1. Lets just say that the Dark Night Rises is going to the biggest and greatest movie filmed in Pittsburgh to date. Heinz Field is blown up, and epic battle takes place outside the Mellon Institute in Oakland, and the new Tumbler (batmobile) flies over the U.S. Steel building.
2. or 1b. Part of the Avengers was shot in Pittsburgh and in Butler. In Butler they used 150 miles of abandoned limestone tunnels during secondary filming. The Avengers, or Iron Man 3 as it almost seemed to be, was a great movie that had huge fight scenes destroying half of NYC. Easy number 2 on this list.
3. Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It is a very underrated movie. Non-stop action through the rural countryside of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. It is one of those rare movies where there really isn't a bad guy. It's two guys trying to stop a speeding out of control train before it his a major city. The filming is fantastic as most of it is either in the train conductor area, or by many helicopters following the speeding train at very close range. It is a must see for anyone who just likes action movies and the witty remarks of Denzel Washington.
4. Super 8, written and directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. This was a very good movie, but did not hit it huge at the Box Office like I expected. This movie is essentially ET, but released in 2011. It is a big action movie mixed with the feel-goodness of ET. It follows a group of children who get mixed up in a government coverup of aliens in their hometown. The movie takes place in a fictional town of Ohio, but was shot in nearby West Virginia. Definitely a family movie, but fun for all ages.
5. She's Out of My League. Now I know this may not be the best movie, but it painted Pittsburgh in a very cool light. This movie had a decent cast, but was dragged down by some poor supporting acting. However if you remember the movie, it featured a Penguins game, a party at the Warhol Museaum, eating out in Market Square, and many other areas of Pittsburgh. It was really the first movie that show Pittsburgh in a non gritty/industrial light. It's good for a few laughs too, but overall just enjoy the sights of the city.
6. Adventureland. Now Adventureland doesn't paint Pittsburgh in the best light, but it is actually a good movie. It takes place in the very frizzy hair era of the 1980s, at Adventureland Theme Park. In this film Kennywood took the place of the tiny Adventureland on Long Island. You'll notice, if you've been to Kennywood before, that the filmakers filmed in a very small location of the park using very few of the modern rides. The reason behind this is because Adventureland doesn't have nearly as many rides as Kennywood and is probably a quarter of the size. It is a comedy and has some good laughs, but it is also a good movie with a decent plot. It also was a major stepping stone for some of the bigger stars today. Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader were in this movie, also it proved to be very important for the star of The Social Network, Jessie Eisenberg, and one of the stars of twilight, Kristen Stewart. If you've been to Adventureland or Kennywood you'll like this movie as it incorporates aspects of both parks.
7. Now I'm going to go with Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Now this movie didn't receive the best reviews, but it was very important to getting the film industry started in Pittsburgh. This was really the first movie that had some big stars come to the Steel City. It was shot mostly in the suburb of Monroeville in locations around the Monroeville Mall. That mall is no stranger to movies as the 1978 classic Dawn of the Dead was shot there. The film featured Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks, Rogan was just coming off the success of Superbad and Pineapple Express and Banks coming off the success of Invinceable. Justin Long, from Accepted and Going the Distance, was also features as well as Craig Robinson, known mostly as Daryl from The Office. The movie has some very, very funny parts and a lot of typical raunchy Seth Rogan humor. It also has a lot of nudity and sexual scenes as the title would lead you to believe. Overall it was a good cast and a pretty good script. It will leave you laughing by the end.
8. Love and Other Drugs. Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Anne Hathway is fantastic in this movie, assuming the character perfectly. She truly was fantastic in this movie. The overall movie is pretty good and you won't get bored watching it. It may seem like a chick-flick, but there are many real world plots and problems that it address; many of them with drugs. Good movie, probably shouldn't be number 8, but I don't want to change the order now.
Notable Mentions are I am Number Four and Abduction. I am Number Four because it was shot in Pittsburgh somewhat because the studio had a good experience with She's Out of My League, and partly because the suburb of Murrysville fit the necessary descriptions that the scenes in the movie needed. I mention Abduction because it brought Twilight star, Taylor Lautner, to the Burgh; which brought with it some national news coverage and buzz.
FUTURE FILMS:
The big film coming out this year is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Harry Potter actress Emma Watson. This is based off the book with the same title which also took place in Pittsburgh. From the previews I've seen they have some very cool shots of the city and it looks to be a strong movie overall. I think it is a must see for anyone, but especially if you are from Pittsburgh.
The other big one is Out of the Furnace bringing Batman himself, Christian Bale, back to the Steel City. The film features living in an economically downtrodden area of the rust belt. Much of it is shot around the area, with some scenes shot in West Virginia. Looks to be a good movie with a strong cast and story. I couldn't find a release date yet, but look for it probably sometime in 2013.
Everyone who reads this and sees the Dark Night, leave your review in the comments. I would love to see what everyone thinks of the final epic chapter to this already great trilogy.
Also, I don't care if you want the movies in a different order. All of them are very good and watchable movies that you should like no matter where you're from.
