Topic: Directors Best Poll #3 - Martin Scorcese

[Antares]

Raging Bull
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
The Age of Innocence
The King of Comedy

The Last Temptation of Christ
Boxcar Bertha
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore    
Casino

Goodfellas
The Last Waltz
The Color of Money    
   
The Departed   
Cape Fear    
Gangs of New York
The Aviator    
New York, New York
   
I know it will be looked upon as sacrilege, but Goodfellas never floated my boat because it glorifies and romanticizes the Mafia.

[hal9g]

Raging Bull
Taxi Driver

The King of Comedy
Alice Doesn't Live here Anymore
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Color of Money
Casino

Goodfellas
Boxcar Bertha
Cape Fear

The Departed
The Aviator

Gotta agree with you on Goodfellas.  Never a favorite of mine.

[Achim]

Haven't seen enough:

Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas

Casino
The King of Comedy
The Departed

The Color of Money
Cape Fear
Gangs of New York
The Aviator

I guess I avoided those that I would have to mark read in the first place...

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Shutter Island
Taxi Driver
Goodfellas


The Color of Money
The Departed



Cape Fear
Casino

Gangs of New York
The Aviator

[Najemikon]

   
I know it will be looked upon as sacrilege, but Goodfellas never floated my boat because it glorifies and romanticizes the Mafia.

I don't think it does glorify the Mafia, because it clearly shows the characters being consumed by their own excess. I've read some interviews with Henry Hill since and he also provides one of the commentary tracks on the DVD, which give a fascinating perspective. He is clearly haunted by his past, especially the real moments with the boot that opens the film or later when Pesci kills the guy in the bar. Yet he still tries to live up to an image, which is false. Romanticises? No way, it didn't make me want to be a gangster!

Hal, I see you marked Casino higher than Goodfellas? I'd have assumed you'd had the same reaction to it.

But still, as I've said before, I do think Goodfellas is one of Scorcese's best, but has an air of indulgence in the direction that drops it down a mark or two against Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. I have a soft spot for Bringing Out The Dead, which no-one seems to have seen!

[Antares]

This is something I quoted over at Filmspotters...

I think Goodfellas is diminished because it now looks to me like a polished go-around of Mean Streets. MS look like the truth, Goodfellas by comparison looks like Marty trying to be cool.

[hal9g]

Hal, I see you marked Casino higher than Goodfellas? I'd have assumed you'd had the same reaction to it.

It's been a while since I've seen Casino, but my impression is that it did not have quite the level of brutal violence that Goodfellas did, and I really take issue with the level of violence that film makers over the last 20 years have felt they need to resort to for what I call the "shock" factor.  I spent 6 years in the military in an earlier day, and don't need movies to show me what a brutal world we live in.  I prefer uplifting and noble themes or just good old mindless entertainment.

[MEJHarrison]

Well this poll is really going to out me on Scorcese.  I've tried and tried and tried and just don't care for most of his films.  I'm guessing green is good and red is bad?

The Departed

After Hours
Cape Fear

Who's That Knocking at My Door
Mean Streets
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Taxi Driver
Goodfellas

[Achim]

It's been a while since I've seen Casino, but my impression is that it did not have quite the level of brutal violence that Goodfellas did, [...]

In my memory Casino would come out more violent The vice and then of course the baseball bat are coming to mind... Nothing in Goodfellas sticks out like that in my memory right now.

[m.cellophane]

The Age of Innocence
The Departed
GoodFellas
Italianamerican
My Voyage to Italy
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
Raging Bull
Taxi Driver

After Hours
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
The Aviator
Casino
The Color of Money
New York, New York

Cape Fear
The King of Comedy
The Last Temptation of Christ
New York Stories: Life Lessons   
   
Haven't seen:
The Big Shave
Boxcar Bertha
Kundun
Bringing Out the Dead
Gangs of New York
The Last Waltz
Mean Streets
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Shutter Island
Street Scenes
Who's That Knocking at My Door
 

[Najemikon]

Hal, I see you marked Casino higher than Goodfellas? I'd have assumed you'd had the same reaction to it.

It's been a while since I've seen Casino, but my impression is that it did not have quite the level of brutal violence that Goodfellas did, and I really take issue with the level of violence that film makers over the last 20 years have felt they need to resort to for what I call the "shock" factor.  I spent 6 years in the military in an earlier day, and don't need movies to show me what a brutal world we live in.  I prefer uplifting and noble themes or just good old mindless entertainment.

Hadn't noticed you're replied before!

I find that interesting, because I think of Casino having the most needlessly shocking violence of any mainstream film I know of in one particular scene (the killing of the brothers in the desert). To put it into context, I mean in ratio to the kind of film it's in, because I've seen a lot worse otherwise. But when you consider what would have sufficed for such a story, the scene in Casino is sustained in how horrific it is. I remember how it took me out of the story, which otherwise, I really like.

It is shocking, but I find the violence in Goodfellas to be more integral to the story and balanced better. I know what you mean, that we don't need the shock value, but actually in a film like that, it's less what they do and more that they are capable of doing it at all. They never lose the sense of family.

Still, this is one of the core reasons that absolutely, positively, no shadow of any doubt whatsoever, Dances With Wolves earned and deserved it's awards over Goodfellas. There was no conspiracy, it's just flat out a better film.

[KinkyCyborg]

Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Casino
The Departed

Gangs Of New York
Boxcar Bertha
The Color Of Money
Cape Fear

The Aviator
Bringing Out The Dead

Still to watch : The Last Temptation Of Christ, Shutter Island, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Who's That Knocking At My Door, New York, New York, The King Of Comedy, The Last Waltz, The Age Of Innocence, Kundun.  I am so dreadfully behind.    Also After Hours is on my radar to purchase.