Martin Scorsese (starring Robert DeNiro)
Host: Freddy
Freddy's Take: There aren't many film lovers or casual movie goers that haven't watched at least one Martin Scorsese film. He has been making films since 1967 and some of them are ingrained in our culture as significant pieces of art and many more are a part of our pop culture, with references ranging from The Sopranos to The Simpsons. The influence of Scorsese movies are everywhere, even embedded in many of today's best filmmakers styles.
I didn't want to just take Scorsese without drawing down to a specific set of films. I want Chris and Tanner to feel like they can use him at a later date, as he has so many movies that are fun to watch with other people. I chose to do his films with DeNiro which netted the acting great an Academy Award nomination. So, I went with Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Cape Fear. It doesn't hurt that each had a great supporting cast. I'll use any Director Day as an excuse to see a young Cybill Shepherd in the early days of her career, to watch Joe Pesci kick the shit out of Frank Vincent, or to catch Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck get "tip of the cap" cameos! That's just some cinematic goodness right there.
There isn't a lot to say about these movies that hasn't been said before, but they are among my favorites, regardless of genre or director. Each has its own style in how it's shot. Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are almost documentary like, with Raging Bull getting the black and white treatment which lends to the obvious attempt to make it feel "vintage"and Taxi Driver having an almost "confessional" feel to the narration. Cape Fear owes a lot to Alfred Hitchcock and Brian DePalma in the use of camera moves and color palette. As far as appreciating an homage to another director, Cape Fear is as good as it gets.
I'm glad I got to watch these with my friends. It's a tough day to have three very serious, and often times very violent films, back to back to back, but we made it through. The main characters are hard to identify and sympathize with and I feel like that almost lets us into the world of a sociopath without getting too close for our own good. I look forward to eventually watching Mean Streets, Goodfellas, The Aviator, or even The King of Comedy with my friends some day. You just can't go wrong watching a Martin Scorsese picture.
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Cape Fear
Scorsese & DeNiro at Tribeca 2019
