The King of Comedy–the fifth collaboration between filmmaker Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro–marks its 40th anniversary. According to the film’s logline on Hulu, it “is a funny depiction of the dangers of celebrity fandom.” This is partially true because The King of Comedy is a film about the depiction of celebrity fandom but it’s definitely not funny. If it were funny, there would have been plenty of laughs over here but the laughs…
"The King of Comedy Marks 40th Anniversary"Tag: Martin Scorsese
The Last Waltz is considered to be one of the greatest concert films in history and now joins the Criterion Collection in 4K Ultra HD. At the time of its Thanksgiving 1976 filming, the concert was advertised as their farewell. The quintet consisted of Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson. They would stay together through their breakup in 1977. Robertson did not join when the group reunited in 1983. This film truly…
"The Last Waltz Gets a Criterion 4K UHD Release"
Martin Scorsese successfully gives the biopic treatment to Howard Hughes with a superb performance from Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator. This is the second annual year in which I watch a film that Thelma Schoonmaker worked on for her January 3rd birthday. Last year, I decided on Gangs of New York, a film which is celebrating the 20th anniversary this year. Schoonmaker’s work in this film is what earns her a second Oscar. The other…
"The Aviator: Another Martin Scorsese Epic"
The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardio DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie, is an epic visual storytelling masterpiece from Martin Scorsese. Martin Scorsese and masterpiece are words that seem to go together every few years. Looking back on its 8th anniversary, this film is no exception. With the filmmaker supervising a new film transfer, the picture has never been more beautiful. Both Scorsese and DiCaprio have a history so there’s a shorthand in their…
"The Wolf of Wall Street: An Epic Masterpiece"
The magical celebration of cinema that is the Oscar-winning Hugo marked a substantial departure for filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Hugo is based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, a cousin of David O. Selznick. The gist of the film is that 14-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is living in Paris with his father in 1931. His father had found a broken automaton and the two work to repair it until Hugo’s dad dies…
"Hugo: Martin Scorsese Film Marks 10th Anniversary"
Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 2, a limited edition set, brings six films home for the first time on 4K Ultra HD. This limited edition set features Anatomy of a Murder, Oliver!, Taxi Driver, Stripes, Sense and Sensibility, and The Social Network. The set comes with an 80-page hardbound book in the history and impact of the films. In addition, there are over 30 new hours of new and archival special features. A…
"Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 2"
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese is among the latest Netflix titles to join The Criterion Collection. This is a film that film allows audiences to revisit some of our nation’s best poets during the height of their prime. It’s a blast to the past as we travel all the way back in a time machine to 1975. This is when Bob Dylan starts to put together this musical revue. What…
"Rolling Thunder Revue Heads Home On Criterion"
Gangs of New York may have a lot to enjoy about the film but at the end of the day, it is a flawed epic and well short of being a masterpiece. In many ways, this is the history of New York City according to Martin Scorsese. The script itself is based on Herbert Asbury’s The Gangs of New York. However, it gets an original screenplay nomination because they drift so far from the book’s…
"Gangs of New York Is A Flawed Epic"
The Departed continues filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s trend of making at least one motion picture masterpiece per decade–this time, winning an Oscar. Even though the film adapts a story from another country, the filmmakers still find a way to tie it to Boston. This is one of the best ideas to go into the film. For all intents and purposes, mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) is Whitey Bulger. Basically, the film deals with crime and…
"The Departed: A Martin Scorsese Masterpiece"
Marvel Studios is not to blame for the changing cinema landscape but there is certainly a problem with the current way in which we view movies. Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese has made some interesting comments while promoting The Irishman. Other filmmakers came to his defense when it came to what is and isn’t cinema. Some other filmmakers decided to call him out. It wasn’t until he expanded on his comments in the New York Times…
"Cinema: Martin Scorsese, Marvel, and Indie Film"