Posts Tagged ‘Martin Scorsese’
Scene Stealer | “Magnolia” Seduce & Destroy
Much can be said of P.T. Anderson and his films. One could argue that he didn’t find his true voice until Punch-Drunk Love and that Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia are treading on the styles of great filmmakers that have come before. Although that point is valid, I would be inclined to say that Anderson is paying tribute to the men that inspired him (such as: Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, and Jonathan Demme) while also letting his unique voice shine through.
Out off his first three films, my personal favorite is Magnolia. Anderson weaves four movies worth of characters in and out of each others lives, creating a suburban epic. Each individual has there own take on the world they inhabit and a destiny driven by the person they are. As interesting as each character is, the ultimate standout is Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey. Read the rest of this entry »
Score Your Week | The Departed
When one thinks of the soundtrack to The Departed, I’m sure The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” or The Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” are two songs that are instantly thought of. Both serve as great theme songs for the violence, corruption, swagger and attitude the film serves us. However, for me it is the great Howard Shore that truly shines with unique tracks that are not flashy , but command your attention. Read the rest of this entry »
Score Your Week | Taxi Driver
With Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader crafted a film that flexes every muscle of cinematic greatness. Our lone (anti) hero, Travis Bickle, cruises a wasteland that he calls home. Disgusted by the trash and debris, he takes it upon himself to clean up the streets and wash away the filth. He is clearly a sociopath and possibly psychotic, but in his eyes he is doing us all a favor. Guiding Travis on his conquest is Bernard Herrmann’s fantastic score. Read the rest of this entry »
Cinematic TV | Review of Boardwalk Empire Episode 1.1
Boardwalk Empire is not Martin Scorsese’s first foray into episodic television (he previously directed a campy/creepy episode of Spielberg’s 1985 series Amazing Stories entitled, “Mirror, Mirror”), but it is the first time he is able to put his cinematic stamp on a show. Teaming up with HBO and show runner Terence Winter, Scorsese introduces us to the world of 1920s Atlantic City. A land of gangsters, jazz, and prohibition. Judging by this first episode, I feel that Boardwalk Empire may have the ability to do the impossible and rank with HBO greats, The Sopranos and Deadwood. Read the rest of this entry »
The Filmdogs Podcast: Episode 23 – Money Never Sleeps
The 23rd Episode of the Filmdogs podcast is up and it’s one of our best yet! Listen as we discuss The Dark Tower, the Live-Action Mulan, and Scorsese’s The Irishman in the News. Then we dive right into our Featured Topic of the Week, our fall movie preview. No stone is left uncovered and no film escapes unscathed. Then to wrap it up we honor Ben Affleck’s new picture The Town by showcasing a moment from Gone, Baby, Gone in our One Liner of the Week. This one episode you won’t want to miss!
Email us with you podcast feedback or segment suggestions at filmdogspodcast@gmail.com. Subscribe to the podcast here, or listen in you browser. Also, you may download an enhanced AAC feed with chapter markers and artwork from iTunes on your computer or straight to your iPhone/iPod touches now! If you like what you hear be sure to write a quick review on iTunes as well. It helps us out. Thanks!
Michael Cera’s Favorite Films
Here at Filmdogs, we have a bit of a love hate relationship with Michael Cera. Although he has proven to filmgoers that he has talent, the jury still seems to be out on his cinematic range. I, for one, thought he was very good in Arrested Development, Superbad, and Youth and Revolt, while also acknowledging that he was completely underwhelming and unfunny in both Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and Year One. That said, one thing that Filmdogs definitely agrees on is that Cera brought his “A” game and more to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Well, now we can get a look at some of the films that inspire Michael Cera, and I must say he has good taste. Intervals of Awesome originally posted the list which features some Kurosawa, Scorsese, and Anderson (Wes and P.T.). Continue on to check out the list.
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The Stream | Vol. IV
The Stream is a new column that acts as a venue for Filmdogs writers to post shorter reviews of movies they have watched on streaming video services such as Netflix, Hulu, or even YouTube. Let’s get started.
Black Narcissus (1947)
Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Black Narcissus is a film so spectacular, I am saddened that it has taken me this long to watch it. Deborah Kerr plays Sister Clodagh, the head nun in charge of leading a group of her fellow sisters to a palace in the Himalayas and setting up a school. Black Narcissus has heavily influenced both Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, and in Scorsese’s Shutter Island there is a fantastic reference to this film. In 1947, the flashback scenes of Kerr’s character were banned by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and I am still amazed that this film was made at all. Watching these nuns questioning their faith and sanity is quite unnerving and the tension drips in every scene. Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth are exceptionally great as rivals of good and evil. This is an amazingly haunting film.
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Ridley and Leo together again.
According to Deadline Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the one time Scorsese vehicle The Wolf of Wall Street. Here’s the how the memior by Jordan Belfort is described on the cover:
Stock Market multimillionaire at 26, federal convict at 36, I partied like a rock star, lived like a king, and barely survived my rise and fall as an American entrepreneurial icon.
Sounds a little too much like Wall Street, not to mention the fact that that films sequel is coming out soon, but Wolf has the advantage of being a true story. The movie is still in the development stage at this point, so don’t expect much movement for the time being.
I only wish the title of this article had been about Scott’s return to Sci-fi, but that’s neither here nor there.
Casting Updates from Bale, Law, Scre4m & Glee
Christian Bale and Zach Synder
Word is that Christian Bale is set to star in The Last Photograph, with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo director Sergey Bodrov set to helm the picture. The idea for the story apparently comes from Zach Synder (300, Watchmen) and is described as follows:
[the plot] revolves around a photograph that becomes the catalyst for a journey two men undertake through war-torn Afghanistan.
Bale will follow up the film with the next picture from director Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, A New World) supposedly a love story. Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, and Olga Kurylenko are said to co-star. Read the rest of this entry »
Al Pacino and De Niro in Scorsese’s Sinatra?
The only musical biopic I like is Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I find the tropes of this particular sub-genre tired. Why should I care about characters who are generally unlikeable? I’d rather just stick to concert films. However, when Martin Scorsese says he wants to do a biopic about Frank Sinatra I listen. Esspecially after his fine work on The Aviator. Well, word on the street is that the cinematic legend wants both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to play older versions of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in his planned Sinatra biopic.
