As movie awards season heats up with revelations of Oscar nominations and such, I look in different directions for fun — specifically film locations. Voting from the general public just ended for the European Film Commission Network’s slate of nominees, and I put in my mark for Croatia. The movie Murina gave Kornati National Park a significant role in the coming-of-age story, highlighted by underwater photography.
The choice felt difficult to make because the other movie nominees looked so good on screen: Ireland’s Cahir Castle in The Green Knight and Norway’s Stadlandet in Dune. Two other nominees came from television series: Berlin in The Queen’s Gambit and Malaga in The Crown. Tough choices, all linking to a trend that plays with the phrase jet-setter: Set jetting.
Yes, travelers like me sometimes set our itineraries because of what we see on screen. Malta from Game of Thrones? Sure. Jordan in Lawrence of Arabia? Absolutely. Reno from The Misfits? Why not? Locations often play a major part in movies, and many of us see the rest of the world on screen.
Plus, COVID-19 travel restrictions mean armchair travel proves a bigger part of life. So this year, some of my favorite movies took me to places I want to visit, perhaps on a return trip. New York ranks big with key outdoor sequences in three excellent musicals: West Side Story, In the Heights and Tick, Tick…Boom! I look forward to getting back to the Big Apple to watch a Broadway musical in person.
I also like the movie CODA’s use of Gloucester, a town I visited a few times after running the Boston marathon. Of course, with movies, some cheating goes on. If you want to see Montana from Power of the Dog, head to New Zealand. Sounds good to me.
Robin Holabird is KUNR’s entertainment reviewer, author, and former film commissioner for the Nevada Film Office. You can browse a full archive of her reviews here.
