Lucas at the editing table, again and again

STAR WARS SPECIAL EDITION TRILOGY (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia (1997 review)

George Lucas' "Star Wars" is one of the great outer space fantasy movies of all time - it was, and still is, a gleefully exciting popcorn movie full of special-effects galore and chivalrous heroes, stubborn princesses, evil dark empires, and two cute robots. The characters were Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Darth Vader, to name a few. Now comes the special edition of this special trilogy of movies and, despite some flaws with the post-tinkering, they are a fond reminder of how groundbreaking these movies were and how they changed Hollywood forever. They initiated the term: blockbuster.

The original "Star Wars" was a major box-office success signaling the rise of merchandising and the wave of Hollywood blockbusters to come. The main difference between "Star Wars" and the so-called action entertainment of today is that "Star Wars" had wit, style and imagination to spare, not gratuitous action scenes and bloody violence at the expense of a story or characters worth caring about (See "The Lost World" for proof).

It is a sheer joy to watch this film restored to its original glory with its blazing colors, beautiful cinematography and the uplifting Dolby Digital musical score by John Williams. The special-effects are as awesome as they ever were, including the classic battle on the Death Star, the plentiful laser gun fights, and the lightsaber duel between Vader and Kenobi.

The actors are also rather pleasing to watch after all these years. Harrison Ford has as much fun here as when he played Indiana Jones and his constant snickering and witty asides are as marvelous as ever. Ditto the youthful Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia; James Earl Jones' eerie voice for the mysterious Darth Vader; the comic biplay between the lovable robots C3PO and R2D2; Mark Hamill's naive farm boy Luke Skywalker who eventually becomes a fighter pilot for the Rebellion (Hamill's career never took off the way his co-stars did); the masterful restraint of Sir Alec Guinness as the sage Obi-Wan; Peter Mayhew as the hairy seven-foot growling Chewbacca; and notably Peter Cushing as the commander of the Death Star station - he's almost as scary as Vader when he blows up Leia's home planet Alderaan!

The additions to "Star Wars" are not as invigorating as one would hope yet some of them are essential. The addition of a younger, less slimier Jabba the Hutt who confronts Han Solo after Solo killed one of his henchmen, Greedo, is fun to watch but nonessential. Firstly, Jabba seems friendly and warm when compared to the evil, corrupt reptilian seen in "Return of the Jedi." Secondly, Jabba reiterates everything that Greedo says to Solo in the previous scene. Referring back to the Greedo confrontation, moralist George Lucas decides to have Han Solo defend himself by showing Greedo shooting Han, and missing (!), and then Han kills Greedo. Originally, Han was to have shot Greedo in cold-blood - that was the point because he was a daredevil pilot who would shoot at anything. But by reversing and changing the scene, Lucas makes a different point all together which is that some films are better left in their original format.

Other additions actually work quite well. The introduction of the spaceport Mos Eisley, where Luke and Kenobi find Han, is filled with more neat outside shots of the city. There's also a terrific scene where Luke talks to Briggs, his fellow pilot, before they take off for attack. The sequence where Luke and Leia are shooting stormtroopers over an abyss is enhanced aurally with echoes and is more magnificent than ever.

"Star Wars" is not the only one with a makeover - The Empire Strikes Back has some finishing touches but most of it has been left intact. This is the best of the trilogy and it also has more depth, humor and character development than either one. Han Solo is more reckless and suffers a horrible fate; Luke Skywalker learns the way of the Jedi from a nine-hundred year old wizened creature called Yoda, and faces Vader; Leia falls in love with Han; there are more special effects including a superb asteroid battle; a startling revelation about Darth Vader, and a dark ending where neither the Rebellion nor the Empire wins. It's a grand space opera with imagination and great storytelling to spare.

"Return of the Jedi" suffers the most from the changes, and it is also the weakest of the three. Firstly, there's an embarrassing sequence redone with CGI effects (and a new song!) in Jabba the Hutt's palace, which looks more like an outtake from a Disney musical. Secondly, I noticed a bizarre trimming of the Ewok celebration at the end - Luke's close-ups in recognition of the spirits of Vader, Kenobi and Yoda seemed to have been cut, and the new Ewok song is less joyful and more of a distraction than anything else.

Needless to say, the effects in "Jedi" are the best of the three, including the battle on the barge in Tattoine, and the battle on Endor with the flying bikes. Harrison Ford seems stoned out of his mind and less heroic than usual. Ironically, it is Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher who give the better performances. Luke is more mature and has progressed into a full-fledged Jedi; Leia seems to finally know how to shoot lasers and has one tender scene with Luke; and Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 are more annoying than ever. Revelations are aplenty and we finally get to see what Darth Vader really looks like under that mask. "Jedi" is not a great film but it is a worthy successor that could have shimmered with improvements in the script department (And get rid of those characterless Ewoks who resemble nothing more than teddy bears!).

The special edition of the "Star Wars" trilogy is not as great as it should have been nor does it surpass the original versions. Still, nobody should pass up the grand opportunity of seeing this fantastic space odyssey on the silver screen. George Lucas should be proud of renewing interest in these science-fiction classics for a whole new generation.

Footnote: Lucas has created more changes for the 2004 DVD release and the 2011 Blu-Ray release, not to mention the forthcoming 3-D enhancements. This review only applies to the 1997 special edition version of the trilogy. 

Machete don't text

MACHETE (2010)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Robert Rodriguez has never shied away from ultraviolent gore in his pulpy tales of yore yet "Machete," though filled to the brim with cartoonishly improbable violence, is not nearly as ultraviolent as some of his other films. In fact, dare I say, this is Rodriguez at his most restrained for this type of neo-exploitation pulp fiction. A welcome respite from his usual guns-a-blazin' in a two-fisted, hyperbolic manner, "Machete" is also one of his most enjoyable films.

Dan Trejo is Machete, a face with more wrinkles, crevices and personality than even stone-faced Lee Van Cleef (frankly, Lee Van Cleef would be scared of this guy). Le Machete is an ex-federale agent and illegal immigrant living on the border of south Texas, helping himself to tacos and coffee. He seeks revenge for the murders of his wife and child by a vicious drug lord, Torrez (Steven Seagal, absolutely the perfect villain). Years of unemployment leads Machete to a shady aide, Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey), and to an even shadier Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), whose poll numbers are declining. Booth wants Machete to assassinate McLaughlin to boost the poll numbers. There is a double-cross, not to mention colorful characters like S*h*e (Michelle Rodriguez), a taco food truck owner doubling as a revolutionary; a fastidious La Migra agent (Jessica Alba); Lindsay Lohan as Booth's drunk daughter; Cheech Marin as a priest, Machete's brother, with a vow for nonviolence, except in a Machete situation; a hilarious Tom Savini as a hitman, and Don Johnson as a ruthless border patrol cop. 

Yep, there are severed heads, heads and arms blown up or torn apart, intestines used as swinging vines, and various sharp instruments used in less utilatarian ways. Sometimes Rodriguez shows some cruel violence, as in the execution of a pregnant woman crossing the border. However, nothing in this movie approaches the level of nonsensical ultraviolence as exhibited by his own "Desperado" (the subject of that movie was seeing how many different angles Antonio Banderas can shoot two guns, slow-motion or otherwise). I hated "Desperado" and had hoped Rodriguez was not going for empty exploitation with this film, and I was right. 

In fact, "Machete" has a good sense of humor about itself, and allows room for political satire (De Niro's McLauglin looks a lot like the current Republican presidential candidate, Rick Perry). The political ads for the senator are fun to watch, though they may hit home more than you think. The film has a partisan satire angle (a pro-illegal immigration stance) but it does make its points, buried in the mess of blood-spraying carnage. I suppose the message is if you allow illegal immigrants to come into the country without an electrified fence at the border, you might have a Mexican hero who can save us from crass, greedy politicians who want to ruin the country by hiring illegals and turning in a profit...oh, wait. But Machete is saving south Texas from politicians who exploit illegal immigrants, despite the fact that illegals come into this country to work, ah, hell. Call the EEOC. 

As for the remarkable cast, call me crazy but I love Steven Seagal. Half of his movies may have been garbage but he has a commanding presence and a slightly soft, threatening voice that drips with malice. He is the perfect villain as Torrez, and I am surprised it took this long for anyone to cast him as the bad guy. De Niro and Johnson obviously relish their villainous roles, and Lindsay Lohan sparkles the screen when she appears, especially in a nun's outfit! 

"Machete" and Rodriguez's own films owe a debt to the grindhouse factory of the 60's and 70's for their bleached images and scratchy surfaces (Rodriguez and Tarantino's own failed movie, "Grindhouse," is among the best of its kind and features a faux trailer for this film). Truthfully, many of the grindhouse, exploitation films were not very good and Rodriguez and Tarantino (who helmed the "Death Proof" film for "Grindhouse") have made better movies than their original sources. "Machete" simply has Danny Trejo, and his face is enough to draw fear in the minds of all politicians. He will let them know how he feels only when he's armed because Machete don't text.  

FOOTNOTE: It is in Jessica Alba's contract that she won't appear nude in a film. One scene in "Machete" shows her in a shower stall, clearly nude. In actuality, she was wearing clothes and they digitally erased the clothing. I am not sure what is Lindsay Lohan's nudity clause in her contract but she does appear nude in two scenes. One scene, her long blonde curls clearly cover her breasts, as in Daryl Hannah-"Splash"-style. One other scene in a pool, she is more clearly nude but you don't see Lohan's face. Does she have her own body double? 

Mild madcap lunacy

DATE NIGHT (2010)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Eddie Murphy once confessed to Barbara Walters that he just "walked through 'The Golden Child'." I feel that the two great comic talents, Steve Carell and Tina Fey, walk through or, more accurately, run through "Date Night" without once convincing us that they are committed to any sort of great script. In fact, the script is so dryly formulaic that there is no surprise, and the two stars are not given a chance to let go and flourish with their comic charm and timing.

A married couple named the Fosters (Carell and Fey) are at a crossroads in their marriage - they are overworked, they have rambunctious kids and, hence, little time or strength for intimacy. They had me at crossroads, at this point, because a movie about a couple played by these two could be mined for great comic potential. The couple going on a date night at a New York restaurant that requires reservations two months in advance also had me in a gleeful state. The glee quickly evaporated, though, when two crooked cops who mistake the couple for the Tripplehorns (not actress Jeanne Tripplehorn), the name the couple steal to get a table, result in one nightmarish scenario after another. Okay, you got me at Tripplehorn, sort of. There is a slow motorboat and bullets flying at the Central Park. Now you got me saying goodbye and wishing we had the madcap lunacy or slapstick of yesteryear by way of Ernst Lubitsch or even Howard Hawks. Then we segue to a shirtless security expert played by Mark Wahlberg and what could have amounted to some madcap lunacy by way of bedroom or sexual shenanigans (Fey is taken with Marky Mark's body) gives way to extraneous car chases, more bullets flying, less comical innuendoes.

Aside from a nicely written scene between Fey and Carell where they discuss their marital difficulties (and a doozy of a scene with James Franco and Mila Kunis), the movie is all noise but very little of it is funny (this is written by Josh Klausner who did a bang-up job writing and directing the little-seen noir, "The 4th Floor"). "Date Night" is a wind-up toy of supposed calamitous situations but precious little of it feels remotely calamitous (the tired subplot of mob-controlled cops wore me out with its weariness). I love movies about all-night escapades ("After Hours" and the vastly underrated "Blind Date" by the late Blake Edwards come to mind) but this movie is too soft, too cutesy, too dry to really score. Carell and Fey (a brilliant writer herself) could've cooked up something far wittier than this. Just check the end credits for proof.

The reality of burlesque, NOT!

BURLESQUE (2010)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Burlesque" is enjoyable, electrically-layered and superfluous fluff. It is probably not the real world of burlesque - it is filtered through sets that are lit by warm-colored lights (even the supposedly lived-in apartments are lit the same way). It is fun to watch but hardly anything in it feels true.

Christina Aguilera is Ali, the singer with dreams of making it in La-La Land. She leaves her Iowa waitress job in one of the fastest decisions ever made by a small-town girl in a movie I've ever seen. She takes a bus to L.A. (with money she stole from the register), and hopes to make it big as a singer and dancer. She finds it in a burlesque joint on Sunset Boulevard run by Miss Moonstruck herself, Cher - actually her character's name is Tess. Ali has to beg to work as a waitress in the club, which she chooses to do anyway without seeing the boss! I think in the real world, you can't just work a job without being hired, hello Miss Erin Brockovich! I went along with it anyway. Before we can say, how big are your tips, Miss Ali, she convinces Tess and her ex-husband (delectably played by Stanley Tucci) that she can electrify the stage with her dance moves. This club also has their dancers lip-synch but, not Miss Aguilera (who warbled her way through The Star-Spangled Banner recently), who proves what a firestorm of singing talent she really is when she belts out Etta James' "Tough Lover" (easily the best number in the entire movie).

There is also the needless introduction of a bartender (Cam Gigandet) who writes unfinished songs and naturally falls for Ali; a billionaire (Eric Dane) who plans to get rid of the club; an alcoholic rival dancer, Nikki, played by Kristen Bell, who appears about as drunk as she does when she appears on "The Craig Ferguson Show" which is to say, not at all; and a thankless and speechless role with James Brolin as a real-estate developer. But the real reason anyone would want to watch "Burlesque" is for the singing and dance numbers and they are show-stopping indeed. Aguilera belts out her songs with more conviction and energy than her scenes of dialogue. Cher has a couple of songs to sing but Aguilera steals the movie from everyone.

"Burlesque" is a hark back to the old backstage musicals, but with more glitz and an oversaturated Hallmarked sepia glow in almost every scene that is a bit disconcerting. I enjoyed "Chicago" far more than this film but "Burlesque" is perversely entertaining and about as realistic as a reality show.

Who Cares About Cletis Tout?

WHO IS CLETIS TOUT? (2001)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I forgot who Cletis Tout was. In fact, most of this movie is forgettable - a pastiche of Tarantino's own pastiche of cliches and nonlinear narrative in noirish crime pictures. It tries to be clever and quick-witted but most of the jokes, at least for film buffs, will be seen miles away.

Christian Slater is Trevor Finch, a forger who escapes from jail with a former magician (Richard Dreyfuss) by way of a projector - it is so convoluted that I laughed at the whole inanity of it and it reminded me of Lex Luthor's carefully orchestrated jail escape in "Superman II." The duo are on the run and somehow Finch is confused for some dead guy named Cletis Tout, who videotaped a mobster murdering a hooker. As we see from countless flashbacks, Slater's character needed a new identity so his morgue contact (!) (Billy Connolly) hands him this Cletis Tout identity, never realizing the mistake he has made. A movie-loving hitman (who speaks as if he was film critic Leonard Maltin) named Critical Jim (a badly cast Tim Allen) finds Cletis or so he thinks. Finch tells Jim he is not Cletis by recounting the story behind his jail breakout, a box of precious diamonds in a jail field that are whisked away by a carrier pigeon (talk about one of the oldest cliches from the WW II period), a magician's clever act of robbing jewelry, a femme fatale (a glum Portia de Rossi, miscast as well), other hit men who speak about "Deliverance" in Tarantinoesque terms, and so on.

After seeing "Who is Cletis Tout?", I thought that this film was too precious, too calculated. There are some distinctively good ideas strewn throughout but it all evaporates in your mind once it is over. Dreyfuss disappears from the film far too soon; Slater appears as if he is sleepwalking; Tim Allen looks too weasely to believe as any sort of hit man (Christopher Lloyd played a hitman in "Twenty Bucks" and was far more threatening) and Portia de Rossi hardly excites or provides any sort of luster. The movie is just overcrowded and overdone by featuring as many characters and subplots as possible without adding up to anything except stale air. It is a movie about movies, but it is barely a movie in the first place.

The Raging Bull of Cinema part 2

THE RAGING BULL OF CINEMA PART II:

A BRIEF REVIEW OF MARTIN SCORSESE'S FILMS FROM 1990-2019 and beyond...including Killers of the Flower Moon - scroll down

By Jerry Saravia

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 for Kundun's father, 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.
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 unprecedented 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 

 

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." 

Gangs of New York Full-Length Review

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 - 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 to 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" 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. 

Review: Martin Scorsese was chosen to compile a 204-minute version out of hours of footage shot by Dylan's long-time collaborator, Jeff Rosen. The results are astounding. "No Direction Home" takes a deep, probing look at Bob Dylan in his prime, writing his own "protest songs" about the environment of the late 1960's, with regards to the Vietnam War, civil rights and assassinations. Songs such as "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall,"  give way to his controversial use of the electric guitar to spin out tunes such as "Like a Rolling Stone." As Dylan states, the audience hated him for it and called him "Judas," yet his concerts were still sold-out.

"No Direction Home" also highlights Dylan's upbringing in Hibbing, Minnesota (where the local circus had performers in blackface, including a Napoleon Bonaparte) where he felt no sense of ideology or anything of interest to comment on, to his days in New York City where he practically became a legend and the reluctant "voice of a generation." There is a poignant moment where the late beatnik, Allen Ginsburg, claims that he understood a new voice had literally taken over from his own revolutionary "Howl" heyday. 

"No Direction Home" also has some rarities, including test screen footage shot by Andy Warhol, and color footage shot by D.A. Pennebaker ("Don't Look Back") of Dylan and the Hawks performing onstage at the Manchester Free Trade Hall where the boos became rampant. Also worth noting is Dylan performing during the famous Martin Luther King speech at Washington Memorial.

The interviews with Dylan's former girlfriend, Joan Baez (a wonderful singer in her own right), are very revealing as she insists that he was a complicated man who was difficult to work with and expresses disappointment that he never asked her to perform on stage. This is where the film really delves into Dylan's personality and his own reluctance at being something he felt he was not. The rest of the interviewees show adulation at Dylan's singing and express disapproval when he moved away from so-called "protest songs" and performed with electric instruments that, according to Peter Seeger, made it hard for the lyrics to be understood. And there is the press asking idiotic questions at endless press conferences such as, "Why do you perform music?"

"No Direction Home" is fluidly edited and consistently fascinating but it may leave some with questions about Bob Dylan, the eternally enigmatic singer. "Don't Look Back" gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse. This film makes us see a Dylan who is aware he made a difference but is still uncertain what it all means, or if it indeed is part of some lasting legacy. That may be the way he would like it to be.

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. Full-length review

THE KEY TO RESERVA (2007) - Full-length review

SHINE A LIGHT (2008) - Full-length Review

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010): A relentlessly bleak and emotionally powerful psychological thriller. Leo DiCaprio is a federal marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a mental patient in an insane asylum on Shutter Island. Questions arise: is a patient really missing? Would the stormy weather and generally cloudy skies be strong indicators of foreboding doom? Is Leo's partner (Mark Ruffalo) really a marshal? And who is the mysterious woman in the cave?
The film is tough as nails to watch, almost unnerving enough to give anyone restless leg syndrome. From the opening musical chords (echoing Kubrick's "The Shining") to disturbing WWII flashbacks, to an array of unhealthy and ghastly-looking patients and barely lit cells, "Shutter Island" is thick on atmosphere and tension and an unreliability from Leo's point-of-view. Your teeth will chatter, your motor impulses will quicken, your heart will beat faster as the film leads to a finish that will either have you in awe or more perplexed than before. Nobody makes these films better than Martin Scorsese. 

PUBLIC SPEAKING (2010) - Full-length review

LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (2011) - Martin Scorsese fashions an expansive, in-depth look at the former late Beatle, George Harrison's career from his early days in Liverpool, to the enormous success of being a Beatle, and his travels to India and its influence on his music. A review is forthcoming.

HUGO (2011) - One of Scorsese's finest achievements -a miracle of pure cinematic novelty. Although a bit of a box-office disappointment (despite kids' being the prime audience, the marketing was all over the place), the movie is a hark back to the days of silent cinema and the neglected works of Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley), not to mention an orphan living in a train station . Please read my Full-length review

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013) - As of 9/5/2012, Martin Scorsese has started shooting his newest film, based on Jordan Belfort's bestseller, "The Wolf of Wall Street." The book focused on Belfort's own experiences as the owner of a brokerage firm that served as a "boiler room" - Belfort himself eventually was convicted of fraud and much more. There is not much more to say about this film except that Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey have been cast, in addition to Jonah Hill and Rob Reiner. 

Some may scoff at the prospect of yet another film about a greedy, drug-addicted hound from Wall Street but under Scorsese's direction, it might be well worth catching. I am presuming the film will deal with wealth, money and power and how it corrupts in a world with no limits, themes that have followed Scorsese from the days of "GoodFellas" and "Casino" to "The Aviator." The first week of shooting has shown that Scorsese is in fact shooting on film (an Arricam LT camera) so perhaps he may also shoot on HD cameras for other scenes. The trailer itself, set to Kanye West's overpowering "Black Skinhead," is wild and energetic. Clearly, the film will have a no-holds barred approach to the decadent lifestyle and wild partying of its amoral protagonist (endless shots of money flung at people and thrown in garbage cans). My Wolf of Wall Street review   In the book "Conversations with Scorsese" by film critic and historian, Richard Shickel, Scorsese describes working on the script of the film prior to working on "Shutter Island." He describes having "wasted five months of my life" without getting a green light on production dates by the studio Warner Brothers. The reviews are in and they so far seem uniformly praiseworthy, even from Rex Reed who loved "Hugo" and little else from Scorsese since "Kundun."

Latest news: As of 12/29/13, "Wolf of Wall Street" has fared with more than 30 million on its first five days of release, met with a Cinemascore of "C" by audiences, met with some critical hosannas and some critical drubbing, and is causing a little firestorm on the imdb boards with the film's graphic sexuality. Also, it has been announced that the real Jordan Belfort has gotten his own reality show! "Wolf" will probably end up as a slight box-office failure since it is difficult to beat an Anchorman or the Hobbits. 

The 50 Year Argument (2014) - Full review

Silence (2016) - Scorsese's newest film

REVIEW COMING SOON!

THE IRISHMAN (2019) 

Full review: It is What it is

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) REVIEW

Review of SCORSESE ON SCORSESE (2004)