blog 20 Quenns Logic

Elena Panagi

ENG 103

Prof. Luke Vasileiou

Queens Logic

A lot of movies have been filmed in New York City.  One of those movies calls Queens Logic.  To be precise the movie Queens Logic was film in Astoria Queens New York in 1991’s.  Queens Logic is a realist movie because it deals with people’s good situation and problems in their lives.  The movie mostly revolves around the lives of friends who live in Astoria and where they grow up.  The city life of New York is rarely depicted in the movie Queens Logic and the only time that you can see the City is from the bridge in Astoria Park. 

The 90s in New York City was a time of more economic stability. During 90s was a period for New York City had a better job market and money full of transmission. It was the right time to do your “American Dream.”  Homelessness became a very huge problem for New York City.  Even though there was stability and cash flow, the unemployment rate was high.    In the mid 90s the national economy and stock market had a boom.  The worldwide economy was good and that help New York.  Many ethnic groups moved into New York City and jobs were in plethora.  During the Dinkins administration unemployment started to decline.  Crime rates decreased in the 1990s because of major Dinkins new administration.  Between 1990 and 2000 the city admitted 1,224,524 immigrants. During the 1990’s, people came together to New York City because large of immigration and attraction of a booming economy. According to the 2000 census the population of the City increased by 686,000 people. 

Demographers and city officials have observed that immigration to New York City has been slowing down since 1997. This is mostly due to more and more immigrants choosing directly to locate to the city's suburbs and then commute to the city or work in many of its booming edge cities like Fort Lee, New Jersey City, Morristown, Stamford, CT, White Plains NY and others.  Despite the slowdown in immigration the city's overall immigrant population has continued to increase and in 2006 it numbered 3.038 million (37.0%) up from 2.871 million (35.9%) in 2000.  The population during 1990 was 7,322,564.  Also New York City had a high degree of income variation.  The city experienced major immigration from Europe in the 19th century and another major wave in the early 20th century.  1990-2000 New York City received 1,224,524 immigrants and 170 languages are spoken at that time.  During the early 90s the average rent was $400-$500 a month in Manhattan but if you wanted to be to an expensive neighborhood was around $900 and plus per month, and for these neighborhood increased by double.  I remember my uncle family used to live in Astoria Queens around 1990-1998 and they were paying a rent $500-$600 only for a 4 bedroom apartment.  According to HVS data severe crowding grew worse in New York City during the late 1990s, increasing from 2, 7% of all households in 1996 to 3, and 0% in 1999.  This is higher than the nationwide incidence of severe crowding observed according to the AHS data which decreased from 0, 5% in 1995 to 0, and 4% in 1999.  Although the number of doubled-up households in New York is only a small percentage of total households because doubling up is an indicator that a household may be on the verge of homelessness.

Based on the American Housing Survey median gross rent increase by 8, 7 % from 1995 to 1999 in New York City.  At the same time media rent increased 10, 9 % to reach $ 580 per month, but it was lower than the median monthly rent of $ 640 paid by New Yorkers.  Fortunately New York didn’t have the highest average rent compare to all the cities.  In the late 1990s there was affordability problems declined in New York City.  Although more than 600,000 New Yorkers pay a staggering proportion of their income in rent.  Recent dates suggest numbers of New Yorkers experience several housing problems, but these problems didn’t increase in the late 1990s.  At the half of the year 90s the city’s economy was boomed and its massive investment in housing bore fruit.  Same homeownership rates grew up and tax delinquency.  At that point of time we are seeing that gay people start to express themselves easier and being proud of being gay and lesbians. Also today is legal to get marrying gay people in California. 

The movie Queens Logic is taking place in Astoria Queens.  Directed by Steve Rash, produced by Russelll Smith, Written by Tony Spiridakis and Joseph W. Savino.  They are play Kevin Bacon, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna, Tom Waits, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Bishop and Terry Kinney.  The release date was February 1, 1991 in English.  The budget of this movie was $12 million and the gross revenue was $612,781. 

When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray’s Wedding, which may or may not happen, they end-up on a roller-coaster ride through reality.  During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about.  This comedy takes a look at friendship loyalty and love.  Comparing the streets during 1990 until our days are exactly the same.  Comparing the economy life in the movie and now there are many differences.  First of all Al was rich, he has big house his wife was wearing expensive dress and also he bought ring for their anniversary for $4,000 and he gave as a gift a mets ticket.  In our days only rich people spend money ($4,000) for anniversary gift.  In the movie we saw that Queens itself, as embodied by the loud and hearty and toothpick-chewing Al and having his language.  Also Manhattan for Al and the others was the place to escape to indulge their dreams of meeting more interesting women and having a wilder time.  “Luckily, Queens Logic” has a big and eminently watchable cast brought together for ceaseless partying and clowning.”

John Malkovich gives the film a welcome tartness as the shy, sarcastic Eliot, Al's co-worker at the fish plant and a self-described "homosexual who cannot relate to gay men." Mr. Malkovich is often droll, but Kevin Bacon, who arrives from California as the group's long-lost musician friend, is saddled with the screenplay's three most maudlin moments; still, Mr. Bacon brings the film a lot of energy. So does Jamie Lee Curtis, who appears briefly as a rich Manhattan so carefree that she parks an unlocked red convertible sports car on the street. The singer Tom Waits also turns up, fencing jewelry and looking scary.

The film's down-to-earth quality is best expressed through Hawaiian shirts, wisecracks about domestic violence and a scene in which Patricia expresses her annoyance at Ray by flushing a toilet while he is in the shower. Its contrived side shows up most clearly in the three awkward things Mr. Bacon has to do: tell Patricia he has always loved her, terribly admit that he isn't such a big success in Hollywood after all, and regale the others with "that 'Ordinary People' song" -- the Pachelbel Canon -- at dawn.

The prospective newlyweds are Ray (Mr. Olin, with a few days' perfect stubble and a heavy Queens accent) and Patricia (Ms. Webb, looking like a younger, slinkier Maureen Stapleton), an aspiring painter and a hairdresser who wants nothing more than to accommodate her future husband. "After five years of watching' him struggle, I still believe in him even when he doesn’t believe in himself," says Patricia, indicating that women's roles are not Mr. Spiridakis's strong suit. In a similar vein, the statuesque, deep-voiced Linda Fiorentino, as Al's angry wife, Carla, spends a long time having her hair dyed red and then presents this as a major personality change.