JayDee's Movie Musings

This film had quite an uphill battle ahead of it right from the start just as a result of its general nature. The fact that it was a period drama certainly didn't fill me with great expectations; if I were being honest there would be few genres that fill me with less enthusiasm than the period drama. Now while I wouldn't say that the story ignited a great passion in me, I did however find myself more captivated by the narrative than I anticipated. As time passed I found myself becoming more and more invested in the tragic and doomed romance at the film's heart between Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film is able to make these two just holding hands feel more passionate and erotic than the large majority of more explicit sex scenes.

Before viewing Age of Innocence I was a little surprised by the notion of Scorsese making a period film, and not just because it marked a break from the gangsters he frequently spent time with. For someone who had so often concerned himself with contemporary issues going back to the 1870's seemed like a bizarre choice. But it didn't take me long to see why the project held an interest for him. Very much like Goodfellas this is a film that focuses on a closed society, the hierarchy of families and their clandestine ways, except this time we're focusing not on the mob but the upper classes. Even many of the themes are similar to those found in Goodfellas; loyalty, sacrifice, social and family responsibilities, following a strict code of conduct etc. The whole world that is created is one that is just so different from today. Even though the events here take place just a little over a hundred years ago it's almost impossible to imagine such things going on today.

Had I truly taken to the story and its characters I could have ended up absolutely loving this film because I did love how it was presented. Age of Innocence is a very rich, sumptuous experience; a real feast for the eyes with excellent direction and great use of colour. The film was rewarded with an Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction/Set Direction and a win for Best Costume Design, and it's exceptionally easy to see why; it's a gorgeous film to look at. And Scorsese just seems to be oozing with confidence behind the camera. He has always been known for his very active camera, and that is the case once more. However it's not as rapid or energetic as usual, taking a much more languid and gentle approach to suit the material. Such an approach also has the unique result of placing you right in the presence of the characters, making you feel like a guest in their homes. Scorsese's camera however chooses to focus less on the actual characters and more on the garments that adorn them, the accoutrements that fill their homes and the art that decorates their walls; highlighting how these people defines themselves. It really is a loving tour of their homes that comes off like a piece of interior décor porn. Scorsese's confidence can also be seen in some rather audacious tricks and techniques that are very alien to the genre but work nonetheless.

The reserved nature of this world and its characters makes it tough for the actors to really stand out; there's little opportunity for grandstanding or hogging of the spotlight. That aside the central trio of Day-Lewis, Pfeiffer and Ryder all impress in their respective roles in quiet, restrained and often deceptively simple performances. However for me the undoubted stars were Scorsese and those responsible for the gorgeous production design. They join together for some truly lavish affairs such as visits to the ballet and the parties that are thrown by the families. Affairs that are brought to life with incredible detail and vivid colour, and filmed with great class by Scorsese. Special mention also to Elmer Bernstein's gentle, soothing and operatic score which was beautiful to listen to and a perfect fit for the material.

I actually feel quite bad about the fairly harsh rating I've given this film as in many ways I can see how it actually has more quality to it than a film like The Departed; it's just that I happened to enjoy The Departed more. However I'd say this one has a chance (a small chance but a chance none the less) of growing on me. And for people who are real fans of the period drama genre I could see them possibly loving it.

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Bringing Out the Dead is a very strange film. I like it, but it's certainly not a favorite. The Age of Innocence has been sitting unwatched and collecting dust in my collection for awhile now. I bought it because it's Scorsese and because I enjoy period dramas, but for some reason haven't yet gotten around to it.

Can we expect to see a review for The Departed in the future?

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JayDee I am about to say something you will more then likely never hear me say again.

You rated that Scorsese movie too high when it comes to Age of Innocence.

But then you rated Bringing out the Dead too low, so we resume business as usual.

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

I quite like a period drama, but I couldn't get into The Age Of Innocence when I tried, oh so many, years ago. I'll have to give it another go.

BTW, good reviews, JD.

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I thought Bringing out the Dead was just ok; it's in my bottom 3 Scorsese. I haven't seen The Age of Innocence yet because it doesn't seem like my kind of movie. I'll watch it at some point.

Nice reviews, Not a big fan of Cage but quite liked this movie

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Oh really? I know you like a period drama and have a fondness for Scorsese so that surprises me. Though that would be one you liked

And thanks.

Great review of BOTD, man. I'd have rated it higher myself but your criticisms are very fair.

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Now a trio of, well not quite micro musings, but shorter reviews anyway










Before I became a movie buff (or at least a movie buff in training) I pretty much only associated Martin Scorsese with the likes of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York and The Departed; films that while I may admire the qualities of, I'm not overly fond of. They just aren't the type of films that generally appeal to my senses. So when I discovered that Marty had made a dark, quirky comedy I really wasn't sure what to expect. An uncertainty that was only heightened by the opening credits listing Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong amongst its cast! What I discovered however was a delightfully bizarre little oddball of a film. I was a little sceptical and uninvolved to begin with, however as it moved along I felt myself being more drawn in by the minute.

In the lead role of Paul Hackett I thought Griffin Dunne was excellent, perfectly capturing the bouts of anger, frustration and guilt that he goes through on his night from hell, and making the audience feel and empathise with each emotion. Alongside him there are a cavalcade of recognisable faces making up the rest of the cast, with Rosanna Arquette standing out as the manic and unbalanced Marcy. And there was a nice bonus in the form of a Home Alone connection, with both John Heard and Catherine O'Hara starring. Oh and Linda Fiorentino as Kiki? Phwoar!!!

Back in the year 2000 the Coen Brothers released O Brother, Where Art Thou?; a folksy, Depression-era take on Homer's The Odyssey. In a way this film felt like Scorsese making his own version of The Odyssey, a very surreal and noirish version All the main character wants to do is go home but a variety of baffling eccentrics and improbable events keep inhibiting his efforts. More than just about any film I've seen in quite some time I really had no idea where After Hours was heading from one moment to the next. Scorsese does a fantastic job at creating this surreal, nightmarish atmosphere for proceedings to take place in. Aiding him in that respect is Howard Shore's quirky, mischievous and haunting score. Also impressive on Scorsese's end is the sharp pace of the film, keeping it slickly moving from one episode to the next. As far as I could surmise there was no real message or lesson to all this kafkaesque weirdness, it was just weird for weird sake. But I enjoyed it all so much that I really don't care! This is the type of film that I could see possibly growing on me to the point of becoming a real favourite.










Up until now my Martin Scorsese season has consisted of some great storytelling, in-depth examinations of characters and stories that examined particular themes such as celebrity, obsession, the magic of cinema etc. Well this wasn't one of those!!! This was much closer to the territory of being pure schlock! As far as schlock goes however I thought it was rather well made, even if Scorsese does throw any sense of subtlety right out the window. The score is exceptionally overpowering and the images are very much in your face, such as the moment where Cady is released from prison and we see storm clouds gathered ominously overhead. What his direction may lack in subtlety however he certainly makes up for in effectiveness, creating a tense and nervy viewing experience. I also found the film to be really quite unseemly and unsettling on occasion, never more so than during the scene where a near 50-year-old De Niro seduces the 17-year-old Lewis. Very creepy!

Perhaps I'm softening my stance on De Niro as I actually found him rather giddily entertaining as he hammed it up in the role of the truly despicable Max Cady. The character also had a few great design touches such as his extensive collection of tattoos that cover his body and his lighter in the form of a lady's body with flashing breasts. While as the married couple that he torments Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange both put in solid showings. The star turn of the film however most definitely came from the young Juliette Lewis as their daughter Danielle, perfectly capturing the awkwardness of teenage life. I just loved her reaction to the character of Cady; a wonderful mix of intrigue, attraction, fear and repulsion.

I have to say that unfortunately the film slightly lost me as it reached its conclusion, coming off as preposterous and too drawn out. At the moment where it's revealed that Cady has strapped himself to the bottom of their car I couldn't help but laugh, both at how ridiculous it was and also because it brought to mind the episode of The Simpsons where Sideshow Bob did the same thing; until now I had not realised that episode was a parody of this film. And then I thought that the finale just went on too long, and I felt my interest dwindle a little. Cady has boiling water thrown on his face, has hot wax engulf his hand, is set on fire, is involved in a boat crash and battered numerous times over the head with a rock; and yet he keeps on coming! He's like a damn terminator. Just die already!










Of all the films during this Scorsese marathon this has perhaps supplied the most pleasant surprise. I really wasn't all that sure about it given my disinterest is gangster films and dislike for Jack Nicholson. So it proved a real bonus to discover just how much I enjoyed it. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a truly great film, and think that the acclaim that has been lavished upon it seems rather over-the-top. However I did find it to be greatly entertaining. As I mentioned, one of the main issues that was putting me off the film was its standing as a gangster film. So it was a relief to find that it wasn't really a gangster film in the strictest of senses, certainly not like Goodfellas was for example. Instead it's more of a pure thriller which just happens to have one foot in that world.

Without a doubt the most significant factor in my enjoyment was the superlative cast. In the roles of the duelling undercover moles both Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are excellent. Between the two I'm more of a Damon guy but in this instance DiCaprio was arguably the more impressive for me, given more scope to show the effects that the ordeal has upon him. Coming damn close to stealing the show however, and very surprisingly so, was Mark Wahlberg as the delightfully antagonistic and insulting Sergeant Dignam. He's not in the film for a great amount of time but thanks to the sheer fury he imbues the character with he certainly makes an impression. And the rest of the ensemble is rounded out by a number of talented people such as Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin. The one sticking point amongst the cast was as I feared Jack Nicholson. To be fair to Nicholson though I don't feel that he was the main problem with the character. The biggest flaw was in the writing of the Frank Costello character, creating a character that was just too over-the-top and cartoonish for my taste. Between his colourfully crass turns of phrase and his manic antics I just felt that the film was constantly striving to make him a real larger-than-life cult figure, and for me it just came across as way too forced; particularly the scene where he wears a strap-on dildo.

I know that amongst his fans many of them are upset that of all the work he has done it was this film that finally earned Scorsese his Oscar. And I can certainly see why. In fact I'm a little surprised that he won for this film full stop. Compared with the large majority of his other films I've been watching (Hugo, The Aviator, Shutter Island, Age of Innocence etc) it was quite rare that I was really impressed by the direction. It's not that I thought his work here was poor, it's just that it rarely caught my attention the way his work on other films had. Even if it was still skilfully presented, particular moments and images didn't jump out at me like they had in those films I listed.

Great write-ups, Jaydee. I wish you kept them at that length more often--- they're still detailed and insightful, but without being so long-winded.

I really need to see After Hours. It's one of only three Scorsese films I've yet to watch (The Age of Innocence and Kundun are the other two). I'm pretty sure I'll love once I finally watch it.

I agree with everything you said about Cape Fear. It's lesser Scorsese, but it's so ridiculous, and De Niro is so infectiously over the top, that it's still pretty entertaining. The climax is definitely overwrought, however, and it causes the movie to drag when it should be at its most exciting.

Sounds like I like The Departed more than you, but it's been several years since I watched it. Scorsese's Oscar win that year was more of a lifetime achievement award, really, since he should've won numerous times in the past for much better films than The Departed.

I do not get the love for After Hours. My least favorite Scorsese by far. Cape Fear I would rate the same. The Departed half a point higher.

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Letterboxd

I'm glad you liked The Departed, but I couldn't disagree more with the above statements.

I think you are right on a lot of things that you have highlighted with The Departed, JayDee. Mark Wahlberg is great, but is seems some MoFos hate him and refuse to really acknowledge when he puts in a great performance due to bias. And whilst I enjoyed Jack Nicholson, he is ridiculously over the top and sometimes silly in the film. I agree with your rating of it and also After Hours, not seen Cape Fear myself.

Vicky's Commodus gif should be confiscated.

It was -- by her. Nobody else wanted it.

Well glad to see you dug After Hours. It is a very good movie! How many of Scorsese's movies have you seen now?

Awesome JayDee; I'm loving your Scorsese reviews. Any in the works for Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Casino?

I agree completely with your review of After Hours. I didn't care for it when I saw it at the movies; I was probably too immature to appreciate it. I saw it again a few months ago, and I saw what you saw.

Spot on for Cape Fear as well, although I like it more than you, which is to be expected. I'm glad you're coming around on De Niro.

Ditto for The Departed; Jack Nicholson is my favorite actor, but it's the rest of the cast that ruled the roost in this one. Btw, the dildo wasn't in the script, it was just something Nicholson pulled out of his ass at the last minute, and they kept it in the movie.

I've not seen it for a good 20+ years, but I remember really not liking After Hours at all. Whenever I think of it, the feeling I get is that it was stupid. I don't know why, as I can't remember a thing that happens in it, but that's the feeling. I've hated, yes hated, Cape Fear since I saw it on release. The only thing I liked about it was Lewis' performance, which I thought was fantastic and I think I hated the ending even more than you did. T2 and Cape Fear came out the same year. Saw both at the cinema and both ended with me being bored and annoyed before the end of the film because the stupid thing won't die.

The Departed was OK. I agree with Captain S in that it's well overpraised because it was going to, and did, win Marty the Oscar. Jack was as expected, and those of you who know me will know that's not praise for a Nicholson performance after the late 80's, while I thought everyone else did pretty well.

I hope you mean that figuratively, because otherwise:

It works both ways.

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