Give me... 5 movies filmed in Seattle

Oh Seattle, how we all love you. Fixie riding hipsters, grunge relics from the 90s, crappy weather for 10 months of the year, top it all off with a double-tall iced skinny white chocolate mocha with extra whip from Starbuck's and there's nothing better in the world. Maybe apart from a decent foot massage, nothing beats that.

I was wondering, why is this beautiful city not more prominently featured on the big screen? There are countless iconic movies tied closely to cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Chicago but what about the Pacific Northwest? So I came up with a list of 5 movies, all filmed in Seattle.

Chronicle (2012)

Chronicle was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2012. Another found footage movie with a micro budget? What could possibly be good about that? Well, how about everything! The story of three high school kids (an outcast, his cousin and a jock) and how they gain mysterious powers thanks to some unexplained underground thingy (*cough 'plot convenience') offers a welcome change to the stale formula of superhero movies, is full of fun and excitement and features a massive climax around the Space Needle and downtown Seattle.

Singles (1992)

Singles is arguably the film that gives the best representation of Seattle as a city itself. Filmed during the height of grunge in the early 90s it chronicles the romantic relationships of two couples. It stars the always pleasant Bridget Fonda (before she decided to quit acting in 2002), Matt Dillon (before he specialized in playing slimeballs as in There's Something About Mary), Kyra Sedgwick (probably better known as the widemouthed wife of Kevin Bacon) and Campbell Scott (ENOUGH WITH THE USELESS TRIVIA IN PARENTHESES ALREADY!). Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Singles proves itself to be a nice if unremarkable entry in the romantic comedy genre that mostly stands out for its use of Seattle as a location. There's too many locations to name them all here, with scenes set in Capitol Hill, Downtown, Fremont, Gas Works Park, and a ton of other neighborhoods.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Remember the late 90s? Ah, what an innocent time for teenie movies with films like the original American Pie, She's All That and Can't Hardly Wait (check out my review here). 10 Things I Hate About You fits right in with its modern interpretation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (back then it was ultra-hip to modernize Shakespeare, thanks to Romeo + Juliet) set at a Tacoma high school. While the film itself is still fun to watch today it's probably best remembered as the star making turn for Heath "The Joker" Ledger. On top of that we get a very decent soundtrack, a look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his awkward teen stage, and in terms of Seattle there is a paintball scene at Gas Works Park, a paddle boat scene on Lake Union and a scene set around the Fremont Troll.

WarGames (1983)

When you think Matthew Broderick in the 80s you'll probably think Ferris Bueller's Day Off. While that one is a perfectly fine flick I personally prefer him in John Badham's WarGames. The story of a teenager who hacks into a government computer, mistakes it for a video game and almost starts World War III might seem a little bit dated nowadays but the film itself hasn't lost any of its suspense. Given that Matthew Broderick never really lived up to the enormous potential he promised during the 1980s, it is still surprising to see how well he fills out the role of leading man. Add to that the adorable Ally Sheedy as his love interest and a couple scenes on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle and on Boeing Field in South Seattle and you get a movie worth your time.

Disclosure (1994)

Do you remember this film? This film had quite a starry cast in front of and behind the camera for its time. Demi Moore was at the height of her fame before she crashed two years later with the infamous Striptease, Michael Douglas was fresh of his success with Basic Instinct, director Barry Levinson was still polishing his directing Oscar from 1988's Rain Man and the script was based on a novel by Michael Crichton who was the hottest stuff in Hollywood after 1993's Jurassic Park. The story of Disclosure is about Demi Moore who's the boss and former lover of Michael Douglas and who accuses him of sexual harassment. The film itself is not the great piece of thriller entertainment one would expect given the amount of talent but it's still a good watch. When it comes to Seattle, there's scenes set in Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill, on Bainbridge Island and some more shots in Downtown Seattle.