I appreciate your interest in the portrayal of Latinos in American films. We are clearly under-represented. African-americans had the same problem before the emergence of Spike Lee in the late 80s. Then again, no Latino director working in Hollywood(Arau, Nava, Rodriguez, Mandoki,etc) has come close to the brilliance of Do the Right Thing.
The film images that best evoke NYC for me have been created by Mr. Lee and "pantheon" directors Marty Scorsese and Woody Allen. Gangster movies are beginning to bore me, particularly those that glamorize violence. On the other hand, I'll probably see Gangs of New York twice during opening weekend.