Look at those colors! We found this photo from Prospect Park Garage on sgoralnick’s Flickr.

Our beloved borough is more than just a place to live, work, and visit – it’s a place to film! Let’s take a look at three movies set and filmed prominently in Brooklyn.

Saturday Night Fever

In SNF, John Travolta’s character Tony wants nothing more than to transcend his home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for Manhattan (crazy). His costar Donna Pescow, a native to the borough, adapted to her role by retraining herself to speak in a Brooklyn accent. The Bay Ridge pizza shop, hardware store, and dance studio featured in the movie still exist today, although the disco club 2001 Odyssey, which was also located in Bay Ridge, has since been demolished.

Requiem for a Dream

This gritty film spends much of its time in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where Sara, a widow, lives alone in her apartment. Although rather depressing throughout much of the movie, Brooklyn is also the stuff of dreams – when Harry is dreaming of seeing his girlfriend Marion on an ethereal boardwalk, he’s picturing her on Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier!

The Squid and the Whale

Although the titular oceanic battle is depicted in an exhibit at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History, The Squid in the Whale is set predominately in Brooklyn. The main family home is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and when the Bernard (Jeff Daniels) leaves his wife Joan (Laura Linney), he moves to an apartment on the other side of Prospect Park.

Last weekend saw the first Brooklyn Mutt Show, a (hopefully) annual event that awards dogs of all pedigrees for a variety of fun categories, from “Most like Owner” to “Sloppiest Kisser.” The event took place last weekend at the Brooklyn Lyceum, and raised $2,000 for the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC) Shelter.

Photo via Quirky NYC.

Has anyone else noticed the fantastic weather lately? If you’re digging this climate as much as we are, you’ll probably love this photo of a blossoming Park Slope, via omphale44 on Flickr.

Currently, people complain that G trains are infrequent, too short, and unfairly truncated during peak hours (it stops at Court Square in Long Island City, Queens on weekdays during the daytime, losing most of its Queens stops between Court and 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens).

The thing is, the G wasn’t always terrible. The trouble started in 2001 with the inception of the V service, which covers the G’s Queens route during peak hours. To make matters worse, the MTA shortened the G train from six cars to four to make service more frequent, resulting in some cramped commuters.

Early this year, the G was out of the service for four weekends in a row while the MTA was making repairs. Shuttle buses filled in the gaps, and the Gothamist interviewed one New Yorker who preferred the shuttle to the G, as it was more reliable. Ouch.

On this Tue of days, we think it’s best to take a time out — and rock out, if possible. Take a look at this YouTube video for Steely Dan’s “Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me).”

Accessible via the A, C, and F trains, DUMBO is a daytime mecca for art and design studios and desirable neighborhood for families. The view of the Manhattan skyline isn’t bad either.

Popular attractions include:

Grimaldi’s Pizza. Famous for its smokey, coal-fired pizza, Grimaldi’s a New York institution. Frank Sinatra was a noted fan.

P.S. Bookshop. If you go there hunting for a specific book, you’re in trouble, but this used bookstore is great for browsing and discovering reads you didn’t know you wanted.

Zoë. For some off-Fifth Avenue shopping, it doesn’t get any better than Zoë, which features such brands as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, and Rag & Bone.

Image via Flickr

We’re famous! And by we, we mean Brooklyn. Brooklyn’s Finest, a cop drama starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes, hits theaters tomorrow. Are you going to see it?

Check out the trailer below:

The words “smoke” and “joint” might not automatically connote barbecue in your mind, but all of that will change after your visit our latest Fort Greene find: The Smoke Joint. Located near the Atlantic Avenue mega-stop, this barbecue house is fast and cheap, with a menu full of tantalizing options. You can pick up your grub for takeout, or make a night of it with sit-down service.

The Smoke Joint’s menu is a carnivore’s delight, featuring such choices as beef and pork ribs ($11–$23), sweet and spicy wings ($7.50), and smoked chicken ($4–$14). Alternatively, ladies — and light-eating gents — will love the caesar salad ($5–$9), prepared with just the right amount of dressing and the option to add pork, beef, or chicken. Still not convinced? Nobody can turn down The Smoke Joint’s comfort-food sides, including mac and cheese ($4) and corn on the cob ($2.50).

If you’re looking for booze, you can visit the bourbon-filled Pig Bar adjacent to The Smoke Joint, or order beer or cocktails from the restaurant’s menu. (Let us know how the habanero-infused mango margarita tastes — we were too scared to try it.)

Check out The Smoke Joint at 87 S. Elliot Place in Fort Greene. 718.797.1011.

Brokelyn.com recently announced the winner of its ugly building contest. The first place pic, above, captures a warehouse at 126 3rd St. in Gowanus. It sort of looks like it’s crying, doesn’t it?

You can check out the rest of the entries at the contest’s Flickr pool.