Taxi Driver
Since no one anwered, what's so great about it? What's the point? Is he good or evil. It's absolute crap! A fmadman goine ever insane until he kills people.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
This essay is worth to watch
https://youtu.be/-pAcJ0lFu94 |
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905323)
Since no one anwered, what's so great about it? What's the point? Is he good or evil. It's absolute crap! A fmadman goine ever insane until he kills people.
|
Originally Posted by Saunch (Post 1905333)
It’s cautionary.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
You don’t think the movie is condoning what he does, right?
|
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905323)
Since no one anwered, what's so great about it? What's the point? Is he good or evil. It's absolute crap! A fmadman goine ever insane until he kills people.
|
Originally Posted by Saunch (Post 1905344)
You don’t think the movie is condoning what he does, right?
|
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905345)
It's a movie about the perceived masculinity of a near-sociopath who wants do the right thing in his very own, narrow, notions of morality. It's also about the decay and hideousness of crime in 70s New York, unfiltered, raw, and oozing.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905354)
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905345)
It's a movie about the perceived masculinity of a near-sociopath who wants do the right thing in his very own, narrow, notions of morality. It's also about the decay and hideousness of crime in 70s New York, unfiltered, raw, and oozing.
|
If you're refering to Goodfellas, of course I hate the brutal violence. But I love it's emotional power, the way songs are incorporated. the end always makes me cry. I like some components of crime movies that aren't crime.
|
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905323)
Since no one anwered, what's so great about it? What's the point? Is he good or evil. It's absolute crap! A fmadman goine ever insane until he kills people.
I don't think a movie has to have a point, and the morality can be ambiguous... I loved observing. Maybe you should check out Paul Schrader's script -- http://www.lc.ncu.edu.tw/learneng/script/TaxiDriver.pdf |
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905354)
What morality is it? I don't like when evil things get portrayed. Why? It's evil enough already. The better it's done, the worse. That's why I hate Hitler: The last 10 days.
Did you watch the film? Monologue here: "Listen, you ****ers, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the ****s, the dogs, the filth, the ****. Here is a man who stood up." "Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk." " I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the ****in' toilet." "All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets." "Now I see this clearly. My whole life is pointed in one direction. There never has been a choice for me." He's seen as a hero at the end for what he does. People think he's some sort of wonderful vigilante, despite his mental instability. |
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905567)
If you're refering to Goodfellas, of course I hate the brutal violence. But I love it's emotional power, the way songs are incorporated. the end always makes me cry. I like some components of crime movies that aren't crime.
|
Originally Posted by matt72582 (Post 1905586)
I don't think a movie has to have a point, and the morality can be ambiguous... I loved observing.
Maybe you should check out Paul Schrader's script -- http://www.lc.ncu.edu.tw/learneng/script/TaxiDriver.pdf |
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905596)
It doesn't. Like Magical mystery tour. As a christian, Ihave to disagree on morality. There has to be morality, otherwise it's chaos, which is what I thought it was until I read the post bf this.
As a human being, I'm watching for something that fascinates me. I also know that people are never all good or all bad. I didn't find it chaotic at all, but more of a character study, and a view of modern life, mostly between people, and how each handles conflict, motivations, etc. |
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905588)
What morality? The entire film is set on Travis' climactic reaction to the crime in New York, which he sees as a complete degeneration of what he thinks society should be as.
Did you watch the film? Monologue here: "Listen, you ****ers, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the ****s, the dogs, the filth, the ****. Here is a man who stood up." "Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk." " I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the ****in' toilet." "All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets." "Now I see this clearly. My whole life is pointed in one direction. There never has been a choice for me." He's seen as a hero at the end for what he does. People think he's some sort of wonderful vigilante, despite his mental instability. I saw it many times over tryingto get it. 1st time was maybe even int he 70s. He's sort of like Jesus, but in a f+up way? But essentially good. Everything else is evenmore f+cked up. So he destroys it. |
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905605)
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905588)
What morality? The entire film is set on Travis' climactic reaction to the crime in New York, which he sees as a complete degeneration of what he thinks society should be as.
Did you watch the film? Monologue here: "Listen, you ****ers, you screwheads. Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the ****s, the dogs, the filth, the ****. Here is a man who stood up." "Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk." " I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the ****in' toilet." "All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets." "Now I see this clearly. My whole life is pointed in one direction. There never has been a choice for me." He's seen as a hero at the end for what he does. People think he's some sort of wonderful vigilante, despite his mental instability. I saw it many times over tryingto get it. 1st time was maybe even int he 70s. He's sort of like Jesus, but in a f+up way? But essentially good. Everything else is evenmore f+cked up. So he destroys it. |
Originally Posted by Mr_TagoMago (Post 1905595)
Do you think goodfellas would be better if they skipped over showing the violence and tip toed around the horrible deeds?
|
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905620)
It's obviously necessary, since it's a part of the story, but I don't like it.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905641)
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905620)
It's obviously necessary, since it's a part of the story, but I don't like it.
|
Originally Posted by Mr_TagoMago (Post 1905606)
He looks like the hero in the end but weve seen how unstable he is. If he had succesfully assassinated that politician hed have been seen as a villain, but he was stopped and instead murdered some pimps and saved a kid from prostitution. Theres a bit of a hint towards the end hell do something insane again and it might not be as pretty.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
I was struck by how much 'The Sword of Doom' might have influenced Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver'. At least in relation to being influenced enough by your immediate surroundings to be forced into a path of self destruction and sociopathic tendencies.
|
Originally Posted by Achoo42 (Post 1905641)
The entire point of Goodfellas is to portray the underbelly of vicious criminals in a raw, unfilitered, manner. The beginning of the film romanticizes the Mafia- Henry talks constantly of how great his life is an how awesome it is to be a gangster. But as the film goes on, he becomes more and more disgusted and disillusioned with his life- until finally, it all comes tumbling down. The point of the film is the evil stuff, and that's all.
|
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905772)
I agree. The point is crime doesn't pay. Joe, who was the wildest, got killed. The two were less wild and ended up in prison. Ray, who was the least bad, got out alive. It's a Christian movie.
|
I think it's a good movie, but I don't see why it's considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Still good though.
|
I've got some funny ideas in my head...
Maybe the whole point is raising the question will good or evil prevail. We're on the edge. But I truly believe good will prevail. That's the only thing that makes sense. So I still don't see a purpose of the film. |
I've never sat and watched Taxi Driver all the way through – I just see sections of it every now and again and last night I saw the first twenty or so minutes.
The music's outstanding – Bernard Herrmann's my favourite film composer – and I'd say it's my way in to the film really. I like the opening titles and typography as well. As I'm typing this I recall how much I love the knockabout music in Ghostbusters by Elmer Bernstein, which, though tonally different, is clearly coming from the same place. |
No argument regarding Hermann's music in this film...I hope you get through the whole film from beginning to end someday...it's well worth it.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
It's weird how this movie was composed by Bernard Hermann as it doesn't sound like him at all. Hermann's other scores transcend the tests of time, where as Taxi Driver's score, feels forever trapped in the 70s compared to his other work.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
It’s a film very much of its time, so...
|
Originally Posted by Saunch (Post 1989809)
It’s a film very much of its time, so...
|
Originally Posted by ironpony (Post 1989796)
It's weird how this movie was composed by Bernard Hermann as it doesn't sound like him at all. Hermann's other scores transcend the tests of time, where as Taxi Driver's score, feels forever trapped in the 70s compared to his other work.
I think if you listen closely you might find echoes of Psycho in there. |
Re: Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is a little overhyped from what I remember of it, but the ambiguity of the moral subject allows anyone to take what they want from it. That's the way the movie was planned.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
What? No overreaction to someone not understanding the glory of Taxi Driver? Not express offense or anything but I got the **** end of the stick when I said that in my latest review.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
It's arguably Scorsese's finest hour as far as I'm concerned, but I get that it's not for everyone.
|
Excerpt from my review
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (Post 1829380)
Taxi Driver...I was totally impressed with Robert DeNiro. His performance was worthy of the Oscar, indeed he was nominated Best Actor. I mean he was the character! He immersed himself into the role, it was really quite an amazing feat of method acting. And I'm guessing it's DeNiro as the mentally unstable taxi driver that people love. Sure I could see this movie being a cult classic, but one of the all time great classics? Nah, I don't think so. The first act, which ends after he takes Cybil Shepard to a porn film was all amazing. The intensity and oddness of the taxi driver, along with the ultra realness of the gritty world that he inhabited, was powerful stuff. It felt like I was there! I'd give the first act a 4/5, good stuff! But when the director Martin Scorsese appears in the film for the second time, things went downhill. As soon as I spotted him it took me right out of the film's world and made me acutely aware I was watching a movie. Worse than that, I realized as Scorsese set in the cab talking about shooting his cheating wife...his dialogue...and his body language was a duplicate of the taxi drivers. That took me out of the film even further...and it reminded me of Tarantino's stupid choice of inserting himself into Django Unchained. Neither director is a great actor, so they should have left the acting to the professionals. In the final act I was hoping the relationship between Jodie Foster's 12 year old prostitute and her would-be hero the taxi driver, would be dynamic and would power the last part of the film. Unfortunately we only get one good scene between them in the restaurant. And while it can be said the prostitute was what triggered him to go on a shooting rampage, there wasn't enough about their relationship to bring the movie to a fevered pitch. Instead the final act of the shooting rampage just seems to be rushed. It's like there needed to be another scene before the ending. As it was I found the ending emotionally unsatisfying, as I the viewer hadn't sufficiently been primed by the movie to hate the pimp and the hotel manager enough to really want to see them dead. But I'm surprised I enjoyed the shooting spree as entertainment. I found it kind of funny/entertaining when he blows his fingers off, it was kind of comically filmed. But it lacked utter seriousness in the way it was filmed and so didn't deliver an emotional wallop like I would have hoped for. Even the sound effects for the guns seemed muted and the camera angles got all artsy during the shooting. It was like Scorsese made a conscious decision to downplay the violence...especially in his choice of ending music score with an overbearing harp, of all things. |
Re: Taxi Driver
Wait, that nervous **** of a wreck was SCORSESE HIMSELF? Hell, I loved that scene. In my eyes, it was showing Travis just how far gone his surroundings were, and would affect him greatly making him a more dangerous part of the city.
|
Originally Posted by Beatle (Post 1905323)
Since no one anwered, what's so great about it? What's the point? Is he good or evil. It's absolute crap! A fmadman goine ever insane until he kills people.
Can't we be both? You know, a walking contradiction. Partly truth, partly fiction. |
I don't have anything against someone that dislikes Taxi Driver, actually, that's the people I wanna hear, and @KeyserCorleone expressed the why he didn't like it, or how he didn't like it that much, and that's why his opinion is valid to me. Just saying it's boring is for me like someone trying to overdue a Picasso painting because he didn't like the colors, actually, is not the same thing, because at least that person is trying to overdue. Say the why, and if you don't know, shut up. I have many films I like and never review them because I don't even know why I really like them. The same for the other way around.
|
Originally Posted by Swan (Post 1989822)
And in the best possible way. Some movies are timeless, and that's great, but some movies of very much of their time in an iconic way. Taxi Driver bleeds 1970's, and it would be worse if it didn't.
Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are I think Scorsese at his best, he's still got the close focus on his characters and visually there a lot more expensive than what follows. |
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2045946)
I don't have anything against someone that dislikes Taxi Driver, actually, that's the people I wanna hear, and @KeyserCorleone expressed the why he didn't like it, or how he didn't like it that much, and that's why his opinion is valid to me. Just saying it's boring is for me like someone trying to overdue a Picasso painting because he didn't like the colors, actually, is not the same thing, because at least that person is trying to overdue. Say the why, and if you don't know, shut up. I have many films I like and never review them because I don't even know why I really like them. The same for the other way around.
|
"By the way, you're probably perfect for the guy that watched the movie with you. 'It's Taxi Driver, but with the Joker', 'Taxi Driver is boring'? Learn how to appreciate and then think about creating something. You're far, very far. You don't even know why you don't like something."
Because that's reasonable @Joao; |
Re: Taxi Driver
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2045946)
I don't have anything against someone that dislikes Taxi Driver, actually, that's the people I wanna hear, and @KeyserCorleone expressed the why he didn't like it, or how he didn't like it that much, and that's why his opinion is valid to me. Just saying it's boring is for me like someone trying to overdue a Picasso painting because he didn't like the colors, actually, is not the same thing, because at least that person is trying to overdue. Say the why, and if you don't know, shut up. I have many films I like and never review them because I don't even know why I really like them. The same for the other way around.
I watched it again yesterday for my reviews. It is a very cool movie, but the one flaw with it is the handling of side characters. Like I said, a little overhyped. |
@Ami-Scythe
I don't have a problem with unpopular opinions, I have so many. I didn't rage, I was more stupefied, but then I remembered Thích Nhất Hạnh and mindfulness. 'I am noticing I am being moved emotionally by an opposite opinion' and everything just stopped and I understood you are reviewing movies in this forum and you're just now watching Taxi Driver. (I'm kidding about the mindfulness part, I realized that instantly). Let me put you this way, I don't understand a thing about horror movies, something I'd like to, and I don't understand because my repertoire is very limited, so I regard some people in this forum to extend my knowledge, Nostromo87, Siddon, Seddai, cricket, Iroquois and mostly pahaK, for obvious reasons I'm not arguing about certain movies of that genera negatively or even positively because I haven't yet reached a point I believe I could honestly do that. But you're free to do that, but I'm also free to don't give a crap because you are in a movie forum and just now watched Taxi Driver. |
Originally Posted by Ami-Scythe (Post 2045977)
A reason is a reason. Boredom is a perfectly understandable reason to not like something as well as "not liking colors." Not everything has to be expressed with an 18 page essay. You could've very easily asked me why I didn't like it or why I found it boring but you went straight to insulting me by questioning my intelligence and you never even explained yourself. That very much sounds like having something against someone that dislikes Taxi Driver. (And for the record, if you were paying attention rather than rage quitting a video over an unpopular opinion, you would've heard the explanation of the plot being a tired cliche at this point)
|
Originally Posted by MoreOrLess (Post 2046390)
Freedom to have an opinion isn't freedom from that opinion being criticised. Someone can find your opinion to be simplistic and implying a lack of effort and so not worthy of much relevance to them.
|
Yeah, agreed, that last one is weirdly personal for no reason.
|
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046384)
@Ami-Scythe
I don't have a problem with unpopular opinions, I have so many. I didn't rage, I was more stupefied, but then I remembered Thích Nhất Hạnh and mindfulness. 'I am noticing I am being moved emotionally by an opposite opinion' and everything just stopped and I understood you are reviewing movies in this forum and you're just now watching Taxi Driver. (I'm kidding about the mindfulness part, I realized that instantly). Let me put you this way, I don't understand a thing about horror movies, something I'd like to, and I don't understand because my repertoire is very limited, so I regard some people in this forum to extend my knowledge, Nostromo87, Siddon, Seddai, cricket, Iroquois and mostly pahaK, for obvious reasons I'm not arguing about certain movies of that genera negatively or even positively because I haven't yet reached a point I believe I could honestly do that. But you're free to do that, but I'm also free to don't give a crap because you are in a movie forum and just now watched Taxi Driver. |
Re: Taxi Driver
No honey, I'm not saying it's too deep for you, nothing is too deep for no one, I believe we're all equal, what makes a distinction is how much of the subject we've experienced, I bring horror movies to the table to explain what I mean, I haven't seen them as much as I would like to, so, I shut up and read what people have to say about them, watch the movie, but I could just say start shouting in the beginning of the run, could say things without really reflecting on them and then change my mind, or don't change my mind. I remind myself constantly that my favorite movie of all time was The Green Mile, and no way I'd change my opinion, well I still like The Green Mile, but not that much.
It doesn't sound mean. It sounds lovely. Hood movies? I love hood movies, even so, I didn't grow up in a hood, but I have curiosity about it. You know why? Because I believe that in the worst scenarios great things born, like the lotus flower. My favorites are probably Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, La Haine and City of God. I also like Training Day, American Gangster and 8 Mile. But, I haven't seen lots of them, I wouldn't really debate on it. |
Re: Taxi Driver
I'm not sure if this is a cultural difference, but calling a woman you don't know "honey" can be seen as condescending, especially in the context of disagreeing with them. I'll assume it's not intentional, but just a heads-up.
Anyway, I don't think it really works to say "we're all equal...except if we've experienced more." It's either/or. I have zero issue with the idea that someone with more experience in a given topic has, all else being equally, usually a more informed and meaningful opinion. But it can't be "here's why your opinion is less meaningful" and then "no no we're all equal" when they object. All that said, I think people should only resort to those kinds of explanations when the evidence is ample, and I'm not sure it is here. As she's saying, why not just explain why you disagree with something? Why launch into analyzing the person when it's not necessary? That's the objectionable part. |
Again, using things I said and adding parts, or putting one sentence in one place to alter the meaning, is pretty much what I'm used with you, that's why I prefer not to respond much of the times, also I don't intend to be banned just yet.
Yes, we're all equal in my view, as human beings, yes, and I didn't added any exception, you just added it for me. She understood I implied she had something lacking for not understanding the deepness of the movie she saw, I never said or intended that, and that's why I said everyone can reach any point, because, yes, I believe every single human being born equal, something I understand if people disagree with, but it's my opinion. In our society one of the things that makes one opinion more important than the other, is the amount of information one had comparing with the other. But ultimately that isn't important, nothing really is, that's my personal belief. I given the example of horror movies in my case. The reason I didn't tried to understand her has been said at least twice in this thread. |
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046426)
Again, using things I said and adding parts, or putting one sentence in one place to alter the meaning, is pretty much what I'm used with you
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046426)
Yes, we're all equal in my view, as human beings, yes, and I didn't added any exception, you just added it for me.
"... what makes a distinction is how much of the subject we've experienced"Look, I'm open to the idea that these are genuine misunderstandings, perhaps due to the language barrier, but you shouldn't be blaming other people for them. They come about from normal, straightforward readings of what you say from native speakers. |
Originally Posted by Yoda (Post 2046434)
"... what makes a distinction is how much of the subject we've experienced"
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046416)
No honey, I'm not saying it's too deep for you, nothing is too deep for no one, I believe we're all equal, what makes a distinction is how much of the subject we've experienced
Originally Posted by Yoda (Post 2046434)
Look, I'm open to the idea that these are genuine misunderstandings, perhaps due to the language barrier, but you shouldn't be blaming other people for them. They come about from normal, straightforward readings of what you say from native speakers.
By the way, I used the term 'honey' more as a way of not escalating something I don't think we should give that much importance. |
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046464)
My point was: we are all equal in our capacity of reaching a high level intellectually, and the difference between those who have reached and those who have not, is the amount of experience in the given subject, is not obviously the experience, because like I said not that long ago: f*ck experience. Experience without dedication, curiosity and persistence is nothing.
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046464)
Yes, they are misunderstandings, not just because of the language barrier, it's evident that my english is not that good, it might be actually bad, because I didn't learned english in school, I learned watching lots of movies, but it's also because I don't read things after I write them, or really think about this or that word, I just write them as long as I'm thinking.
Originally Posted by JoaoRodrigues (Post 2046464)
By the way, I used the term 'honey' more as a way of not escalating something I don't think we should give that much importance.
|
Re: Taxi Driver
*Grabs popcorn*
Well, this thread took a weird turn..... |
Re: Taxi Driver
They always do.
But yeah, if it continues I'll spin it off. |
Re: Taxi Driver
i liked taxi driver
|
Re: Taxi Driver
I loved it as well. Great film about a disturbed and dark soul who was determined to perform one pure act (in his mind anyways) in a increasingly cynical world, with New York being viewed as a hellish nightmare.
Much more to it then that, obviously but I feel I’d have to rewatch it again to properly do it justice |
Re: Taxi Driver
I am not fond of threads where users perform forensics on the tiny details of each other's replies.
|
All times are GMT -3. The time now is 02:10 AM. |
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright, ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by
Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © Movie Forums