The Departed

2017-11-102017-12-23 ~ Mark

The Departed. Third, maybe fourth viewing. Somehow it’s compulsively watchable but I don’t actually like it that much? I like the Japanese original Infernal Affairs more, I think. Filed under: Martin Scorsese.

The Aviator

2015-09-202018-02-03 ~ Mark

The Aviator. I often struggle with biopics, but I liked this one a lot. I like how the film stock and coloring shifts with the passage of time, the recurring hands imagery, and the sympathy we feel as we see this man changing. “Nothing’s clean, Howard. But we do our best.”

Shutter Island

2015-09-142018-02-03 ~ Mark

Shutter Island. Better than I thought it would be. Scorsese takes some simple genre stuff to some good creepy heights.

The Wolf of Wall Street

2014-01-142018-02-03 ~ Mark

The Wolf of Wall Street. If Scorsese has any one gift, it is making a scene longer than it needs to be, and somehow not ruining it. If he has a second gift, it’s all the filmic energy that he gets out of moving a camera. Repulsive behavior has rarely been so much fun. Much better than Wall Street. Spring Breakers is another good debauched horror story.

Raging Bull

2012-03-222018-01-24 ~ Mark

Raging Bull. I liked it more this time around than the first time I watched it. Something about seeing it on the big screen and with a crowd, it seemed much funnier. I still think the last half-hour or so is a trudge, but most biopics seem to be that way.

Mean Streets

2012-02-012018-01-24 ~ Mark

Mean Streets. Didn’t enjoy this very much. I appreciate how Scorsese mixes up the camerawork and the musical interludes, but otherwise it seemed a bit of a drag.

Raging Bull

2010-07-272018-01-24 ~ Mark

Raging Bull. I expected that boxing would be much more central to this film, but it’s more of a story of jealousy and self-loathing punctuated with fights professional and domestic. Maybe the coolest thing is the use of slow-motion every now and then to emphasize a particular moment or emotional state. Maybe the most annoying thing is Italian-American tough guy/gangster talk – which maybe I’ve just been saturated with before. I wasn’t blown away with this movie – but, then again, I’m really curious how I’d feel if I saw it a second time. Make of that what you will.