The Irishman

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • The Irishman

    Depending where one places Mean Streets in Scorsese's oeuvre, The Irishman is either the last in his mob trilogy with De Niro and Pesci that started with Goodfellas and Casino, or the bookend of a career that started in 1973. Either way, similar to Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... earlier this year, the coda on Scorsese's mafia features finds him contemplating the aftermath of the life these men choose as much as the life itself.

    We follow Frank Sheeran, a Philly teamster, as he rises the ranks of both the local mob organization and Jimmy Hoffa's union over several decades. Depending how much Frank's accounts are to be believed (apparently he had trouble telling the truth about what time of day it was), that journey culminated in the disappearance of Hoffa -- murdered -- from a Detroit steakhouse parking lot in 1975.

    Maybe it's because Netflix was paying for the $160m production (the CGI de-aging of De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino is largely convincing) but as compelling as the story is, Scorsese's direction itself lacks the visceral energy of Goodfellas or Casino. No widescreen photography, no one-take tracking shots like Henry escorting Karen to a front row table at the Copa. Instead, seemingly framed for a TV or mobile screen, we get endless one-shots of the main characters' giant heads and time-worn faces.

  • #2
    Re: The Irishman

    Where are you seeing this? Is it out in cinemas now?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The Irishman

      Originally posted by Merrick View Post
      Where are you seeing this? Is it out in cinemas now?
      it's playing in a limited number of theaters for the next two weeks before it drops on Netflix. here in LA, the Egyptian (which Netflix bought) is running it. many Landmark cinemas also

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: The Irishman

        Ahh okay. I don't live in the US, so it's only coming to streaming here in about three weeks. That's a pretty damn long film for the cinema.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The Irishman

          Originally posted by Merrick View Post
          Ahh okay. I don't live in the US, so it's only coming to streaming here in about three weeks. That's a pretty damn long film for the cinema.
          It doesn't really feel it until maybe the last 30-45 mins. Not as propulsive to the finish line as Casino or Goodfellas but that's also kind of the point of it.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The Irishman

            ICYMI, for those in the NY area, "The Irishman" is being screened at Broadway's Belasco Theater through 12/1. Guilliermo del Toro calls the film a masterpiece on Twitter today. Assuming this will get a number of Oscar nominations and that Spielberg's campaign to shut streamed films out of the AAs will go by the wayside.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: The Irishman

              Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
              No widescreen photography, no one-take tracking shots like Henry escorting Karen to a front row table at the Copa. Instead, seemingly framed for a TV or mobile screen, we get endless one-shots of the main characters' giant heads and time-worn faces.
              Originally posted by Captain Nemo View Post
              Assuming ... that Spielberg's campaign to shut streamed films out of the AAs will go by the wayside.
              Scorsese is a master, so he gets two thumbs up from me every time on every one of his films, no matter what (Yes, even Boxcar Bertha). Yes, Netflix ponied up the bucks, so it’s likely they made the calls on the “look” (shots). Probably Martin Scorsese was told to keep it tight for tablets and cell phones, but I hope not.

              And I agree with Steven Spielberg, too. It was difficult enough to win an Academy Award before streaming digital content came walking, trotting, cantering, then galloping along. Create a different award venue for streamed films, maybe “The Streamers.”
              Last edited by Clint Hill; 11-28-2019, 05:28 AM.
              “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The Irishman

                Wow. Saw The Irishman on Netflix today. It’s a cinematic masterpiece, all right, or perhaps I ought to say that it’s another cinematic masterpiece by Martin Scorsese.

                Not only is the story excellent, but the three main characters grow old before our eyes, a real gem of a trick and another progressive technological treat in Hollywood’s long history of pulling from its cinematic magic bag of special effects to tell a story more effectively and more believably.

                The period details are superb — the beautiful cars, the signage, the locations, the costumes — all perfect for each of the periods represented. My only regret was that I was unable to see the film on a giant movie screen in a theater. Had that been possible, the sense of immersion in the story would have been that much greater.

                There was only one of what might have been an editing error — a jump cut when the MC makes a phone call to the wife of the missing Jimmy Hoffa — but the otherwise perfect film more than made up for that single technically-jarring mistake.

                In a scene not long after that phone call, the MC runs his car through a car wash, and as the car comes out, a bumper-sticker on the front fender reads, “Where’s Jimmy Hoffa? Call (phone number).” Nice touch.

                This time, thankfully, the credits do not get squeezed into the upper left corner of the TV screen as an AI algorithm suggests something else for you to watch based on its perceived preferences of what else you may like.

                Also, watch The Irishman: In Conversation after you see the film. It’s enlightening to hear these four greats discuss the making of the film.
                Last edited by Clint Hill; 11-28-2019, 05:24 AM.
                “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: The Irishman

                  Well... it starts off slow. I mean slow. And it doesn't seem to really pick up speed or intensity. I fell asleep three times. Missed the end. I will give it a go again, but it just wasn't as good as Good Fellas or Casino, imo.

                  It could have been cut by half. Some scenes felt long.

                  The CGI was so distracting for me. You could tell it wasn't really their faces. The younger version of Pacino didn't even look like him. It was like they had a bad case of too much Juviderm, their faces from their nose to their chins never moved. Some weirdshit with their eyes. Distracting.

                  I thought Pesci was really good.

                  It just seemed very "quiet." Like I said, I missed some parts. The story is good, though. It's good for TV big screens. Not necessary to see in the theaters, imo, but then, I pretty much stick to thrillers and action for theater-going.
                  "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: The Irishman

                    DeNiro, Pesci, Pacino At The Top Of Their Game In ’The Irishman.’ (X) I approve of the angle of this article.
                    Last edited by Clint Hill; 11-28-2019, 09:09 PM.
                    “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: The Irishman

                      Watched The Irishman a second showing in a week’s time. The attention to background detail is amazing.

                      The movie marquees had the movies of each period depicted of the movie's timeline, all of the automobiles, trucks, and construction equipment were spot-on, and the 1970s era as depicted included the hairstyles of that day down to the sideburns for men. Although not uncommon, the lyrics of song choices in the background music reflected what was happening at those points in the film to give the scenes and the song choices greater meaning.

                      All of the details went deep into the background, unlike other period films that seem now to have accomplished only a thin veneer as compared to The Irishman.

                      The entire movie is filled with authentic visual elements that ground the story in reality and create a finely-layered background tapestry on which the story plays out. Whoever comprises the set decoration and art direction teams that pulled this off ought to receive multiple awards of some kind.
                      “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: The Irishman

                        Finally saw 'The Irishman' and liked very much -- imho Scorsese's best, aside from 'Raging Bull.' I wasn't especially thrilled with the de-aging FX, but still think this approach an improvement over the way many a bad make-up job has negatively affected an otherwise fine performance.

                        Re complaints about its pace, the speed of individual scenes and cuts have seemed to increase in every decade since the '80s, I think largely due to the Spielberg-Lucas/MTV effect during that period, so that younger audiences (90%?) are now completely conditioned to expect it. Anyone who has seen more than a few movies from, say the 1940-80 period can see that it's possible for a more measured pace to be effective. But, I can understand that it might be difficult for a younger (under-40) demographic to relate to the material -- I probably wouldn't recommend 'Wild Strawberries' to this group either.

                        Since Oscar noms are Monday, and it now looks as though BP award is coming down to a race between 'The Irishman' and 'Parasite,' will be interesting to see if Spielberg and the opponents of film awards for streamed films with nominal theatrical releases, continue to put up a fight against their inclusion as AA contenders.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: The Irishman

                          Finally saw it. I enjoyed it. Last stretch was tough but it fit the story well. Pacino did the best acting imo.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: The Irishman

                            Originally posted by Captain Nemo View Post
                            Finally saw 'The Irishman' and liked very much -- imho Scorsese's best, aside from 'Raging Bull.' I wasn't especially thrilled with the de-aging FX, but still think this approach an improvement over the way many a bad make-up job has negatively affected an otherwise fine performance.

                            Re complaints about its pace, the speed of individual scenes and cuts have seemed to increase in every decade since the '80s, I think largely due to the Spielberg-Lucas/MTV effect during that period, so that younger audiences (90%?) are now completely conditioned to expect it. Anyone who has seen more than a few movies from, say the 1940-80 period can see that it's possible for a more measured pace to be effective. But, I can understand that it might be difficult for a younger (under-40) demographic to relate to the material -- I probably wouldn't recommend 'Wild Strawberries' to this group either.

                            Since Oscar noms are Monday, and it now looks as though BP award is coming down to a race between 'The Irishman' and 'Parasite,' will be interesting to see if Spielberg and the opponents of film awards for streamed films with nominal theatrical releases, continue to put up a fight against their inclusion as AA contenders.
                            Just FTR, the odds seemed to have shifted big time since I posted, and it now appears that Scorsese and his colleagues will be 100% blanked in the major categories on Oscar night. Looking like '1917' and 'OUATITW' are the main contenders for best pic. Sorry to see it go down this way for Scorsese, but they slighted his best work back in the day, so maybe not much of a surprise.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: The Irishman

                              I had no issues at all with the de-ageing of Pacino, Pesci or the middle-aged De Niro but the youngest iteration of De Niro was off for me - something about his eyes that I couldn't put my finger on. Also, young De Niro moved like the old man he is in real life.

                              A lush looking film, confusing to follow at times, not sure what to think of it overall. As much as I respect the craft that went into writing and making it, a film should be judged on it's effect as a film - not the technical feats and character development that brought it to life.
                              Apparently Harvey Kietel was in it but I didn't see him.
                              Last edited by SundownInRetreat; 01-22-2020, 07:26 PM.
                              M.A.G.A.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X