Commentary: Movies made in the PNW

Movies can take place anywhere, but oftentimes it's the cityscape of New York City or Los Angeles that audiences see.

Here are a few films that showcase some towns, mountains, lakes and rivers a little closer to home.

"Wild" (R)

Filming Locations: Portland, Crater Lake, Bend and Ashland, Ore.; Vancouver, Wash.

Plot: Grieving the loss of her mother, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) hikes the Pacific Crest Trail, which showcases the beautiful mountainous wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

"Captain Fantastic" (R)

Filming Locations: Deception Pass State Park, Snohomish, Sultan, Gold Bar, Kirkland, Index, Othello and Chehalis, Wash.; Portland, Ore.

Plot: A father raises his children deep in the middle of the Washington wilderness, but when his wife dies he takes the kids out of the woods to go to her funeral.

"Sleepless in Seattle" (PG)

Filming locations: Seattle

Plot: Many are familiar with this cross-country love story in which a Baltimore woman falls for a Seattleite she hears on the radio. The film features many recognizable Seattle locations such as Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.

"Napoleon Dynamite" (PG)

Filming locations: Preston, Franklin and Lamont Reservoir, Idaho

Plot: "Napolean Dynamite" captures small-town Idaho and the awkward teenage years. Chances are if you tell someone you're from Idaho, they'll think of this film.

"Twilight" (PG-13)

Filming locations: Mount St. Helens and Corbett, Wash.; Vernonia and Oregon City, Ore.

Plot: The story is set in Forks, Wash., but was filmed mostly in other Pacific Northwest locations. It's the classic girl-moves-to-new-town-and-falls-in-love-with-the-local-undead-boy-next-door story.

"Breakheart Pass" (PG)

Filming locations: Lewiston

Plot: Longtime Lewiston residents will recall this one and even when the movie was filmed on the Camas Prairie Railroad. A conspiracy is afoot when a train with medical supplies encounters trouble, and missing passengers are only the beginning.

"Smoke Signals" (PG-13)

Filming locations: Plummer, Worley, Coeur d'Alene, DeSmet, Tensed, Idaho; Soap Lake, Spokane, Coulee City, Wash.

Plot: Based on the Sherman Alexie book "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," the film tells the story of life on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation and explores issues of identity.

"The Goonies" (PG)

Filming locations: Canon Beach, Astoria, Ore.

Plot: This cult '80s film is both shot and set in Astoria, where two brothers find a treasure map and enlist the help of their friends to search for it.

"A River Runs Through It" (PG)

Filming locations: Livingston and Bozeman, Mont.

Plot: Based on the semi-autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean that tells the story of two brothers living in Montana, this film features fly fishing on Montana's great rivers.

Brewster is a graduate of Lewiston High School and Lewis-Clark State College who is earning her master's degree in film and television studies at the University of Glasgow. She can be reached at kaylee.brewster@hotmail.com.