Martin Scorsese: America's greatest director <BR>

Martin Scorsese: One of America's greatest directors

As of February 26th, 2007, Scorsese won the Best Directing Oscar for THE DEPARTED. CONGRATULATIONS MARTY!!!



SCORSESE - The Ultimate Raging Bull of Soul-Searching

A BRIEF REVIEW OF MARTIN SCORSESE'S FILMS


Harvey Keitel in Who's That Knocking at My Door?

WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR? (1968) - Martin Scorsese's film debut (as well as Harvey Keitel's) is an astounding piece of work, shot in black-and-white, and as gritty as Mean Streets. Keitel plays J.R., an Italian-American youth who fools around with his buddies, goes to Church occasionally, and dates a young, seemingly virginal woman (Zina Bethune).

The film contains themes of Catholic guilt, the Madonna whore complex, and men treating women as whores that became further developed in Marty's later works. One heck of a debut for a man who clearly had a vision, just as his mentor John Cassavetes did in his debut, Shadows.

Peter Bernuth as the Man in THE BIG SHAVE

THE BIG SHAVE (1968): One of Scorsese's bloodiest parables, and all done in the space of six minutes. The short film concerns a young man who enters a bathroom and proceeds to shave. Each time he picks up the razor, he cuts himself, and continues to until his face becomes full of cuts. Then he cuts his throat, and we see blood filling up the sink.

Tough to withstand, this film may seem pointless until you realize the man cannot stop cutting himself - what makes it tougher to watch is that it is set in a brightly lit white bathroom. All this is accompanied by the music of Bunny Berigan's big-band rendition of "I Can't Get Started." Scorsese ends the film with a title card that reads, "Viet 67." Obviously, this was intended to be an anti-Vietnam war statement...and on that level, it succeeds. It is as frighteningly compelling as anything Scorsese has ever done. A must-see.

Note: The film was first screened at the New York Film Festival in 1968.

BOXCAR BERTHA (1972) - Based on the book Sister of the Road by Boxcar Bertha Thomson, this was Scorsese's only exploitation picture, from the Roger Corman studios, and it shows. David Carradine and Barbara Hershey play Depression-era bank robbers in the Bonnie and Clyde style mode, leading to the inevitable violent showdown where Carradine is crucified (Christ-like) on a boxcar! And that was in the original script, not an invention by Marty.

An interesting curio with decent performances and good production values, though it contains little of Scorsese's thematic concerns. Cassavetes apparently hated the film, calling it a piece of garbage, thus leading Scorsese to do something more personal - "Mean Streets."

Choice cameos by Scorsese, as one of Bertha's dates, and the always grand John Carradine.


Harvey Keitel in "Mean Streets"


MEAN STREETS (1973) - The first of Scorsese's gangster pictures, focusing on New York small-time hoods led by the sympathetic Charlie (Harvey Keitel) and his fraternal relationship with the loose cannon, Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), who is causing all kinds of trouble in the neighborhood, including blowing up mailboxes. And there's Charlie's complex relationship with Johnny's cousin (Amy Robinson, who later became a full-time producer).

A superb, groundbreaking film with enough grit and noirish atmosphere to have influenced a whole new generation of filmmakers, which it did. Its noirish roots can be felt in the need for the characters to break out of the city, unable to since there is no real escape. An excellent soundtrack full of oldies and Rolling Stone tunes, including "Jumpin' Jack Flash." In terms of mixing music to image perfectly, no one can listen to "Be My Baby" and not think of the scene where Keitel's head rests on a pillow.

Note: Thanks to Scorsese's amazing direction, most of it was shot in Los Angeles.

Mean Streets full-length review


Charles and Catherine Scorsese in ITALIANAMERICAN

ITALIANAMERICAN (1974): One of Scorsese's best-known documentaries - a poignant, revealing look at his parents, Charles and Martin Scorsese, as they outline their roots all the way back to Italy. Charles speaks mostly of the clothing business, and how he was brought up by his parents to take care of the family. Catherine speaks of recipes for delicious Italian foods and family squabbling (at the end of the film, a complete recipe for one of her dishes is given). And both Charles and Catherine have a little problem with sitting close to another. The squabble over how wine was made, by the way, is truly funny.

Martin stays behind the scenes but he does share a few scenes with his parents at the dinner table and on the couch. "Italianamerican" is one hell of a documentary with moments of truth, humor, insight and sadness about New York City from the point-of-view of Italians searching for a better life in America. An exceptional treat for Scorsese fans.

Ellen Burstyn in ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE



ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974): Ellen Burstyn is Alice, a married woman in Tucson who has an abusive, lonely husband (Billy Green Bush) and a precocious, inquisitive son (Alfred Lutter III). After the husband dies in a truck accident, Alice and her son leave for Monterey, making some other stops along the way, including working at a diner. There she meets and falls in love with a rancher (Kris Kristofferson), who may not be any less abusive.

A road movie and a realistic drama about a woman's feminist attitudes, considered controversial for its time. Burstyn deservedly won an Oscar for Best Actress. Still, an even better feminist statement was made with AN UNMARRIED WOMAN with Jill Clayburgh.

Note: Look for a young Laura Dern sitting at the diner, a stoned Jodie Foster, and a scary, Max Cady-like Harvey Keitel as one of Alice's suitors.

TAXI DRIVER (1976) - As far as I am concerned, "Taxi Driver" is the best American film ever made, a haunting, poetic, harsh look at a dangerous man sick of the cities and the people who inhabit them. De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a lonely cab driver who seeks solace in porno theatres and watching TV soap operas. He tries to befriend a lovely WASP (Cybill Shepherd), but his idea of a date is to take her to one of those porn theatres and watch The Swedish Marriage Manual.

Travis can't sleep and gets constant headaches. He tries to protect a 12-year-old prostitute (Jodie Foster) from Sport (Harvey Keitel), "the scum of the earth," and he's slowly consumed by the idea of killing a presidential candidate.

Expertly performed, powerfully written by Paul Schrader (who later collaborated on other Scorsese projects), and brilliantly scored by the late Bernard Hermann (his last score). The film is genuinely disturbing, provocative, challenging and violent, offering little solutions yet probed with many questions. It's also the most evocative portrait of loneliness in a big city ever made (so much that it persuaded an obsessed John Hinckley to attempt to assassinate President Reagan). And the most important line in the film is not "Are you talking to me?" It's the line that follows: "I'm the only one here." As prophetic today as it was in 1976, and it was a minor hit back then too.

Look for a cameo by Scorsese as one of Travis's psychotic fares, and he can be spotted fleetingly when Cybill arrives at her office in slow-motion.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977) - One of Marty's least successful efforts, a downbeat "noir" musical starring De Niro as a saxophonist, and the sparkling Liza Minnelli as the torch singer whom he falls in love with.

A dry, dull film with some exciting production numbers and artificial sets, yet the performances are listless and the story numbing (Barry Primus and Dick Miller are the only ones who seems alive). De Niro seems to be doing riffs on his Travis Bickle character. The whole mess smells of a largely improvised film that partly helped to put the nail in the coffin of experimenting with big-budget flicks that didn't financially break even ("Star Wars" came out the same year and it was a phenomenal success). Still, it is always a pleasure to hear Liza singing the title number and I appreciate the fact that Scorsese intended on doing a noir musical.

THE LAST WALTZ (1978) - The Band's last concert is thrillingly realized by Scorsese, full of whiz-bang songs performed by numerous singers and groups, including the coked-up Neil Diamond, the dazzling Staples, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, etc. There's also much back room intrigue and personal stories told by the members of the group about life on the road. A great concert film, as joyous and uplifting as any other made since.


Robert De Niro in RAGING BULL

RAGING BULL (1980) - A genuine Scorsese/De Niro masterpiece featuring one of the most brutally honest behavioral portraits ever made. De Niro is Jake La Motta, a fierce boxer, who fights his own demons at home with his blonde, angelic wife (Cathy Moriarty), the Madonna-whore, and his repugnant brother (a curly-haired Joe Pesci), who serves as his manager.

A sad, unredeeming portrait of macho and masochistic behavior, its chief aim being an anti-macho and anti-masochistic portrait. Film is complemented with stark black-and-white cinematography (La Motta pictured his life in black-and-white), incredibly vivid boxing scenes, and some beautifully composed dramatic scenes (the swimming pool scene with Moriarty is exquisite). De Niro gives one of his greatest performances, and looks unrecognizable in the second half as he gained weight to portray the fat, unfunny comic La Motta later became. De Niro won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and Thelma Schoonmaker won for Best Film Editing. Scorsese still didn't pick up an Oscar for his direction, losing to Robert Redford's debut, Ordinary People.

Look for a young John Turturro in one of the first club scenes.

THE KING OF COMEDY (1983) - This unnerving black comedy was the biggest flop of the year in the U.S. However, it became as prophetic about American celebrities as you can imagine. De Niro, this time, plays a comic named Rupert Pupkin ("Is it Pumpnick or Pumpkin?") who desperately wants to be a guest on the Jerry Langford show (a take-off on The Johnny Carson Show). Jerry (a wonderfully restrained Jerry Lewis) tells him to just call the office. Rupert calls, and calls, and calls, and Jerry doesn't return any of his messages. He gets so frustrated that he kidnaps Jerry Langford! That's one way to get a spot. And the irony is that Rupert becomes a celebrity!

The movie wavers between comedy and black humor with ease, and it is shrewdly written by former film critic/Newsweek writer, Paul Zimmermann. Although the film is sometimes uneven, it is brilliantly performed by De Niro, Sandra Bernhard, and Jerry Lewis. An underrated classic, and the first Scorsese film I ever saw. So bizarre and offbeat that I saw it countless times ever since...and it made me into the Scorsese fanatic I am today.

Note: Besides playing a television director, Scorsese appears ever so fleetingly as he sits in a van, just before Langford is verbally abused by a woman at a phone booth.

AFTER HOURS (1985) - The quintessential New York nightmare - a lonely computer programmer (perfectly cast Griffin Dunne) meets a date (Rosanna Arquette) in SOHO that turns into more than just the date from hell. He encounters jealous boyfriends, S&M freaks, Cheech and Chong, irate cab drivers, untrustworthy ice cream vendors, vigilante mobs, and loses his money thus making it difficult for him to pay train fare.

"After Hours" is the first of many rewarding collaborations with gifted cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (he also shot films for Fassbinder), and it is full of bizarre zooms and quick tracking shots (you'll never see a pair of keys falling from a second-story window the same way again). Add to that, a strong, empathetic, believable performance by Dunne (who has been treading the same innocent leading man waters ever since), and one delirious haphazard situation after another (a precursor to the maddening, repetitive situations in "Bringing Out the Dead"). Anxiety is what drives the narrative forward. If you live in New York, you'll understand.

Note: Scorsese appears at a punk night club as he adjusts a spotlight aimed at Griffin Dunne while Bad Brains' frenzied "Pay to Cum" is heard.

MIRROR, MIRROR (1985) - Scorsese's only television film, an episode from Steven Spielberg's short-lived series Amazing Stories. "Mirror, Mirror" stars Sam Waterston as Jordan, a highly popular Stephen King-like novelist who begins seeing visions of a horribly scarred monster wearing a black hat and cape (played by Tim Robbins). The monster is visible only when Jordan looks at mirror surfaces, specifically mirrors in his own apartment. Is he paranoid, or is his horrific visions from his stories coming to haunt him? Jordan seeks solace from his ex-wife (beautifully played by Helen Shaver, who also appeared in "Color of Money").

All the classic elements of Scorsese are in place here, and most evocatively portrayed is the sense of loneliness. Jordan's apartment looks just as cold and sterile as Jerry Langford's in "The King of Comedy," and he also lives alone to boot. In fact, there is one scene of a fan, a supposedly aspiring writer, who waits for Jordan at his doorstep and is angrily asked to leave - shades of "King of Comedy" once again. "Mirror, Mirror" is a classic short film, utilizing all the tricks up Scorsese's sleeve to make a terrific paranoia tale. The ending is shockingly abrupt and appropriately ambiguous.

Note: Look for Harry Northup as the security guard - he also appeared in "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver." You will also notice that dutch close-ups of locking windows and doors were also used in "Cape Fear."

THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986) - A thrilling sequel to Robert Rossen's bleak The Hustler, set 20 years later with an older, wiser Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman), a liquor salesman whose knack for pool-playing is reignited by a young, hot-headed pool player, Vincent (Tom Cruise). Under Felson's tutelage, Vincent plays the big pool tournament, learning that sometimes losing is winning.

Scorsese's only sequel in his repertoire is flashy and elegant, and smartly written by Richard Price (Clockers). Major drawback: an unsatisfying, Rocky-like ending with no payoff and a thinly layered role for Mary Elizabeth Manstrantonio as Vince's smart girlfriend.


Willem Dafoe in THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988) - A satisfyingly religious experience and the mostly deeply personal of Scorsese's works. Based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, Willem Dafoe stars as Jesus Christ, who begins to doubt and question his place on earth as the son of God. He also develops amorous feelings for Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), and fantasizes a married life with her.

The most controversial of St. Marty's films (there were picket lines denouncing the film) - deeply spiritual and moving, though not as powerful as it should have been. The crucifixion sequence is a stunner, and it is miles ahead of Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

NEW YORK STORIES: LIFE LESSONS (1989) - An anthology of the Big Apple, told through three different stories. The first one is the best, directed by Scorsese, about an arrogant artist, Lionel Dobie (Nick Nolte), faced with finished his latest masterpiece, and the complicated relationship that ensues with his assistant (Rosanna Arquette) whom he pines for. She also fuels his work, and his ego.

"Life Lessons" is a striking example of how to make a short film: Scorsese uses odd camera angles, an extensive number of dolly shots, and freeze frames to demonstrate the artistic side of Lionel. Every artist I've talked to loves this film because it is about them. Nowhere is this made more evident than when Lionel says, "You make art because you have to. So it isn't about talent, it is about no choice but to do it. You give it up. If you give it up, then you weren't a real artist to begin with."

Memorable cameos by Steve Buscemi and Blondie, and if you're quick, you can spot Scorsese and his mentor, the late Michael Powell!


GOODFELLAS (1990) - The richest, finest gangster film ever made - an anthropological survey of a criminal's life. We see the elegant restaurants, the racketeering, the flood of money, the dirty dealings, double-crosses, brutal, sudden violence, stealing, drugs, marriage life, extravagant meals and, most importantly, how crime really does pay. There is no sense of redemption in the main character, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), after being admitted to the Witness Protection program. His biggest worry is that he can no longer lead the fast-paced life of a gangster.

There is none of the Godfather myth-making here - this is the most realistic depiction of the lives of gangsters as seen in the history of cinema. It also shows, for the first time, what these guys are really like: they are the scum of the earth. These are the people that Travis Bickle despises. Based on a non-fiction book, WiseGuy, by crime reporter Nicholas Pillegi (who later co-wrote Casino). One reviewer in "Film Comment" has said that this film makes critics nervous because it shows that crime really does pay. I couldn't agree more, yet it also shows that it can end in tragedy and death. Very moral if you ask me.

Trivial note: Francis Ford Coppola definitely liked the film, according to Cigar Aficionado.

GoodFellas full-length review


CAPE FEAR (1991) - A rarity - a remake that is better than the original. De Niro is the frightening Biblical rapist, Max Cady, who is after the lawyer who put him away, Samuel Bowden (Nick Nolte). Cady will not only make Sam's life a living hell, but his sole intention is to save him and his family from their sins!

Suspenseful, terrifying, humanistic, pulpy, tension-filled in every frame, "Cape Fear" is the model for other thrillers to follow. The remarkable Juliette Lewis is the Lolita-like daughter, Danielle, whose scene with De Niro inside a theatre is as haunting and jaw-dropping as they come. Add to that a nail-biting climax set in a houseboat with one of the most fiercely emotional scenes De Niro has ever performed on screen. Nasty and bitter - not your standard issue mainstream thriller by any means. One of St. Marty's biggest hits at the box-office until The Aviator and The Departed.

Cape Fear full-length review

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993) - A masterpiece unfairly ignored by those who favored the Merchant Ivory films. Daniel Day-Lewis is Newland Archer, a lawyer about to be married to the seemingly innocent and naive May Welland (Winona Ryder) until he meets and falls in love with his new cousin, the enchanting, rebellious Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Set during New York in the 1870's, Scorsese considers this his most violent work. Huh? Well, because the emotions are so bottled in that the characters are threatening to explode with desire and passion at any moment. Taking a cue from Kubrick's masterful Barry Lyndon, this is one of the few period films in recent memory that correctly pinpoints how these people communicated and behaved through gestures, body language, subtleties in language, etc. Every move and every line of dialogue can indicate, imply, or destroy certain observations about others ("A world so precarious, it could be destroyed by a whisper"). Along with "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and "GoodFellas," this is a voluptuous, beautifully composed work of art. It is the film that Orson Welles's Magnificent Ambersons could have been.

Look quickly for a cameo by Marty's parents, and there is long-time editor Schoonmaker's name emblazoned on a building in one shot. Previously made, unbeknownst to Scorsese until later, in 1924 and 1934 (the latter version starred Irene Dunne).

The Age of Innocence full-length review


CASINO (1995): Scorsese's final take on the Mob, capping the end of his gangster trilogy that began with Mean Streets. Set in Las Vegas during the 70's and 80's, "Casino" is about a high-stakes gambler and casino operator, "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), working and maintaining the tables at the fictitious Tangiers hotel under the guidance of the Mob. Unfortunately, his loose-cannon pal, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), and his glamorous, alcoholic wife, Ginger (Sharon Stone), bring down his King Lear-like kingdom.

A hallucinatory, near-perfect film - both a documentary of how casinos were run, and an observation of how people were affected by all the money and hedonism. More sadistically violent than "GoodFellas," but you expected that (the film is excessive in its visual look, choice of top 40 tunes, voice-over narration, etc.) Beyond all the brutal beatings by mallet and bat and head crushings inside vises, "Casino" is a depiction of a lost world where pride and sinful vices resulted in the deterioration of humanity. Sharon Stone brings a certain depth and humanity to this amoral world - she rocks with excitement, vivid glamor, and fatalistic boorishness. "Casino" is like high-speed cocaine - it brings you up and, boy, does it ever bring you down emotionally. And that's that.

Casino full-length review

KUNDUN (1997) - Another Scorsese picture that got lost in the shuffle of big releases thanks to former Disney president Michael Eisner. Based on the Dalai Lama's own memoirs, "Kundun" traces the life of the 14th Dalai Lama until his escape at the age of eighteen from invading forces in Tibet.

Peaceful, calm. slow-moving, extraordinarily shot, "Kundun" is a moving, visually enlightening tone poem. Although it is too reverential for its own good, "Kundun's" landscape of emotions cuts deeply to the heart. There are some moments in the film which are as awe-inspiring and emotionally heartbreaking as anything the director has ever done (the funeral, the "Gone With the Wind" shot of dead monks). Philip Glass's melodic score contributes to the power of the film. The antithesis to Scorsese's usual melee of violent character studies on the streets. Compassion and non-violence are the key words. Check out In Search of Kundun on VHS for an insightful analysis on the making of this film.

Kundun full-length review

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1999)- It has been more than two decades since the world has witnessed the frighteningly prophetic "Taxi Driver," and director Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader revisit those same mean streets to tell us they are just as mean and almost as hellish.

The virtually gaunt-like Nicolas Cage stars as Frank Pierce, an exhausted ambulance paramedic who mostly works nights. He has not saved a life in months, and is starting to feel weary and sleepless - he cannot function in this crazed city anymore (this story is set in pre-Giuliani New York). He starts seeing visions of an asthmatic girl he could not save in the past - he feels he has killed her and sees her in the faces of others walking the streets.

There is a lot to admire in "Bringing Out the Dead," and actually a lot more to savor in repeated viewings. Moments like the impalement of the drug dealer or Rhames's brief interludes with dispatchers and Cage, or the final heavenly image of Cage resting on Arquette's shoulder evoke a power unprecendented in any film released in 1999. Though "Bringing Out the Dead" is the kind of film that makes you want to see a truly passionate Scorsese film that comes from the gut, it is as spiritual and moving as "Kundun." Still, for its subjective evocation of a man's lethargy and slow deterioration, it will be hard to take for many viewers (and reportedly, the Japanese walked out in droves during some screenings). But then what did anyone expect from a Scorsese film?

Bringing Out the Dead full-length review

01/26/03: Gangs of New York full-length review

Thoughts on Scorsese's GANGS - 12/05/02: What is there to think about? I have been waiting for Scorsese's newest film for almost two years and, even if it is a disappointment, I will at least be fulfilled no matter what. Time will tell on December 20th, though reviews already indicate a disaster. Not from critics, mind you, but from audiences, such as the attendees at the Director's Guild screening. Apparently, people were bored stiff. Nevertheless, such mixed reactions have always greeted Martin Scorsese's films from the beginning. The fact that it is long and episodic is partly based on the amount of material in the story. It covers a time and place, a sense of history of New York during the Civil War era, and extreme violence. We are talking meaner streets than the ones shown in Scorsese's other films. We are talking about a character named Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) who plays the meanest man in film history, according to one of the producers of the film.

Beyond that, we are also talking about a 100 million dollar budget for a film that is unlikely to win any awards and is further unlikely to win much enthusiasm from mainstream audiences. Scorsese is not meant for mainstream tastes, but Leonardo Di Caprio and Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein are. This is the most unusual pairing of talents since Spielberg helped produce "Cape Fear" for Scorsese in 1991 ("Cape Fear" is still Scorsese's only major box-office hit). But the subject matter and the spectacle of violence (though Marty has said in a New Yorker article that he wishes not to show the graphic bloodletting of something akin to "GoodFellas") are also nothing to cheer about during the Yuletide season. How many people do you think will prefer to see DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, which is supposedly far lighter fare and will be released five days after "Gangs"? The answer is simple - Spielberg has always commanded attention from audiences. Scorsese only knows how to shut them out with his ironic detachment and complex moral actions of his lead characters. Or to quote Scorsese: "Saving Private Ryan is morally sanctionable. My films are immoral."

THE BLUES: FEELS LIKE GOING HOME (2003) - A fairly dry and bland documentary by Scorsese (part of a mini-series he produced), though not without any choice moments. Seemingly all shot on video (a rarity for Scorsese), the film tracks the journey of a modern blues singer-guitarist Corey Harris as he travels from Mississippi to Africa to discover the roots of the blues.

There are great segments about John Lee Hooker, Leadbelly, Muddy Waters and a superb moment with Otha Turner, whose arrangement of "Shimmy She Wobble" with the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band is an electrifying moment, shown in black-and-white footage (this same arrangement was the central musical theme of "Gangs of New York"). Still, the film is curiously stilted at times and there is some superfluous voice-over narration. If nothing else, you get to hear great blues music.

Thoughts on THE AVIATOR (2004) 12/05/04 - Aviator full-length review.

Scorsese's newest film focuses on the period of a young Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Hollywood, making films and planes that fly faster than 400 mph. Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale, Alan Alda round out the extraordinary cast. The flying sequences are said to be the most thrilling ever committed on film.

So what will the response be to Scorsese's newest flick starring his "Gangs of New York" star, Leo DiCaprio? Critics are suggesting that St. Marty's latest is his most accessible by far and will win accolades at the Oscars. I find that assertion questionable since I have declared time and again that Marty will never win an Oscar, not even a Lifetime Achievement Award. Am I wrong? Consider the facts: Marty lost for "Raging Bull," "GoodFellas," "Taxi Driver" and the much maligned "Gangs of New York." We all know there was no way in hell he would get a Best Director award for the highly controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ." His films are too tough, too emotionally centered on the internal conflicts of his characters who can sometimes be immoral or amoral - whatever his leading characters feel, we feel it as well. Consider Henry Hill's coke-fueled paranoia in "GoodFellas" or Frank Pierce's lethargy and growing disorientation in the vastly underrated "Bringing Out the Dead" or Jake La Motta's own lack of love for himself as he goes on an eating and drinking binge in "Raging Bull," and so on. Since Marty's secrets are to be subjective and to dwell on such overwhelmingly internal emotional conflicts without a shred of sentimentality, then what will "The Aviator" be like? According to Marty on a recent Fall 2004 issue of Entertainment Weekly, there will be focus on Howard Hughes' own obsessive compulsive behavior, e.g, how he handles a doorknob, his mania over germs, etc. Maybe this will go further than Jack Nicholson's own OCD in As Good as it Gets. One person at a recent advanced screening said he felt "uncomfortable" watching the film. As we know of any Scorsese film in the past, we feel almost anything but comfort.

My verdict: Quite good, though not quite a great film. Still, the film's images and its vision of a wealthy man who could do anything still stay with me. Having read the Charles Higham biography which is startling and keeps you on edge, Scorsese's film does the same. Personally, I would have thought that Hughes's later years would be of utmost interest to Scorsese. Still, did I feel I was inside Leo's Hughes's head? Yes. Did I feel some level of discomfort? Absolutely, more so after it was over. Is there any chance the film will win an Oscar? No chance, and if you see the film, you'll know why (though it does have 11 Oscar nominations). I would put "The Aviator" on higher ground than "The Color of Money" or "Kundun," and it comes close to the power of "Bringing Out the Dead," but it is not a great Scorsese flick. Still, a very good Scorsese film is better than no Scorsese film.

NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN (2005) - St. Marty's latest documentary will focus on the five years from Bob Dylan's arrival in New York in January 1961 to the July 1966 motorcycle crash that sidelined him. The film will made its debut on September 26th-27th at 9pm on PBS. A combination of Marty and Dylan is a pure stairway to heaven, if you ask me.

THE DEPARTED (2006) - Scorsese's newest film is a remake of the Hong Kong police thriller, Infernal Affairs. Matt Damon, Leo DiCaprio (in his third outing with Marty), Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and Jack Nicholson round out the cast. Look for further info at this forum.

Update 08/15/06: Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" was previewed in Chicago during the summer. The movie received mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike, but it is still too early to comment since it is not fully completed. The movie does, apparently, begin with the familiar opening chords of the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter," though I believe that may be temp music (Dropkick Murphys appear on the soundtrack for sure. UPDATE: "Gimmie Shelter" is in fact used in the final print). As everyone can plainly see from the recent trailer, this is an astounding cast. And Jack Nicholson as the devil incarnate, Frank Costello, seems like a truly evil character (probably not as brutal as Bill the Butcher). With the likes of DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin, and others, including cinematography by Michael Ballhaus and always spectacular editing by Thelma Schoonmaker, this is sure to be a hell of a crime thriller. And don't be surprised if the tension is unbearable considering that Marty recently said that it is about the nature of identity. I can't wait for October. UPDATE: I saw "The Departed" finally. Great thriller, supercharged and thoroughly intense. Click here for review.

SHINE A LIGHT (2008) - Full-length Review

INFO ON SHUTTER ISLAND COMING SOON! Since it has been moved to 2010 and I am reading the novel as we speak, you'll forgive that no pics or info have been posted yet. Stay tuned.

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