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| marantzo |
 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:53 pm |
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billyweeds wrote: gromit wrote: ... and thought The Departed was an awful film.
A lot of people agree with you about this, and I can't for the life of me understand where they're coming from. I thought it was one of Scorsese's top five.
I don't understand that either, Departed is a top tier Scorsese in my book. |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:41 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NC
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marantzo wrote: billyweeds wrote: gromit wrote: ... and thought The Departed was an awful film.
A lot of people agree with you about this, and I can't for the life of me understand where they're coming from. I thought it was one of Scorsese's top five.
I don't understand that either, Departed is a top tier Scorsese in my book.
I like it just fine, but it was definitely Scorsese operating in b-movie mode, like with Gangs of New York or Cape Fear, both of which I also like just fine. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:57 pm |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2010
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I can't picture The Departed as a B-movie in any sense. Cape Fear as B mode, I'd more agree with you.
Thought I was going to get through a week without seeing Jessica Chastain, but looks like she's in Take Shelter, which we're seeing tonight. |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:01 pm |
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knox wrote: I can't picture The Departed as a B-movie in any sense.
That plot? Idk, I can't really take it seriously, though it's tremendously entertaining. It definitely doesn't succeed as High Art like Taxi Driver or Raging Bull or Goodfellas, but it doesn't seem to have those ambitions, so that's fine with me. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:20 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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shannon wrote: marantzo wrote: billyweeds wrote: gromit wrote: ... and thought The Departed was an awful film.
A lot of people agree with you about this, and I can't for the life of me understand where they're coming from. I thought it was one of Scorsese's top five.
I don't understand that either, Departed is a top tier Scorsese in my book.
I like it just fine, but it was definitely Scorsese operating in b-movie mode, like with Gangs of New York or Cape Fear, both of which I also like just fine.
Don't really understand this concept of a B movie. The Departed was a sort of "genre" film, which sometimes is characterized as a "B," and certainly Cape Fear is a "B" type of movie, but GONY is "A" in its ambition and budget. But while I think The Departed is an excellent movie that stands up to repeated viewings, I think both GONY and Cape Fear represent Scorsese at his worst.
GONY is a snooze from beginning to end, except for the excruciatingly over-the-top performance by the wildly overrated DDL. DiCaprio and Diaz are, shall we say, not at their best, and the whole thing is pretentious in the extreme. Cape Fear is, well, just awful in every way. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:42 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
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billyweeds wrote: ....GONY is a snooze from beginning to end, except for the excruciatingly over-the-top performance by the wildly overrated DDL..... |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:15 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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yambu wrote: billyweeds wrote: ....GONY is a snooze from beginning to end, except for the excruciatingly over-the-top performance by the wildly overrated DDL..... I just watched him in the dead rabbit scene again. That kills me every time. He reminds me of a Walt Disney fox.
Can't tell from this whether you liked it or not. |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:34 pm |
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billyweeds wrote: ...but GONY is "A" in its ambition and budget.
A movie can have an A-movie ambition and budget and still be a B-movie in its mentality. See also: Avatar. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:46 pm |
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I did not care much for the original Hong Kong version Infernal Affairs nor for the American version The Departed. Not Scrsese at his best by a long shot.
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:05 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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| We always get some nice point/counterpoint with Scorsese around here. I really liked The Departed and thought its acting and storytelling stood well above GONY and Cape Fear (which, yeah, is truly a B movie as I understand the term). The Departed isn't up there in the stratosphere with Goodfellas or Taxi Driver, but it gets an "A" from me. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:32 pm |
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| For me, The Departed vies with Taxi Driver for his best movie. I'd have to watch both to see which I like better, although Taxi Driver resonates a lot more. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:03 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Goodfellas is for me by far Scorsese's best. I have never been a particular fan of either Taxi Driver or Mean Streets, and Raging Bull is a tad too pretentious for me, even though I like it a lot. My favorite Scorseses, in order:
1) Goodfellas
2) The King of Comedy
3) The Departed
4) Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
5) Casino
His worst include Kundun, Gangs of New York, Cape Fear, and The Color of Money. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:37 am |
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The word that springs to mind when I see Raging Bull would not be pretentious. Brutal, yes. Pretentious? Don't see it.
1. Raging Bull
2. Taxi Driver
3. Goodfells
4. After Hours
5. King of Comedy
I drive past Mel's Diner every so often, but I think they used it for the exterior shot for the TV show rather than the movie, which was Mel and Ruby's and in Tucson, if memory serves. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:23 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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I'd forgotten Scorsese did "After Hours." Doesn't seem like his kind of film.
But then, neither does "Hugo." He was on the Daily Show last night, talking about it. I didn't even know the film was based on Melies. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:36 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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| When Scorsese goes out of his comfort zone totally, he generally loses me, with the exception of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. I'm talking about Kundun (insomnia cure), The Age of Innocence (good Winona, otherwise dull as a hammer), and New York, New York (which I should have added to the list of MS worsts). Therefore I have low expectations for Hugo. |
Last edited by billyweeds on Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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