to capture something accurate about the music business in the early 90s.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 12:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
For Poland: Miś for the late 70s, Kiler for the 90s. Vabank for the 30s, though that's a Stranger Things case as it was shot in 1981.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:47 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:47 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Empire Records.
posted by champers at 12:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by champers at 12:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [11 favorites]
Slacker is a remarkable visit to a lost, alternative 1990.
Similarly, in the same year, Metropolitan captures the feeling of the old New York City giving way to the modern one.
(Earlier, I've always felt that The Warriors, more than any other New York movie of the '70s, was a journey into a New York that is now lost to time.)
In the smaller towns, Over the Edge really captured the late-70s, early-80s suburban malaise.
posted by eschatfische at 12:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Similarly, in the same year, Metropolitan captures the feeling of the old New York City giving way to the modern one.
(Earlier, I've always felt that The Warriors, more than any other New York movie of the '70s, was a journey into a New York that is now lost to time.)
In the smaller towns, Over the Edge really captured the late-70s, early-80s suburban malaise.
posted by eschatfische at 12:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Altman's Gosford Park
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm glad to see that people have already mentioned Empire Records for the 90s and E.T. and Stranger Things for the 80s.
A film that really takes me back to the 90s is Clueless, mostly because of the fashion and the music. (And because I was in high school at the time.)
In regards to the 80s, there are a few John Hughes films that instantly transport me back to that time period. For example, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Back to the Future is another great 80s time capsule.
posted by carnival_night_zone at 12:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
A film that really takes me back to the 90s is Clueless, mostly because of the fashion and the music. (And because I was in high school at the time.)
In regards to the 80s, there are a few John Hughes films that instantly transport me back to that time period. For example, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Back to the Future is another great 80s time capsule.
posted by carnival_night_zone at 12:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [10 favorites]
Metropolitan captures the feeling of the old New York City giving way to the modern one
Metropolitan is interesting because it manages to capture a specific time/place feeling while also being intentionally vague about what that time is. It was released in 1990, and it could just as easily have been set in the late 50s as the late 80s. That's part of what makes it so good. (The other parts, of course, are the absolutely phenomenal writing and good acting - my highest recommendation.)
posted by kevinbelt at 1:07 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Metropolitan is interesting because it manages to capture a specific time/place feeling while also being intentionally vague about what that time is. It was released in 1990, and it could just as easily have been set in the late 50s as the late 80s. That's part of what makes it so good. (The other parts, of course, are the absolutely phenomenal writing and good acting - my highest recommendation.)
posted by kevinbelt at 1:07 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
The Big Lebowski is set during the first Gulf War explicitly. Same with O Brother, Where Art Thou; set in 30's American South during depression.
Preston Sturges' movies also evoke the time and place of late 30's and early 40's. Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, Miracle at Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero etc.
posted by indianbadger1 at 1:09 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Preston Sturges' movies also evoke the time and place of late 30's and early 40's. Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, Miracle at Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero etc.
posted by indianbadger1 at 1:09 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
St. Elmo's Fire for the 80s.
Singles for the 90s.
posted by okayokayigive at 1:10 PM on February 9, 2023 [15 favorites]
Singles for the 90s.
posted by okayokayigive at 1:10 PM on February 9, 2023 [15 favorites]
Valley Girl captures both its time and place.
posted by plastic_animals at 1:15 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by plastic_animals at 1:15 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
I recently watched The Ministry of Fear and was struck by all the tiny mundane details of life in London during the Blitz, in a way that I can't remember really seeing in the same way in a film before. They made an impression particularly because of the very undramatic, matter-of-fact way they were presented, just in passing - of course everyone is impressed that the prize at the charity fete is a cake made with real eggs, of course there's a lady in her bathrobe calmly carrying her pet birds into an air raid shelter. The movie isn't about that, really - it's just a constant backdrop in a way that isn't apparent even in other films I've watched from the period.
posted by darchildre at 1:23 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by darchildre at 1:23 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
A show and not a movie, but Pen15 on Hulu is very very 90s and very middle school.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 1:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 1:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Saturday Night Fever certainly evokes the disco era of the late 70's
Rocky is very Philly mid-70's
Any of the Brat Pack movies have a quintessential 80's vibe
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Rocky is very Philly mid-70's
Any of the Brat Pack movies have a quintessential 80's vibe
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is 100% 1963. (As a bonus, the cast is unbelievable: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante, Jonathan Winters, Peter Falk, Jim Backus, Leo Gorcey, Don Knotts, Carl Reiner, the Three Stooges, and Buster Keaton. Yes, that Buster Keaton!)
I don't know if you'd consider documentaries, but Three Identical Strangers gave me major flashbacks of 1980's New York City.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:52 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
I don't know if you'd consider documentaries, but Three Identical Strangers gave me major flashbacks of 1980's New York City.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:52 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Same Time, Next Year is probably cheating, since the whole point is to watch two people as time and style changes around them.
San Diego in Sideways was exactly the way I remember it from living there at that time -- grungy apartments overlooking the airport and all.
LA Story just because.
posted by rouftop at 1:57 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
San Diego in Sideways was exactly the way I remember it from living there at that time -- grungy apartments overlooking the airport and all.
LA Story just because.
posted by rouftop at 1:57 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I hate to say it, but Ladybird is set in my hometown at the time I went to high school there (early 2000s) and it absolutely nails both time and place.
posted by branca at 2:01 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by branca at 2:01 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Sneakers (1992) for me captures the my early days of hacking/ phreaking - yet many of the same vulnerabilities then continue to exist today.
Strange Days (1995) was a (then) near-future look at Y2k and extrapolates the fears of the mid '90s.
posted by porpoise at 2:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Strange Days (1995) was a (then) near-future look at Y2k and extrapolates the fears of the mid '90s.
posted by porpoise at 2:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
At Close Range captures 80s poor rural midwest life well.
posted by donpardo at 2:06 PM on February 9, 2023
posted by donpardo at 2:06 PM on February 9, 2023
In The Mood For Love (early 1960s Hong Kong and Singapore).
The Conversation (early 1970s San Francisco).
Wings of Desire (late 1980s Berlin).
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:07 PM on February 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
The Conversation (early 1970s San Francisco).
Wings of Desire (late 1980s Berlin).
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:07 PM on February 9, 2023 [8 favorites]
Also, I thought the version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy that came out in 2011 did a very good job of capturing the ambience of the 1970s, as I dimly remember it.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:08 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:08 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Love these kinds of movies!
The Big City - 1960s Calcutta
Style Wars - documentary of the late 70s graffiti scene in NYC
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains - various locations across early 80s America (would make an amazing double feature with the recent film Her Smell)
After Hours - mid 80s seedy NYC nightlife
She's Gotta Have It - mid 80s bohemian NYC
Do the Right Thing - late 80s Brooklyn
Paris is Burning - documentary of the 80s drag ball scene
Wildwood, New Jersey - documentary of a mid 90s summer in a coastal carnival town
Beans - 1990, the summer of the Oka crisis in Quebec.
posted by prewar lemonade at 2:12 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
The Big City - 1960s Calcutta
Style Wars - documentary of the late 70s graffiti scene in NYC
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains - various locations across early 80s America (would make an amazing double feature with the recent film Her Smell)
After Hours - mid 80s seedy NYC nightlife
She's Gotta Have It - mid 80s bohemian NYC
Do the Right Thing - late 80s Brooklyn
Paris is Burning - documentary of the 80s drag ball scene
Wildwood, New Jersey - documentary of a mid 90s summer in a coastal carnival town
Beans - 1990, the summer of the Oka crisis in Quebec.
posted by prewar lemonade at 2:12 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
posted by Melismata at 2:25 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 2:25 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song
Buck and the Preacher
Willy Dynamite
Cotton Comes to Harlem
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 2:32 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Buck and the Preacher
Willy Dynamite
Cotton Comes to Harlem
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 2:32 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Saturday Night Fever - flashing dance floors and so much disco - just before punk really took off.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 2:42 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 2:42 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Human Traffic for late 90s British club scene
posted by plonkee at 2:44 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by plonkee at 2:44 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Austen Powers (late 90s), the first one because he time travels so they play up the era in which it it set.
posted by lookoutbelow at 3:02 PM on February 9, 2023
posted by lookoutbelow at 3:02 PM on February 9, 2023
Breaking Away for late 1970s mid-west suburbia.
posted by Rash at 3:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Rash at 3:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
The Blues Brothers is a perfect time capsule of Jane Byrne's Chicago in 1980. Dirty, beat up, falling apart from Maxwell Street to the Loop but you gotta love it all.
(And god bless Jane Byrne for letting them wreck multiple CPD cars in the middle of the El tracks. Daley - Senior OR Junior - would have never let that go down.)
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
(And god bless Jane Byrne for letting them wreck multiple CPD cars in the middle of the El tracks. Daley - Senior OR Junior - would have never let that go down.)
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’ve included a variety here, but I think typically smaller-scale movies tend to embody their time & place particularly well — and documentaries probably best of all.
The Exiles (1961)
Blow-up (1966)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
Serpico (1973)
California Split (1974)
Car Wash (1976)
Girlfriends (1978)
Breaking Away (1979)
American Gigolo (1980)
Smithereens (1982)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
Naked (1993)
documentaries:
Primary (1960)
High School (1968)
Harlan County, USA (1976)
News From Home (1977)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
posted by theory at 3:23 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
The Exiles (1961)
Blow-up (1966)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
Serpico (1973)
California Split (1974)
Car Wash (1976)
Girlfriends (1978)
Breaking Away (1979)
American Gigolo (1980)
Smithereens (1982)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
Naked (1993)
documentaries:
Primary (1960)
High School (1968)
Harlan County, USA (1976)
News From Home (1977)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
posted by theory at 3:23 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
My Body Guard - early 1980s. It is filmed in neighborhoods in Chicago that don’t really exist anymore.
Minnie & Moskowitz - late 60s LA
To Live and Die in LA - Mid 1980s LA
posted by marimeko at 3:37 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Minnie & Moskowitz - late 60s LA
To Live and Die in LA - Mid 1980s LA
posted by marimeko at 3:37 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Repo Man and Penelope Spheeris' Suburbia for early 1980s LA at its best.
posted by Rash at 3:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Rash at 3:48 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
I often point to The Ice Storm as a positive example of this time-capsule aesthetic.
posted by Glomar response at 3:51 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Glomar response at 3:51 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Gleaming the Cube
posted by kapers at 3:55 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kapers at 3:55 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ordinary People
Three Days of the Condor
posted by victoriab at 4:03 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Three Days of the Condor
posted by victoriab at 4:03 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh man, beaten to The Ice Storm! As a child of 70s American suburbia I could barely pay attention to the plot for gaping with nostalgia at television sets and pringles cans.
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 4:04 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 4:04 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Singles really evokes (and was filmed in) early 90s Seattle.
posted by hydra77 at 4:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 4:05 PM on February 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
The Gary Oldman iteration of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is pure Cold War dreariness. If you decide you like it, treat yourself to the BBC miniseries version featuring Alec Guinness.
posted by jquinby at 4:11 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 4:11 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I often point to The Ice Storm as a positive example of this time-capsule aesthetic.
As someone born in the 60s, I'd say The Ice Storm is the least accurate example of a 70s vibe I've ever seen. In fact, I thought the movie garbage because of this when it came out. I worked in a video store at the time and told many people I thought it felt like a movie made by a foreigner who never lived through the 70s. Felt like it was made by an alien who'd read all about the era but was never actually there.
When asked for a more accurate example of the 70s, I always said Dead Presidents.
I'd also say Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon were very much of their time.
posted by dobbs at 4:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
As someone born in the 60s, I'd say The Ice Storm is the least accurate example of a 70s vibe I've ever seen. In fact, I thought the movie garbage because of this when it came out. I worked in a video store at the time and told many people I thought it felt like a movie made by a foreigner who never lived through the 70s. Felt like it was made by an alien who'd read all about the era but was never actually there.
When asked for a more accurate example of the 70s, I always said Dead Presidents.
I'd also say Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon were very much of their time.
posted by dobbs at 4:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh, and David Holtzman's Diary is very much late 60s America.
posted by dobbs at 4:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dobbs at 4:20 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Add _Rosemary's Baby_ to the list of movies that feel highly evocative of NYC at a particular time that I wasn't alive for
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Two great movies from 2007:
No Country for Old Men (1980)
There will be Blood (c. 1900)
posted by pjenks at 4:49 PM on February 9, 2023
No Country for Old Men (1980)
There will be Blood (c. 1900)
posted by pjenks at 4:49 PM on February 9, 2023
Wim Wenders' Der amerikanische Freund. Very 1970s use of NYC, France, and Germany settings.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:52 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:52 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Clueless is such an interesting case because although people would say it takes them back to the 90s, a lot of the slang was invented for the film and adopted for use by real teens after the fact; the fashion in the movie, too, was mostly not stylish when the film was made but people started trying to dress like Cher afterwards. It set a ton of trends. Brittany Murphy's character is the most on trend for how teens were actually dressing at the time and Cher's immediate reaction to her is "Makeover!!! Stat!!!"
posted by potrzebie at 4:57 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 4:57 PM on February 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Xanadu (1980) -- not only captures the spirit of the late 1970s, but the spirit of late '70s nostalgia for the 1940s.
posted by lhauser at 5:54 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by lhauser at 5:54 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Urban Cowboy (1980) is apparently very much based on the scene in Houston honky tonk bars in the seventies.
posted by forkisbetter at 5:54 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by forkisbetter at 5:54 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
The opening sequence of The Jane Austen Book Club incredibly captures 2008, as I discovered the other day. I didn’t keep watching but those 10 minutes of people interacting with their phones in public and Jimmy Smits looking schlubby pumping gas… perfect time capsule.
posted by janell at 6:08 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 6:08 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
YMMV but to truly transport you to the time period, I feel like the movie typically needs to be *from* the time period in question.
Dazed & Confused, The Ice Storm, Stranger Things and any number of other backward-looking movies/shows mentioned here are all great. But are just so.... I dunno... ersatz. Clearly a product of their own actual time period. Certainly not legitimately 'transporting.' At least, to most folks who lived through the time period in question. Or, at the very least: not compared to some of the best, most evocative time/place films of those eras.
Naturally, some films do this better than others. I'd love to see more of those listed. But anachronistic films, as good as they may be, just can't hold a candle to the best, most evocative stuff produced during the time in question in terms of time traveling. Pre-1930s, ok, that's up for debate. But for the past 90 years, go to the source.
posted by Text TK at 6:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Dazed & Confused, The Ice Storm, Stranger Things and any number of other backward-looking movies/shows mentioned here are all great. But are just so.... I dunno... ersatz. Clearly a product of their own actual time period. Certainly not legitimately 'transporting.' At least, to most folks who lived through the time period in question. Or, at the very least: not compared to some of the best, most evocative time/place films of those eras.
Naturally, some films do this better than others. I'd love to see more of those listed. But anachronistic films, as good as they may be, just can't hold a candle to the best, most evocative stuff produced during the time in question in terms of time traveling. Pre-1930s, ok, that's up for debate. But for the past 90 years, go to the source.
posted by Text TK at 6:59 PM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
But to list some specifics, a bunch of good stuff listed already. Personally, I love being transported to the 1970s, so here's a few: Klute, the Candidate, Harold & Maude, What's Up Doc?, the Exorcist, the Conversation, Parallax View, Nashville, Three Days of the Condor, All the President's Men, Bad News Bears, Rocky, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Annie Hall, Being There...
60s: The Apartment, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Breathless, La Dolce Vita, Alfie, Blowup, the Graduate, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy...
Also: +1 for American Gigolo and the 1979 Alec Guinness Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
posted by Text TK at 7:27 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
60s: The Apartment, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Breathless, La Dolce Vita, Alfie, Blowup, the Graduate, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy...
Also: +1 for American Gigolo and the 1979 Alec Guinness Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
posted by Text TK at 7:27 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Hackers came out in 1995 and is the purest embodiment of what people wanted 95 to be even though it completely wasn’t. It’s like, anticipatory nostalgia via negative space.
I feel like Some Like It Hot captures a moment in American culture of the late fifties where common attitudes about gender, women, humor styles, who can and cannot be a protagonist, and filmmaking styles were all in dramatic flux.
I think that Robert Altman, because of his masterful use of sound design, made some movies that are like diving into the moment. In particular, Nashville is from a moment in the mid seventies when anti war sentiment, patriotism, music, personal aspirations and forming your own identity all kind of splashed together. The ensemble of that film is so wide ranging that chances are every viewer will find someone to empathize with, but because the sound makes them so enmeshed with each other you get this kind of 365 time capsule of emotional touchstones.
posted by Mizu at 7:35 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
I feel like Some Like It Hot captures a moment in American culture of the late fifties where common attitudes about gender, women, humor styles, who can and cannot be a protagonist, and filmmaking styles were all in dramatic flux.
I think that Robert Altman, because of his masterful use of sound design, made some movies that are like diving into the moment. In particular, Nashville is from a moment in the mid seventies when anti war sentiment, patriotism, music, personal aspirations and forming your own identity all kind of splashed together. The ensemble of that film is so wide ranging that chances are every viewer will find someone to empathize with, but because the sound makes them so enmeshed with each other you get this kind of 365 time capsule of emotional touchstones.
posted by Mizu at 7:35 PM on February 9, 2023 [5 favorites]
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986)
LA 92 (2017) (this film is all archival news and home video footage)
posted by forkisbetter at 7:41 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986)
LA 92 (2017) (this film is all archival news and home video footage)
posted by forkisbetter at 7:41 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Last thing I'll say: I feel like the highwater mark for time-traveling films was the 60s, 70s and 80s. Not everything, but certain films from those decades set in those decades are just so much more evocative than most stuff before or since.
A lot of that's probably the rise and influence of French (and American) New Wave and cinema verite. Whereas previously most films were made in the lala land of sound stages and the studio system. And the 90s on has been dominated by very 'clean' (slightly nicer than reality) sets and effects, not to mention CGI everything.
But, like, even in the 80s, some sets felt hyper real. Like the comment above about E.T.'s kitchen being *their* kitchen. Or the Goonies' house being as much of a legit shitshow as mine. They just don't make 'em quite like that anymore...
posted by Text TK at 7:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
A lot of that's probably the rise and influence of French (and American) New Wave and cinema verite. Whereas previously most films were made in the lala land of sound stages and the studio system. And the 90s on has been dominated by very 'clean' (slightly nicer than reality) sets and effects, not to mention CGI everything.
But, like, even in the 80s, some sets felt hyper real. Like the comment above about E.T.'s kitchen being *their* kitchen. Or the Goonies' house being as much of a legit shitshow as mine. They just don't make 'em quite like that anymore...
posted by Text TK at 7:45 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
WarGames (1983)
Serial (1980)
Taking Off (1971)
Spring Breakers (2012)
Tootsie (1981)
The Swimmer (1968)
Marty (1955)
posted by rhizome at 8:01 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Serial (1980)
Taking Off (1971)
Spring Breakers (2012)
Tootsie (1981)
The Swimmer (1968)
Marty (1955)
posted by rhizome at 8:01 PM on February 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Woops, you mentioned WarGames. I also love In The Heat of the Night (as well as the other two in the trilogy), so in the spirit of that I'll throw in Mississippi Burning, even though it's a bit removed from the events it describes. Ooh, and maybe The Great Santini.
posted by rhizome at 8:11 PM on February 9, 2023
posted by rhizome at 8:11 PM on February 9, 2023
The Witch (2016)
Apparently regarded as a highly historically accurate portrayal of life at this time.
“Overall, the historical aspects of this film may be considered historically accurate. In broad terms, it highlights many of the major, commonly known themes of 17th century New England, including witchcraft, religious hysteria, and parental authority. Robert Eggers also put great effort into making the film’s details as true to the time period as well, such as only using natural and/or candlelight while filming.”
https://u.osu.edu/gatt4hseportfolio/2021/02/08/the-witch-a-new-england-folktale/
posted by forkisbetter at 8:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Apparently regarded as a highly historically accurate portrayal of life at this time.
“Overall, the historical aspects of this film may be considered historically accurate. In broad terms, it highlights many of the major, commonly known themes of 17th century New England, including witchcraft, religious hysteria, and parental authority. Robert Eggers also put great effort into making the film’s details as true to the time period as well, such as only using natural and/or candlelight while filming.”
https://u.osu.edu/gatt4hseportfolio/2021/02/08/the-witch-a-new-england-folktale/
posted by forkisbetter at 8:40 PM on February 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Shocked to be the first to mention American Graffiti - George Lucas's homage to the early 1960s produced by Francis Ford Coppola.
posted by matrixclown at 10:42 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by matrixclown at 10:42 PM on February 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Turning Red captured precisely (to me) what it was to be in Toronto, 2002, and middle school all at the same time.
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:08 AM on February 10, 2023
posted by cabbage raccoon at 12:08 AM on February 10, 2023
To go back to why I said Empire Records:
It's not a particularly good movie. But the fashion is very typical for youth at the time, it's set in a record store (the cool place for young people to work back then, I never was cool enough), it captures the vibe of retail jobs in the 90s, and it has some nostalgic, retro elements as well ("let's solve our problems by putting on a show!").
posted by champers at 3:11 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's not a particularly good movie. But the fashion is very typical for youth at the time, it's set in a record store (the cool place for young people to work back then, I never was cool enough), it captures the vibe of retail jobs in the 90s, and it has some nostalgic, retro elements as well ("let's solve our problems by putting on a show!").
posted by champers at 3:11 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Spotlight set in the mid-70's really evoked that era for me.
I was a young teen in that time frame and experienced constant time-travel flashbacks while watching the movie (which was a award winning 2015 film that's worth watching for its own merits.)
posted by mightshould at 3:59 AM on February 10, 2023
I was a young teen in that time frame and experienced constant time-travel flashbacks while watching the movie (which was a award winning 2015 film that's worth watching for its own merits.)
posted by mightshould at 3:59 AM on February 10, 2023
Bill Forsyth's 80s films: Specifically Gregory's Girl and Local Hero - Scotland in the 1980s.
The Red Balloon - Paris in the 1950s - particularly in Belleville - now much changed.
C'était un rendez-vous - a very fast pre-dawn car trip through 1970s Paris.
Night On Earth - Taxi rides in LA, New York, Rome, Paris and Helsinki -early 90s.
posted by rongorongo at 5:53 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Red Balloon - Paris in the 1950s - particularly in Belleville - now much changed.
C'était un rendez-vous - a very fast pre-dawn car trip through 1970s Paris.
Night On Earth - Taxi rides in LA, New York, Rome, Paris and Helsinki -early 90s.
posted by rongorongo at 5:53 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Velvet Goldmine for early 70s Britain as the glam rock wave crested and broke into the drab 80s.
Breakfast on Pluto, too, with an extension to Northern Ireland and the Troubles.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Breakfast on Pluto, too, with an extension to Northern Ireland and the Troubles.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seconding All the President's Men. I was a child when it came out, and somehow never saw it until about 10 years ago, and was blown away by expressions that I had forgotten people used to say -- for instance, saying that if X event happened, "that would be beautiful."
posted by JanetLand at 6:36 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 6:36 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
You've Got Mail (1998) - for the technology, the idea of such a thing as a "book store magnate," and for the conflict being provided by an independent bookstore being driven out of business by the expansion of a national chain and not online retail (though Amazon existed in 1998, it hadn't yet become a juggernaut).
In real life: "January 1998 to January 1999: Borders expands its store footprint by 25.5 percent, adding 52 superstores in the biggest one-year expansion in its history."
posted by AndrewInDC at 6:40 AM on February 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
In real life: "January 1998 to January 1999: Borders expands its store footprint by 25.5 percent, adding 52 superstores in the biggest one-year expansion in its history."
posted by AndrewInDC at 6:40 AM on February 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
No one has mentioned Moonstruck for Italian Brooklyn Heights in the late eighties? Let me be the first, then.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:52 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:52 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Candy. 1968 in a nutshell. Also real useful for connecting from Richard Burton to Ringo Starr in a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
posted by rtimmel at 7:06 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rtimmel at 7:06 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is an odd one because it's not exactly realistic, but I was a Jesus person in the 70s, and Godspell totally nails the feeling of that time.
posted by FencingGal at 8:43 AM on February 10, 2023
posted by FencingGal at 8:43 AM on February 10, 2023
Penelope Spheeris' Suburbia for early 1980s LA at its best.
Don't write your history paper based on this.
posted by SandiBeech at 10:13 AM on February 10, 2023
Don't write your history paper based on this.
posted by SandiBeech at 10:13 AM on February 10, 2023
Mr. Mom captures the 80s whilst reminding one of the timeless constants found in parenthood.
posted by eelgrassman at 10:16 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by eelgrassman at 10:16 AM on February 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Probably the wildest moment in Mr Mom for me was the scene where he's potty training the baby.
(The average age at potty training in the US has risen substantially in recent decades.)
I'd also forgotten how typical it was to have my Mom arrange for repair people to troop through the house. Nowadays stuff just gets thrown out and replaced.
posted by champers at 10:54 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
(The average age at potty training in the US has risen substantially in recent decades.)
I'd also forgotten how typical it was to have my Mom arrange for repair people to troop through the house. Nowadays stuff just gets thrown out and replaced.
posted by champers at 10:54 AM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
The acting is classic CanCon, but if you're Canadian, particularly from the West coast, Beach Combers is an unbeatable time capsule of the late 70s/early 80s.
Edit: it's not a movie, it's a series, but still...
posted by klanawa at 12:17 PM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Edit: it's not a movie, it's a series, but still...
posted by klanawa at 12:17 PM on February 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004)
Midnight in Paris (2011 but parts are set in 1920s Paris)
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 8:58 AM on February 11, 2023
Midnight in Paris (2011 but parts are set in 1920s Paris)
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 8:58 AM on February 11, 2023
I love that I saw this question the day after I also watched "In the Heat of the Night". Before that I watched "The Sting" which has a pretty nice feel of 1930s Chicago.
posted by Carlo at 6:38 PM on February 11, 2023
posted by Carlo at 6:38 PM on February 11, 2023
Charlie Varrick 1973, heist movie starring Walter Mathau https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069865/
I turned 6 that year and it really gives a window in to that world that I barely remember. I was fascinated by the interiors in the mobile home, small town shops, etc.
posted by Lookinguppy at 7:56 AM on February 13, 2023
I turned 6 that year and it really gives a window in to that world that I barely remember. I was fascinated by the interiors in the mobile home, small town shops, etc.
posted by Lookinguppy at 7:56 AM on February 13, 2023
Oh yeah, now that you mention it, same era Walter Mathau 1974's The Taking of Pelham 123 is a nice snapshot of New York City at the time.
posted by Carlo at 11:22 AM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Carlo at 11:22 AM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure Taxi Driver is the ne plus ultra of Bad Old NYC scenery. :) However I think Kliph Nesterhoff had a big project where he collected all the good movie clips of that era. Y'know, if you're looking for costume ideas or whatever.
posted by rhizome at 3:34 PM on February 15, 2023
posted by rhizome at 3:34 PM on February 15, 2023
I suspect most of the answers to this question will fall into two categories: people recommending movies/shows that were set in a time and place that they have no experience or in-depth knowledge of, but that feel immersive to watch; and people recommending movies/shows that depict a time and place that they have lived experience of and that they therefore can vouch for as being accurate.
In the first category, I suggest The Alienist, which evokes late Victorian/Gilded Age New York with all its superficial rarefied elegance and underlying misery and horror and draws the viewer into it in a way I have never seen equalled.
As for the second, as someone who lived through the 80s and 90s (and technically the 70s as well, but I barely remember that), a lot of the movies and shows I would recommend have already been suggested, so I'll just add The West Wing and Landline for the 90s.
posted by orange swan at 11:15 AM on February 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
In the first category, I suggest The Alienist, which evokes late Victorian/Gilded Age New York with all its superficial rarefied elegance and underlying misery and horror and draws the viewer into it in a way I have never seen equalled.
As for the second, as someone who lived through the 80s and 90s (and technically the 70s as well, but I barely remember that), a lot of the movies and shows I would recommend have already been suggested, so I'll just add The West Wing and Landline for the 90s.
posted by orange swan at 11:15 AM on February 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
Jacques Tati, and Stanley Kubrick.
Sean Connery era James Bond. Does any thing scream 1960s louder than those?
The Sting. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The Three Stooges.
Early surfing movies/docos.
Anything shot in that saturated Technicolor look.
Bad News Bears. Corny, B-grade schmaltz? Sure. But it timed nicely with my adolescence, what passed for my baseball career, and the last of my (relatively) carefree childhood days.
Similar for Bugsy Malone, minus the baseball.
The Gary Oldman iteration of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is pure Cold War dreariness. If you decide you like it, treat yourself to the BBC miniseries version featuring Alec Guinness.
posted by jquinby
The follow up series, Smiley's People, is good too. (Available on Youtube.) I have watched both series a few times over the years, usually back to back. Alec Guinness delivered one of the greatest master classes in underacting I have seen.
There is also a whole lot of TV that ticks my time capsule box. Predominantly mid-60s to mid-80s British and Australian TV. But some later stuff too, particularly comedy, like Blackadder, The Young Ones, Club Buggery, The Sideshow, The Games, Good News Week, etc. Plus some docos, especially nature docos like any Attenborough, The Bush Tucker Man, Cosmos, The Ascent of Man, etc.
posted by Pouteria at 1:45 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sean Connery era James Bond. Does any thing scream 1960s louder than those?
The Sting. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The Three Stooges.
Early surfing movies/docos.
Anything shot in that saturated Technicolor look.
Bad News Bears. Corny, B-grade schmaltz? Sure. But it timed nicely with my adolescence, what passed for my baseball career, and the last of my (relatively) carefree childhood days.
Similar for Bugsy Malone, minus the baseball.
The Gary Oldman iteration of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is pure Cold War dreariness. If you decide you like it, treat yourself to the BBC miniseries version featuring Alec Guinness.
posted by jquinby
The follow up series, Smiley's People, is good too. (Available on Youtube.) I have watched both series a few times over the years, usually back to back. Alec Guinness delivered one of the greatest master classes in underacting I have seen.
There is also a whole lot of TV that ticks my time capsule box. Predominantly mid-60s to mid-80s British and Australian TV. But some later stuff too, particularly comedy, like Blackadder, The Young Ones, Club Buggery, The Sideshow, The Games, Good News Week, etc. Plus some docos, especially nature docos like any Attenborough, The Bush Tucker Man, Cosmos, The Ascent of Man, etc.
posted by Pouteria at 1:45 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
To Kill a Mockingbird nails what it was like for me growing up in a small county-seat town in south Alabama in the 1950s.
posted by TwoToneRow at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by TwoToneRow at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
For pure period pieces, it's hard to top Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. They were careful, for example, not to use too "recent" music because the crew wouldn't have heard it yet.
For an in-living-memory option, there's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which is a 1965 film of a 1963 novel.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:47 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
For an in-living-memory option, there's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which is a 1965 film of a 1963 novel.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:47 PM on February 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just had a conversation the other day about how Meet Me in St. Louis was released around 1945 but set around 1905, which would have been similar to the 2020s to 1980s jump that Stranger Things makes.
You definitely feel the sort of "remember when long distance calls were novel?!" or "remember when we made our own ketchup?!" moments, just like the first season of Mad Men reveled in ("remember no seat belts?!").
Which, come to think of it, Mad Men was mid 60s to mid 2000s -- another 40 year gap.
There's definitely a sense of retrospection to these kind of period pieces. Like they're just slightly heightened versions of history. Like the distance from the era helps solidify and distill what defined it -- something only obvious in retrospect. Sometimes it veers into caricature, but sometimes it's just off in the subtle choices what is emphasized (usually the things that seem the most dated -- the things that have changed the most since then).
It's like we remember with a form of myth making. So in remembering, distort reality slightly.
Another thing I was thinking about recently (watching Last of Sheila) is how much filmmaking style and conventions of the time affect the feel of when something was made. Like you can just tell a 70s films from that sort of Altman style of sitting the camera back on a group of people and letting conversations unfurl naturally and over each other. Compare to how tightly cut and paced everything is now. I really wonder in 50 years what things will define the movies made today?
It's impossible to know because we won't know what will change in the future. The things that stay the same are the most timeless, and hence the least era-defining (which is an interesting observation).
I wonder if the films that transport us the most to when they were made do so partly because they happened (through intention or luck) to emphasize markers of the era that we only recognize the strength of with the aid of hindsight?
posted by Flaffigan at 3:16 PM on February 19, 2023
You definitely feel the sort of "remember when long distance calls were novel?!" or "remember when we made our own ketchup?!" moments, just like the first season of Mad Men reveled in ("remember no seat belts?!").
Which, come to think of it, Mad Men was mid 60s to mid 2000s -- another 40 year gap.
There's definitely a sense of retrospection to these kind of period pieces. Like they're just slightly heightened versions of history. Like the distance from the era helps solidify and distill what defined it -- something only obvious in retrospect. Sometimes it veers into caricature, but sometimes it's just off in the subtle choices what is emphasized (usually the things that seem the most dated -- the things that have changed the most since then).
It's like we remember with a form of myth making. So in remembering, distort reality slightly.
Another thing I was thinking about recently (watching Last of Sheila) is how much filmmaking style and conventions of the time affect the feel of when something was made. Like you can just tell a 70s films from that sort of Altman style of sitting the camera back on a group of people and letting conversations unfurl naturally and over each other. Compare to how tightly cut and paced everything is now. I really wonder in 50 years what things will define the movies made today?
It's impossible to know because we won't know what will change in the future. The things that stay the same are the most timeless, and hence the least era-defining (which is an interesting observation).
I wonder if the films that transport us the most to when they were made do so partly because they happened (through intention or luck) to emphasize markers of the era that we only recognize the strength of with the aid of hindsight?
posted by Flaffigan at 3:16 PM on February 19, 2023
I recently rewatched Garden State for the first time since it came out and OH BOY is that a time capsule of the mid-00s. The music, of course, but also the dialogue, vibe, and how it was shot. To the point that I'm pretty sure that's why this movie's cultural importance faded so fast.
It's a TV show, by as someone who was the same age as the main character when it aired, My So-Called Life is a really accurate time capsule of the mid-90s.
posted by lunasol at 6:20 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
It's a TV show, by as someone who was the same age as the main character when it aired, My So-Called Life is a really accurate time capsule of the mid-90s.
posted by lunasol at 6:20 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
The Presidio is an average Sean Connery/Mark Harmon/Meg Ryan movie, but it's a very good time capsule of the active military base in 1988 San Francisco. One year after the movie was released, the U.S. Congress began decommissioning the base.
In an amazing victory for Bay Area public services, almost the entire base was turned into a national park in the 1990s.
posted by JDC8 at 8:38 PM on February 19, 2023
In an amazing victory for Bay Area public services, almost the entire base was turned into a national park in the 1990s.
posted by JDC8 at 8:38 PM on February 19, 2023
Halt and Catch Fire captured the Stranger Things era for me better than Stranger Things did, although the mundane aspects of Stranger Things are much closer to my lived experience.
Slaves of New York for artsy NYC in the late 1980s.
posted by verbminx at 3:26 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Slaves of New York for artsy NYC in the late 1980s.
posted by verbminx at 3:26 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Red Dawn and Point Break work this for me, for the 80's and 90's respectively.
It might be just because they're some of my personal faves, though, and I love their innate absurdity. Unfortunately Point Break's idea of surf nazis isn't as absurd now as it was in the aughties, when I used to howl with laughter at some of the movie's details.
Licorice Pizza is recent but the homage to the 70's is almost more of a plot point than the alleged plot.
posted by leemleem at 6:51 AM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
It might be just because they're some of my personal faves, though, and I love their innate absurdity. Unfortunately Point Break's idea of surf nazis isn't as absurd now as it was in the aughties, when I used to howl with laughter at some of the movie's details.
Licorice Pizza is recent but the homage to the 70's is almost more of a plot point than the alleged plot.
posted by leemleem at 6:51 AM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and The Lost Weekend (1945)
The latter especially for Manhattan in the 1940s, especially for that sequence when he's trying to hock his typewriter but all the pawnshops are closed, as the Third Avenue El (torn down 1955) roars by overhead.
Another of the 1940s (although it was made 1975) is the Robert Mitchum Farewell, My Lovely.
posted by Rash at 9:19 AM on February 23, 2023
The latter especially for Manhattan in the 1940s, especially for that sequence when he's trying to hock his typewriter but all the pawnshops are closed, as the Third Avenue El (torn down 1955) roars by overhead.
Another of the 1940s (although it was made 1975) is the Robert Mitchum Farewell, My Lovely.
posted by Rash at 9:19 AM on February 23, 2023
And for LA in the 1950s, you can't beat Kiss Me, Deadly. For one, those scenes on Bunker Hill, which no longer exists. The whole film is available at the Internet Archive.
"Remember Me!"
posted by Rash at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2023
"Remember Me!"
posted by Rash at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2023
Into the Night, a John Landis film set in Los Angeles in 1985. It's a black comedy staring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer with a BB King soundtrack and an incredible roster of cameo appearances.
One of the things that makes it ring true is that the various locations in LA are in correct geographic relationship to one another. When the action goes between locations the time involved accurately depicts how long it would take in real life. Also, it depects the obsession that Angalinos have with real estate, which continues to this day.
Another film that really shows LA is Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. He really has an eye for mundane neighborhoods and faceless mall lanscapes.
posted by Metacircular at 5:25 AM on February 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
One of the things that makes it ring true is that the various locations in LA are in correct geographic relationship to one another. When the action goes between locations the time involved accurately depicts how long it would take in real life. Also, it depects the obsession that Angalinos have with real estate, which continues to this day.
Another film that really shows LA is Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. He really has an eye for mundane neighborhoods and faceless mall lanscapes.
posted by Metacircular at 5:25 AM on February 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
The mention of Kiss Me, Deadly reminds me that there's a Dan Duryea (The Heel With Appeal!) film called Chicago Calling that is not a noir film, but rather a somewhat sentimental film about poverty and fatherhood. It also shows parts of L.A. that are long gone, now, and its message of kindness and charity made it one of Duryea's favorite films of his career.
My own mention of Slaves of New York reminds me that Basquiat is a much better take on a similar (but somewhat earlier) milieu by people who were there. Smithereens does this too, but is about outsiders with few resources. Contrast this with 200 Cigarettes, a movie made within a few years of Basquiat about an approximately similar milieu: it's fun but it feels fake, depicting a nowhere and never was much better than it depicts early 1980s NYC Bohemia.
posted by verbminx at 12:23 AM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
My own mention of Slaves of New York reminds me that Basquiat is a much better take on a similar (but somewhat earlier) milieu by people who were there. Smithereens does this too, but is about outsiders with few resources. Contrast this with 200 Cigarettes, a movie made within a few years of Basquiat about an approximately similar milieu: it's fun but it feels fake, depicting a nowhere and never was much better than it depicts early 1980s NYC Bohemia.
posted by verbminx at 12:23 AM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't think this is exactly what you mean, and I can't find the quote now, but I'm sure I've read a medieval historian saying that despite, well, everything, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the better cinematic representations of what the Middle Ages was actually like, i.e. plague-ridden, muddy and difficult. As a bonus, here is a lengthy, heavily referenced article outlining all the ways that Life of Brian is more historically accurate than most big budget films about Jesus.
posted by happyfrog at 11:53 PM on February 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by happyfrog at 11:53 PM on February 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just rewatched the back to the future series with my kids; as a child of the 80s I can’t emphasize enough. Honourable mention to Honey I Shrunk the Kids
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:46 PM on February 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:46 PM on February 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by SPrintF at 12:16 PM on February 9, 2023 [6 favorites]