Best Pennsylvania, usa Movies
Ranked by how strongly each film carries the visual signature of pennsylvania, usa cinema — measured across 1,050 indexed frames from 15 films, against a 404,689-frame catalogue baseline. Not by box office, and not by vote.
Pennsylvania, usa films over-index on utility pole, baseball cap and trees — the objects that make the genre recognisable before a line is spoken.
- 1
Unstoppable (2010)
Tony ScottDP Ben SeresinIMDb 6.8TMDB 6.6See in full on FrameThrower →
When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.
- 2
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Michael CiminoDP Vilmos ZsigmondIMDb 8.1TMDB 8.0See in full on FrameThrower →
Michael, Steven, and Nick are three best friends who enjoy going deer hunting quite often. They get enlisted to head to Vietnam to fight for their country and celebrate with a farewell party, as well as Steven marrying a pregnant woman named Angela. After the horrors during the war and edge-grabbing games of Russian Roulette that they are forced to play, Michael returns home and realizes that his deer hunting outings aren't the same as they used to be, because of the war and he eventually finds out that Steven is handicapped and Nick hasn't returned from Vietnam, and in response, he heads back there to rescue him.
- 3
The Irishman (2019)
Martin ScorseseDP Rodrigo PrietoIMDb 7.8TMDB 7.6See in full on FrameThrower →
Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran is a man with a lot on his mind. The former labor union high official and hitman, learned to kill serving in Italy during the Second World War. He now looks back on his life and the hits that defined his mob career, maintaining connections with the Bufalino crime family. In particular, the part he claims to have played in the disappearance of his life-long friend, Jimmy Hoffa, the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who mysteriously vanished in late July 1975 at the age of 62.
- 4
American Animals (2018)
Bart LaytonDP Ole Bratt BirkelandIMDb 7.0TMDB 6.7See in full on FrameThrower →
In this crime drama, four bright and well-off college students in Kentucky plot to steal some rare books from their university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Based on the story, the film includes interviews with the foursome who attempted the bizarre heist. Starring Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson and Ann Dowd.
- 5
Prisoners (2013)
Denis VilleneuveDP Roger DeakinsIMDb 8.2TMDB 8.1See in full on FrameThrower →
How far would you go to protect your family? Keller Dover is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, knowing his child's life is at stake the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
- 6
The Brutalist (2024)
Brady CorbetDP Lol CrawleyIMDb 7.2TMDB 7.0See in full on FrameThrower →
When visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet flee Europe to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client. The seemingly charming industrialist Harrison Van Buren offers László and his family the American Dream on a silver platter by commissioning him to design a grand modernist monument and help shape the landscape of the country he now calls home. It will be the most ambitious project of his career, one that will take László and Erzsébet to both monumental heights and devastating lows.
- 7
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. RomeroDP George A. RomeroIMDb 7.8TMDB 7.6See in full on FrameThrower →
Barbra and Johnny visit their father's grave in a remote cemetery when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. Barbra manages to get away and takes refuge in what seems to be an abandoned farm house. She is soon joined by Ben who stopped at the house in need of gas. Beset by the walking dead all around them Ben does his best to secure the doors and windows. The news reports are grim however with creatures returning to life everywhere. Barbra and Ben are surprised when they realize there are 5 people hiding out in the basement: Harry, Helen and Karen Cooper; and a young couple, Tom and Judy. Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute.
- 8
Groundhog Day (1993)
Harold RamisDP John BaileyIMDb 8.0TMDB 7.6See in full on FrameThrower →
A weather man is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting "rat" (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the 'following' day, he discovers that it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realisation that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing every day.
- 9
The Village (2004)
M. Night ShyamalanDP Roger DeakinsIMDb 6.6TMDB 6.5See in full on FrameThrower →
M Night Shyamalan's The Village revolves around a desolate town in Pennsylvania. The residents of this town live by strict rules - They are not to leave the village or the monsters beyond their boundaries will surely attack them. Lucius and Ivy have an attraction - a strong one. But when Noah - a man with an intellectual disability and who also has feelings for Ivy, finds out that the two are In love, Noah attacks Lucius. He will die if brave Ivy (who is blind) does not breach the borders and find help to save Lucius.
- 10
Blue Valentine (2010)
Derek CianfranceDP Andrij ParekhIMDb 7.3TMDB 7.0See in full on FrameThrower →
Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira are a young, working class married couple - Dean currently working as a painter, and Cindy working as a nurse in a medical clinic - with a young daughter named Frankie. Despite their relatively tender ages, they are both ravaged by the life they've eked out together and by the experiences they've had leading into their marriage. Dean, a high school drop out, comes from a broken home, where he never really had a mother figure. He never saw himself getting married or having a family despite falling in love at first sight with Cindy. He doesn't have any professional ambition beyond his current work - which he enjoys since he feels he can knock off a beer at 8 o'clock in the morning without it affecting his work - although Cindy believes he has so much more potential in life. Cindy also comes from a dysfunctional family, with her own mother and father not setting an example of a harmonious married or family life. One of her previous serious relationships was with Bobby Ontario, that relationship which has a profound affect on many aspects of her marriage to Dean. Dean and Cindy head off on an overnight getaway together without Frankie, the getaway which may provide a clearer picture if their marriage can survive its many issues.
What pennsylvania, usa films are made of
How much more often each element appears in a pennsylvania, usa frame than in an average frame from the catalogue. A ratio, not a share — utility pole is not in most frames, it is simply far more common here than anywhere else.
- utility pole3.6×
- baseball cap2.9×
- trees2.5×
- wood paneling2.5×
- stubble2.1×
- fedora2.0×
- table1.9×
- mustache1.9×
How pennsylvania, usa films are shot
Weaker signals than the objects above, and worth saying so: most dramatic genres skew dark and night-heavy, so these numbers separate pennsylvania, usa from the catalogue far more than they separate it from its neighbours.
- 87%eye levelvs 69% baseline
What breaks the pattern
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) is the least typical film here — it carries the least of what the rest of this list is made of. Which is either a failure of the genre label, or the most interesting film on the page.
Method
Every frame in the FrameThrower catalogue is tagged for shot size, lighting, time of day, camera angle, colour and the objects visible in it. This page aggregates those tags across 1,050 frames from 15 films carrying the pennsylvania, usa label, and compares each figure to the same measurement across the whole catalogue (404,689 frames). Films are ranked by how closely they match the theme’s over-indexed elements, weighted by how distinctive each element is; one film per series. Only films with at least 20 indexed frames and 500 TMDB votes are listed.
Machine-readable: /api/list/pennsylvania-usa
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