I think Ebert is too lenient with his recent reviews; however his “Great Movies” series has introduced me to countless great films. One of my goals for 2009 is to see all 100 in the first book, and then move on to “The Great Movies II” in 2010. I enjoy his writing, and his genuine love for cinema always comes across.
I certainly understand where the original poster is coming from. I get particularly disheartened when people say that “black-and-white movies are boring” or other such nonsense. Even many young people who call themselves film buffs think that the apex of cinema is Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith.
If it makes anyone feel any better, I’m 15 and 8 1/2 is one of my favorite films. I’ve been trying to watch a lot of classics lately. In fact, I just watched M for the first time tonight.
I am tired of people constantly bashing Spielberg. His recent work has been some of his most experimental, and interesting. A.I. is certainly a flawed film but it is fascinating. Minority Report is an excellent sci-fi noir that doesn’t get enough respect. Saving Private Ryan was an incredible tour-de-force, and a triumph of cinematography. The Terminal and Catch Me If You Can were lightweight, but pretty well-made comedies. I haven’t seen Munich, and I admit that he has made his share of duds (Indy 4, The Lost World) but come on. To say that he consistently makes bad films is ridiculous.
@ Christopher Sepesy:
I appreciate that you do not totally reject all of Spielberg’s work, which seems to be popular around here. However, I do think you are being a bit unfair. Everything after Raiders and before Schindler’s List was made for money? I can see that argument for the two Indy sequels, Hook, and maybe Always and Twilight Zone (which I have not seen.) But it certainly does not apply to E.T., which was largely based around Spielberg’s childhood, or The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun.
I also understand your opinions about Saving Private Ryan. I’ve only seen the entire film once, but when I re-watched part of it on TV I was struck by how sentimental a lot of it is. After the opening battle, this awful patriotic music plays, and then of course there are the damn bookmarks of the film – where an older Ryan visits the cemetery where Hanks’ character is buried. I’ve never liked those scenes, and I certainly don’t think that SPR is the definitive statement about war ever put on film.
As for Munich, the film seems to be very divisive, but based on your review it sounds like I should add it to my Netflix queue.
@ Jacob: Yes, Indy 4 was terrible. I agree. War of the Worlds? I thought it was mediocre; terrible might be putting too fine a point on it. I tend to agree with Terry Gilliam, who once said in a magazine article that it has great scenes but isn’t a cohesive film.
Oldboy? First of all, Spielberg directing it is just a rumor. Also, IT HASN’T COME OUT YET. I can’t judge it, and neither can you.
Minority Report? I think it was a lot better than mediocre. It’s an excellent blockbuster, Spielberg creates an arresting view of the future without moralizing, and never loses sight of the human element.
Pulp Fiction – Not a terrible film, but HUGELY overrated. Just a collection of comic-book characters in a hyperviolent film spouting clever dialogue. There is no sense of humanity in this, or any of Tarantino’s films.
2001 – I’m sure I will receive flak for this, but let me preface this by saying that I saw 2001 a few years ago, before my movie-making tastes had really matured. But I found it to be self-indulgent, overlong, uninteresting, and just plain boring. But it’s one of those films that is so highly praised that I should really give it another chance.
Blade Runner – Nice visuals, extremely sluggish pace, no humanity. Boring, above all.
Forrest Gumper – I enjoyed it, but it’s basically just fluff.
Breathless – I just wasn’t taken with the story, with the characters, with the style, with any of it. Although I’m certainly willing to give it another chance.
Interesting that everyone keeps picking The Graduate. It seems popular to say that it hasn’t stood the test of time (even Roger Ebert said so), but I watched it for the first time a few weeks and loved it. I loved the cinematography (that shot of Benjamin at the bottom of the pool is gorgeous), the use of music, the acting. It’s a very effective film about alienation, but also is flat-out hilarious. And it doesn’t resort to the cheap happy ending. Although Benjamin and Elaine escape, the music cue at the end – “The Sound of Silence” – says a lot.
I didn’t recognize the name, but 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita are two of my favorite films. Very sad indeed. I see that a screenplay of his about Fellini is being made for a 2009 release. That should be interesting.
When I first saw Raging Bull, I thought it was overrated. When I watched it again, I thought it was a masterpiece, certainly the best Scorsese I’ve seen. Go figure.
I didn’t like the film at all. The plot was unrealistic, the dialogue “clever” but never sounded real, the whole film unpleasant and shallow, with the only theme being that “Suburbia is hell.” And from what I understand “Revolutionary Road” is basically the same thing, although slightly more serious. I did like the subplot between Lester’s daughter and the guy with the camera. That was probably the only part of the movie I enjoyed.
I definitely agree with the original post. At my library, I’ve found such things as The Apu Trilogy, Greed, Last Year at Marienbad, etc on VHS – none of these are on DVD. They also have a great selection of Criterions.
LaMotta is a character filled with emotion. The problem is that he just expresses it the wrong way – by abusing his wife and brother, beating people up in the ring, basically ripping his entire life to shreds. As Roger Ebert points out, he’s got a Maddona-whore complex: he thinks Vickie is an angel, then when they marry she’s suddenly a cheating slut. The whole film is about that rage that drives LaMotta to do horrible things.
As for the film’s style, I think it’s very passionate. The fight scenes are absolutely masterful. Scorsese was certainly experimenting with editing techniques, the use of abstract sounds, etc. He used black-and-white, which was certainly uncommon at the time. To me, there is an incredible amount of passion in the filmmaking of Raging Bull – more so than in Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, both of which I found slightly overrated.
To add another one to my list – The Deer Hunter, which I just watched last night. It’s overlong, predictable, curiously devoid of any tension or excitement, and arguably racist.
I disagree with the original post. I don’t think the happy ending took away from the film’s gritty realism. The dance at the end, for example, was more of an homage to Bollywood cinema than anything else. Even if the film ends on a somewhat happy note, I don’t know that anyone can walk away from the film feeling wonderful and happy. Its designation as a “feel-good” movie is ludicrous. What I walked away with more than anything was the horrors of poverty, rather than the joy of winning the game show.
I often find excessive profanity to be quite annoying. I think a lot of Scorsese’s films, like Goodfellas and The Departed, get quite lazy with it. It also annoys me in the few Tarantino and Kevin Smith that I’ve seen.
I have mixed feelings about Scorsese. So far I’ve seen Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, No Direction Home, and The Departed.
Taxi Driver was fascinating, featuring some great cinematography and of course DeNiro’s stellar performance. But I’m not sure if it was worthy of all the acclaim it got.
The Last Waltz was enjoyable and revelatory, particularly because I like the music so much. The same goes for No Direction Home.
Raging Bull is by far the best Scorsese I’ve seen. It’s just beautiful and heartbreaking.
I find Goodfellas to be overrated; it doesn’t seem like Scorsese had anything to say really.
The Age of Innocence was well-made and well-acted, but I can’t say I enjoyed it very much, and I think it was overlong. Great ending, though.
The Aviator was entertaining and well-made, but it had no real point to it.
The Departed surprised me. I really enjoyed the film; it was pure joy to see the giants of 70s cinema, like Nicholson and Martin Sheen, pitted with the young talents of today, like DiCaprio, Damon, and Wahlberg. Strong performances from everyone, a great sense of location and a strong plot made this a really taut thriller. It shows how good of a genre movie Scorsese can make.
Overall, I’m not as crazy about Scorsese as some, but the man has made some incredible films, like Raging Bull and The Departed. I’m looking forward to seeing The King of Comedy, which I’ve heard is criminally underrated, as well as Kundun.
As much as I love The Godfather (it’s probably my favorite film), I do admit that Orpheus makes some good points. What I find most interesting about his post is something that I have also noticed – the way audiences seem to “enjoy” or laugh at the violence or think it was for entertainment value. The same is true of a film like Goodfellas. Some people think it’s cool the way the Corleones dish out violence, and the same for the mob in Goodfellas. Whereas it seems to me that Coppola and Scorsese clearly deplore violence, and their message is getting misinterpreted.
I enjoyed The Departed a lot more than I expected. I had heard that it was basically tired, warmed-over Scorsese. It’s basically just a genre film, but it’s a damn good one at that, with some great performances.
Roger Ebert/ Worst Critic EVER! over 3 years ago
I think Ebert is too lenient with his recent reviews; however his “Great Movies” series has introduced me to countless great films. One of my goals for 2009 is to see all 100 in the first book, and then move on to “The Great Movies II” in 2010. I enjoy his writing, and his genuine love for cinema always comes across.
Go to Comment
I have lost faith in the majority of the younger generation. over 3 years ago
I certainly understand where the original poster is coming from. I get particularly disheartened when people say that “black-and-white movies are boring” or other such nonsense. Even many young people who call themselves film buffs think that the apex of cinema is Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith.
If it makes anyone feel any better, I’m 15 and 8 1/2 is one of my favorite films. I’ve been trying to watch a lot of classics lately. In fact, I just watched M for the first time tonight.
Go to Comment
The Auteurs "Sight & Sound" Poll over 3 years ago
Count me in.
Go to Comment
WHO IS / WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FILM ACTRESS EVER? over 3 years ago
I’m not sure about the most beautiful ever, but I’m going to go with two Fellini starlets – Anita Ekberg and Claudia Cardinale.
Go to Comment
HOW DO YOU FILE YOUR COLLECTION? about 3 years ago
I use alphabetical order – not very imaginative, I know.
Go to Comment
Directors that consistently make terrible films about 3 years ago
I am tired of people constantly bashing Spielberg. His recent work has been some of his most experimental, and interesting. A.I. is certainly a flawed film but it is fascinating. Minority Report is an excellent sci-fi noir that doesn’t get enough respect. Saving Private Ryan was an incredible tour-de-force, and a triumph of cinematography. The Terminal and Catch Me If You Can were lightweight, but pretty well-made comedies. I haven’t seen Munich, and I admit that he has made his share of duds (Indy 4, The Lost World) but come on. To say that he consistently makes bad films is ridiculous.
Go to Comment
Directors that consistently make terrible films about 3 years ago
@ Christopher Sepesy:
I appreciate that you do not totally reject all of Spielberg’s work, which seems to be popular around here. However, I do think you are being a bit unfair. Everything after Raiders and before Schindler’s List was made for money? I can see that argument for the two Indy sequels, Hook, and maybe Always and Twilight Zone (which I have not seen.) But it certainly does not apply to E.T., which was largely based around Spielberg’s childhood, or The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun.
I also understand your opinions about Saving Private Ryan. I’ve only seen the entire film once, but when I re-watched part of it on TV I was struck by how sentimental a lot of it is. After the opening battle, this awful patriotic music plays, and then of course there are the damn bookmarks of the film – where an older Ryan visits the cemetery where Hanks’ character is buried. I’ve never liked those scenes, and I certainly don’t think that SPR is the definitive statement about war ever put on film.
As for Munich, the film seems to be very divisive, but based on your review it sounds like I should add it to my Netflix queue.
@ Jacob: Yes, Indy 4 was terrible. I agree. War of the Worlds? I thought it was mediocre; terrible might be putting too fine a point on it. I tend to agree with Terry Gilliam, who once said in a magazine article that it has great scenes but isn’t a cohesive film.
Oldboy? First of all, Spielberg directing it is just a rumor. Also, IT HASN’T COME OUT YET. I can’t judge it, and neither can you.
Minority Report? I think it was a lot better than mediocre. It’s an excellent blockbuster, Spielberg creates an arresting view of the future without moralizing, and never loses sight of the human element.
Go to Comment
5 Films you saw that are considered masterpieces that you thought were overated,horrible or you just "didnt like" about 3 years ago
Pulp Fiction – Not a terrible film, but HUGELY overrated. Just a collection of comic-book characters in a hyperviolent film spouting clever dialogue. There is no sense of humanity in this, or any of Tarantino’s films.
2001 – I’m sure I will receive flak for this, but let me preface this by saying that I saw 2001 a few years ago, before my movie-making tastes had really matured. But I found it to be self-indulgent, overlong, uninteresting, and just plain boring. But it’s one of those films that is so highly praised that I should really give it another chance.
Blade Runner – Nice visuals, extremely sluggish pace, no humanity. Boring, above all.
Forrest Gumper – I enjoyed it, but it’s basically just fluff.
Breathless – I just wasn’t taken with the story, with the characters, with the style, with any of it. Although I’m certainly willing to give it another chance.
Interesting that everyone keeps picking The Graduate. It seems popular to say that it hasn’t stood the test of time (even Roger Ebert said so), but I watched it for the first time a few weeks and loved it. I loved the cinematography (that shot of Benjamin at the bottom of the pool is gorgeous), the use of music, the acting. It’s a very effective film about alienation, but also is flat-out hilarious. And it doesn’t resort to the cheap happy ending. Although Benjamin and Elaine escape, the music cue at the end – “The Sound of Silence” – says a lot.
Go to Comment
5 Films you saw that are considered masterpieces that you thought were overated,horrible or you just "didnt like" about 3 years ago
^ I completely agree with you, Robert. I didn’t think that The Graduate was dated at all.
Go to Comment
Tullio Pinelli dies at 100 about 3 years ago
I didn’t recognize the name, but 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita are two of my favorite films. Very sad indeed. I see that a screenplay of his about Fellini is being made for a 2009 release. That should be interesting.
Go to Comment
5 Films you saw that are considered masterpieces that you thought were overated,horrible or you just "didnt like" about 3 years ago
When I first saw Raging Bull, I thought it was overrated. When I watched it again, I thought it was a masterpiece, certainly the best Scorsese I’ve seen. Go figure.
Go to Comment
Who is the worst critic in the business right now? about 3 years ago
DEFINITELY Ben Lyons. Followed closely by Armond White, who is possibly the most pretentious critic I’ve ever read.
Go to Comment
American Beauty about 3 years ago
I didn’t like the film at all. The plot was unrealistic, the dialogue “clever” but never sounded real, the whole film unpleasant and shallow, with the only theme being that “Suburbia is hell.” And from what I understand “Revolutionary Road” is basically the same thing, although slightly more serious. I did like the subplot between Lester’s daughter and the guy with the camera. That was probably the only part of the movie I enjoyed.
Go to Comment
Where are you from? about 3 years ago
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Go to Comment
GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY about 3 years ago
I definitely agree with the original post. At my library, I’ve found such things as The Apu Trilogy, Greed, Last Year at Marienbad, etc on VHS – none of these are on DVD. They also have a great selection of Criterions.
Go to Comment
5 Films you saw that are considered masterpieces that you thought were overated,horrible or you just "didnt like" about 3 years ago
LaMotta is a character filled with emotion. The problem is that he just expresses it the wrong way – by abusing his wife and brother, beating people up in the ring, basically ripping his entire life to shreds. As Roger Ebert points out, he’s got a Maddona-whore complex: he thinks Vickie is an angel, then when they marry she’s suddenly a cheating slut. The whole film is about that rage that drives LaMotta to do horrible things.
As for the film’s style, I think it’s very passionate. The fight scenes are absolutely masterful. Scorsese was certainly experimenting with editing techniques, the use of abstract sounds, etc. He used black-and-white, which was certainly uncommon at the time. To me, there is an incredible amount of passion in the filmmaking of Raging Bull – more so than in Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, both of which I found slightly overrated.
Go to Comment
YOUR FAVORITE SILENT FILM, PLEASE. about 3 years ago
The Passion of Joan of Arc, with a close second being City Lights. But I am not at all well-versed in foreign film. I really need to see more.
Go to Comment
Last movie you saw and rate it about 3 years ago
The 400 Blows (second viewing) – 10/10
Go to Comment
What was the first Criterion movie you watched? about 3 years ago
I think it was probably Oliver Twist. Which I haven’t seen in years, and remember very little of.
Go to Comment
5 Films you saw that are considered masterpieces that you thought were overated,horrible or you just "didnt like" about 3 years ago
To add another one to my list – The Deer Hunter, which I just watched last night. It’s overlong, predictable, curiously devoid of any tension or excitement, and arguably racist.
Go to Comment
Why I didn't love Slumdog Millionaire. about 3 years ago
I disagree with the original post. I don’t think the happy ending took away from the film’s gritty realism. The dance at the end, for example, was more of an homage to Bollywood cinema than anything else. Even if the film ends on a somewhat happy note, I don’t know that anyone can walk away from the film feeling wonderful and happy. Its designation as a “feel-good” movie is ludicrous. What I walked away with more than anything was the horrors of poverty, rather than the joy of winning the game show.
Go to Comment
use of profanity in film about 3 years ago
I often find excessive profanity to be quite annoying. I think a lot of Scorsese’s films, like Goodfellas and The Departed, get quite lazy with it. It also annoys me in the few Tarantino and Kevin Smith that I’ve seen.
Go to Comment
Scorsese fans out there, it's time to unite! about 3 years ago
I have mixed feelings about Scorsese. So far I’ve seen Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, No Direction Home, and The Departed.
Taxi Driver was fascinating, featuring some great cinematography and of course DeNiro’s stellar performance. But I’m not sure if it was worthy of all the acclaim it got.
The Last Waltz was enjoyable and revelatory, particularly because I like the music so much. The same goes for No Direction Home.
Raging Bull is by far the best Scorsese I’ve seen. It’s just beautiful and heartbreaking.
I find Goodfellas to be overrated; it doesn’t seem like Scorsese had anything to say really.
The Age of Innocence was well-made and well-acted, but I can’t say I enjoyed it very much, and I think it was overlong. Great ending, though.
The Aviator was entertaining and well-made, but it had no real point to it.
The Departed surprised me. I really enjoyed the film; it was pure joy to see the giants of 70s cinema, like Nicholson and Martin Sheen, pitted with the young talents of today, like DiCaprio, Damon, and Wahlberg. Strong performances from everyone, a great sense of location and a strong plot made this a really taut thriller. It shows how good of a genre movie Scorsese can make.
Overall, I’m not as crazy about Scorsese as some, but the man has made some incredible films, like Raging Bull and The Departed. I’m looking forward to seeing The King of Comedy, which I’ve heard is criminally underrated, as well as Kundun.
Go to Comment
Scorsese fans out there, it's time to unite! about 3 years ago
Yeah, “After Hours” is another Scorsese I want to check out. So many movies, so little time!
Go to Comment
Objections to The Godfather about 3 years ago
As much as I love The Godfather (it’s probably my favorite film), I do admit that Orpheus makes some good points. What I find most interesting about his post is something that I have also noticed – the way audiences seem to “enjoy” or laugh at the violence or think it was for entertainment value. The same is true of a film like Goodfellas. Some people think it’s cool the way the Corleones dish out violence, and the same for the mob in Goodfellas. Whereas it seems to me that Coppola and Scorsese clearly deplore violence, and their message is getting misinterpreted.
Go to Comment
The Departed about 3 years ago
I enjoyed The Departed a lot more than I expected. I had heard that it was basically tired, warmed-over Scorsese. It’s basically just a genre film, but it’s a damn good one at that, with some great performances.
Go to Comment
Last movie you saw and rate it about 3 years ago
Two English Girls – 10/10
Has Truffaut ever made a bad film? If so, I’ve yet to see it.
Go to Comment
3 Favourite Movies From 5 Favourite Directors about 3 years ago
Francois Truffaut:
The 400 Blows
Day For Night
Two English Girls
Steven Spielberg:
Schindler’s List
Raiders of the Lost Ark
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
Alfred Hitchcock:
Psycho
Rear Window
Rope
Billy Wilder:
Sunset Blvd.
The Apartment
Some Like It Hot
Martin Scorsese:
Raging Bull
The Departed
Taxi Driver
Go to Comment
Mistransalted titles about 3 years ago
The French title of “The Class” translates literally to “Between the Walls.”
Go to Comment
Classic movies you can't get on d.v.d. about 3 years ago
There are a lot that are shamefully unavailable. The Magnificent Ambersons, Greed, Last Year at Marienbad, The Apu Trilogy to name a few.
Go to Comment