Day 100: August 8th, 2010

Gangs of New York



America was born in the streets.

Martin Scorsese is probably my favourite director, he has the utmost respect for the art behind film, it's history and its future. He loves it to death and the man makes damn fine cinema. Not every picture he does is great, but every Scorsese film has something to say. The problem with filmmakers today, is they have nothing to say.

Gangs of New York was Scorsese's dream project and the film is grand, the set designs, the costumes, everything is detailed to the last drop. Scorsese's dream has come to life in this period piece that brings a legend out of the shadows and begins a director - actor relationship with another.

The film is full of great performances lead by DiCaprio but it's Day Lewis who steals the show as the scene chewing over the top performance of Bill the Butcher. He does the role with a delicious side of crazy and respect. The man is insane with violent rage. DiCaprio has moments of trouble where he loses sight of the role and is just Leonardo DiCaprio on screen, but for the most part he goes a formidable job playing against Lewis. Diaz does an alright job of not becoming annoying or dopey, which she usually does.

The violence is raw and restrained. We are thrown into a bloodshed in the opening act and the film plays out leading up to a bloody revenge. The climax is actually anti-climactic. Scorsese did this on purpose and it frustrated me when I first saw the film. I wanted the big grand fight. This viewing it didn't bother me too much and it made the cat and mouse style fight more heightened.

Gangs of New York went home empty handed on Oscar night, which is a disappointment because the set design is beautiful. Scorsese has a great film here that many people seem to dismiss. It's length is something to endure, but the revenge story could have been a huge disaster, if it weren't for that man behind the camera.

7.5/10

Day 82: July 21st, 2010

The Aviator



For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning.

The Aviator is in one word "Fantastic". It details the life of Howard Hughes, his bizarre obsessions and his love for planes. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a great performances in one of his roles that told us how dedicated he was to his craft. It's when I really started to take notice of him and what he will be giving us in the future. The second film in which Scorsese has used him, and the most dedicated to the role.

Cate Blanchett earns herself a much deserved Academy Award for her performance and the rest of the supporting cast is fleshed out by the likes of John C. Reilly, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Jude Law and Ian Holm. Just to name a few. Scorsese directs the film with confidence and skill. The film is very ambitious and an interesting film to complete after Gang of New York, probably his most ambitious film to date.

The music, the cinematography, everything is on a grand scale. A very solid effort from everyone involved and Scorsese's attention to detail and his dedication to the craft is marvelous. The film is a little on the long side and seems to go through predictable stages in Hughes life, even for those unfamiliar with him. The Aviator is indeed a great film, but seems to be in the shadows of Scorsese's greater films.

9/10

Day 77: July 16th, 2010

Taxi Driver



On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.

Scorsese has numerous films that I love and adore, Taxi Driver is one of them, not surprisingly. Is there any other lonely psychopathic character quite like Travis Bickle? I don't think so. It's easy to use words like brilliant, powerful and classic for this flick, so let's use those.

Taxi Driver is indeed a classic, it's hard hitting New York underbelly is dirty and raw. The film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the explosive ending. No neat trick here, no special effects to heighten the tension, just like the city it is depicted in, the violence is raw and real. Travis Bickle unleashes terror in the climax and guess what, bullet don't fly off of him. He's not some lone gunman hero that is un-killable. He's no Terminator or Rambo. He's a man.

DeNiro, teaming up with Scorsese, is a powerhouse. This lonely and depressed man has dark thoughts, he is one person in a city of millions. The script paints the picture vividly, so well that Scorsese is easily able to paint that picture onto film. This movie needed to be filmed on film, if it were done today and were done with digital, it would never get the same feeling.

It is indeed an American classic and is still talked about to this day. It's Scorsese most depressing film. It also gave us that memorable line in the mirror that is parodied time and time again. Do yourself a favour, if you love film and want to experience it. Taxi Driver is a good place to start.

9/10

Day 65: July 4th, 2010

After Hours.



What is the very worst night you ever had...?

If I had to pick one director that is my all time favourite, it would have to be Mr. Martin Scorsese.

An ordinary guy has the worst night of his life after he agrees to meet up with a girl he met at a coffee shop. Thing go from bad to worse as the night goes on.

Even though Scorsese is my favourite director, I have my doubts about some of his films. Not everyone is perfect. I had my doubts about this film, I wasn't sure I would like it. To be fair though, I had no idea what it was about. It was one of those, judge a book by its cover situations. So here is a life lesson for the young ones out there, I'm sure you've never heard this one before. "Never judge a book by it's cover".

When you have a film resume like Scorsese does, its easy for a film such as this to get lost in the mix. When you have films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and his Oscar winning film The Departed, it's hard to stand out. So I take an appreciation to the little films he does that are in my opinion just as strong as his other work, but never seem to get the recognition. I really dig Bringing Out The Dead and After Hours is another film that surprised me quite a bit.

There is an old saying for writing a script. You want to take your character, make him climb a tree and while he is up there, throw rocks at him. Eventually you let him down. This is suppose to be like a story, the character sees a challenge, tries to overcome it, sees conflict and eventually the falling action is resolved. With After Hours, Scorsese keeps our character up in that tree and continues to throw rocks at him no matter what.

I really like the New York feel this film has, even if it is outdated today. The streets act as characters themselves. Settings in Scorsese films tend to do that, look at his latest flick Shutter Island. After Hours has our main character, who is kind of a jerk at times, suck in tough situations, that only get worse as the night goes on. I kept thinking to myself, what would I do in that situation.

For a film with no action, it is pretty suspenseful. The whole film is the reaction of characters to certain things. Most of it is negativity towards our character. Not only does this film stand as one of Scorsese's most underrated films, I'd say it's underrated in general. I never hear anyone talk about it and when I mention it to someone, they just seem to have a blank look on their face. After Hours should and needs to be seen by more people. It's an entertaining movie from a master filmmaker.

8/10