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Goodfellas vs Casino

Started by biggytitbo, March 17, 2010, 09:53:06 PM

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Vitalstatistix

I found The Departed a return to form of sorts for Marty, although I haven't seen it in a while.

Nicholson certainly hams it up too much, but Damon, Wahlberg and, to a lesser extent, Di Cap and Sheen are all excellent. I found it engaging and exciting. Not a work of genius, no, but a first class crime drama. Oh and this might not be popular, but I think it's much better than Infernal Affairs, which is flashy and slight in comparison.

biggytitbo

The Departed is a good, enjoyable film. But it's also a pretty ordinary, run of the mill thriller isnt it? Nothing special (although the rat at the end is a fantastic touch).

Johnny Townmouse

Scorsese has been perplexing to me since Casino. His sharp eye and keen understanding of good cinema practice just seemed to disappear. Gangs of New York was dreadful to me for so many reasons. The Departed was ok, but some rather hammy acting stopped it being great. I avoided The Aviator for years because it looked dreadful, but when it came on TV I actually enjoyed it a great deal, but this was perhaps because my expectations were so incredibly low. The use of colour, and the examination of extreme OCD, really made it watchable.

I will go and see Shutter Island but I will have to do my best to forget that it is a Scorsese film otherwise I just won't be able to enjoy it.

lipsink

Marty's just got old, hasn't he? Same as Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian de Palma and the rest of that crowd. I love the guy, he's made so many of my favourite films. But he can only top his own work so many times.

Out of his last run of films, I'd say The Departed was the best. But it's still quite patchy!

Shoulders?-Stomach!

The Departed was reassurringly controlled, I thought. It didn't deserve all the ludicrous praise but it did show that the director is versatile and capable of self-control after 15 years of sinking towards bloat-fests. The all-star cast of The Departed was pretty pointless though.

Glebe

Oh come on. Casino is a good movie, its engrossing, well acted and it looks stunning... but Goodfellas is fresher, more original and dramatically weightier.

Serge

The baseball bat scene in 'Casino' is one of the few times I've ever sat in a cinema wishing a scene would end. But I kind of like the fact that after Joe Pesci kiled Billy Batts in 'Goodfellas', he gets his own back in 'Casino'.

'The Departed' is dragged all the way down by Jack Nicholson's umpteenth rehash of his 'Crazy Jack' routine and the fact that Leonardo Di Caprio seems to have forgotten how to act. Matt Damon is superb in it, though.


biggytitbo

Quote from: Glebe on March 18, 2010, 04:46:43 PM
Oh come on. Casino is a good movie, its engrossing, well acted and it looks stunning... but Goodfellas is fresher, more original and dramatically weightier.
I find Casino more dramatically satisfying, the way De Niro's character is liked a doomed Shakespearen figure brought down by his own faults, his obsessiveness and associates from his past coming back to haunt him. The way the last hour builds up to the inevitable but devastating ending is fantastically paced, directed and acted by all concerned. Goodfella's ending is great too, but it doesn't have the narrative force that Casino does.

Glebe

Yeah, I admit Ace Rothstein is a more fleshed-out character, but then it is the main starring role. In Goodfellas, DeNiro actually doesn't have as much screen time as it may seem.

Quote from: Serge on March 18, 2010, 05:34:15 PMThe baseball bat scene in 'Casino' is one of the few times I've ever sat in a cinema wishing a scene would end. But I kind of like the fact that after Joe Pesci kiled Billy Batts in 'Goodfellas', he gets his own back in 'Casino'.

Not forgetting Raging Bull's car-door slamming.

lipsink

Quote from: Glebe on March 18, 2010, 09:58:44 PM
Not forgetting Raging Bull's car-door slamming.

Didn't the 2 actors have a standup routine where they used to do a similar fight?

El Unicornio, mang

Goodfellas is my favourite all-time film, so I would put it above Casino, but the latter is a film which really gets better with each viewing, and has so much going on that you're rewarded with something new each time. Goodfellas is an easier film to watch though. I must have seen it well over 200 times (including times where I've watched it from certain points) and never find any of it boring, whereas Casino seems to drag a bit more. They are both masterpieces though.

They're both pretty close to the real life stories too, the guy who Pesci is based on in Casino (Tony Spilotro) was killed almost the same way as he is in the film, they figured out he had been buried alive because of sand found in his lungs, although contrary to the film he and his brother were beaten senseless in a basement, then taken to the corn field.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: lipsink on March 18, 2010, 01:39:00 PM
Casino has some of the funniest bits from Scorsese's career: the guy being told off by his mother (Scorsese's mother) for swearing, the fed helicopter landing on DeNiro's lawn, Pesci being abusive during blackjack, Pesci with the cowboy, there's also a great putdown from Pesci when he criticises DeNiro's dressing gown (I can't remember it right now).



"Look at you, you're fucking walking around like John Barrymore! A fucking pink robe and a fucking cigarette holder? I lost control?"

Apparently Scorsese and De Niro are in talks to make a sequel to Taxi Driver. Sounds kind of ridiculous but they both seem keen.

kittens

I didn't like Taxi Driver. I was expecting something amazing from all the praise it's got, but it just didn't seem to go anywhere. I might have to watch it again though, I was all monged out when i saw it.

shiftwork2

Inspired by this thread I picked up Goodfellas on DVD in Sainsburys tonight, three quid.  The thing is actually a flipper - it has 1h10m of video on each side in a single layer so you flip it over halfway through.  The Warners copyright on the box is from 2007...I thought flippers were relics from the very early days of DVD?

Quote from: kittens on March 18, 2010, 10:48:53 PM
I didn't like Taxi Driver. I was expecting something amazing from all the praise it's got, but it just didn't seem to go anywhere.

I had the same issue with Loose Women - Here Come The Girls but I persevered.

mr. logic

Quote from: Serge on March 18, 2010, 05:34:15 PM
The baseball bat scene in 'Casino' is one of the few times I've ever sat in a cinema wishing a scene would end. But I kind of like the fact that after Joe Pesci kiled Billy Batts in 'Goodfellas', he gets his own back in 'Casino'.

This is something I never quite got about Casino.  Why did Frank relish killing Nicky so much?  I understand he had his orders from back home, but I could never work out at which point he decided he hated Nicky.  He actually risks his own life to save Nicky's earlier in the film, if I remember right. 

I think I would go for Goodfellas, at a pinch.  It has the more memorable scenes.

Serge

I should watch 'Casino' again, it's a while since I've seen it. Hell, I could say the same about 'Goodfellas'.

I never really got into 'Taxi Driver' or 'Raging Bull'. I'm glad I've seen both of them, but I don't feel the need to ever see either again.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: mr. logic on March 19, 2010, 12:03:19 AM
This is something I never quite got about Casino.  Why did Frank relish killing Nicky so much?

I never understood that either. Perhaps he felt resentment towards him as he had put his own neck on the line to protect him (lying to his boss about Nicky's affair)?

kittens

Quote from: shiftwork2 on March 18, 2010, 11:56:13 PM
Inspired by this thread I picked up Goodfellas on DVD in Sainsburys tonight, three quid.  The thing is actually a flipper - it has 1h10m of video on each side in a single layer so you flip it over halfway through.  The Warners copyright on the box is from 2007...I thought flippers were relics from the very early days of DVD?

Yeah. mine's two sided too. I got it in a five disc 'Robert De Niro Collection', but it's the only one out of them I've watched.

El Unicornio, mang

I recommend getting the special edition DVD (or Blu-Ray), it has a commentary by the real Henry Hill and the FBI agent who he made the deal with. Lots of comparing on-screen moments with how it really went down, describing how psychotic Tommy and Jimmy really were, and quite a sad bit when he has to hold back tears discussing the death of Morrie (the wig shop guy). There's also a making of docu. The Casino special edition also has a load of cool extras.

Glebe

Quote from: lipsink on March 18, 2010, 10:39:50 PMDidn't the 2 actors have a standup routine where they used to do a similar fight?

Really?! Don't recall ever hearing about that, but it'd be cool if true!

Quote from: kittens on March 18, 2010, 10:48:53 PMI didn't like Taxi Driver. I was expecting something amazing from all the praise it's got, but it just didn't seem to go anywhere. I might have to watch it again though, I was all monged out when i saw it.

I think Taxi Driver deserves all the praise, it's one of Scorsese's best... dramatically powerful, brilliant performances, incredibly intense in places and brilliantly filmed... it manages to look really gritty and really stylish at the same time. Mean Streets is up there too, raw, dramatic and cinematic. I'd like to pick up Goodfellas (new edition) and Casino on Blu-ray if I can snap 'em up for cheap. Goodfellas current HD transfer apparently has some flaws, but is meant to look pretty decent otherwise.

biggytitbo

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on March 19, 2010, 12:10:22 AM
I never understood that either. Perhaps he felt resentment towards him as he had put his own neck on the line to protect him (lying to his boss about Nicky's affair)?
They''re both murderous amoral thugs. The way I see it how could he not have hated Nicky all along? I can't imagine a day went by were he wasnt pushed  around and humilated by him. But he was a low level thug and knew his place so he did his job. When he got the oppurtunity to turn the tables he took it with relish.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

A remake/sequel of Taxi Driver would be fucking dire. I hope you're reading this British Comedy Forum, Scorcese and De Niro.

Danger Man

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on March 19, 2010, 09:54:46 AM
A remake/sequel of Taxi Driver would be fucking dire.

Depends on how much of a 'sequel' it would be. A 66 year old Bickle, still driving a cab and sporting a mohican would be horrific but something along the lines of Clint Eastwood's 'Gran Torino' might work.


biggytitbo

The reason Eastwood has had such great success later in life, and hasn't tailed off, is he makes grown up films about old people. If De Niro and Scorsese, who are both old men, do that it has the potential to be fucking brilliant. If they try and make a young man's film it'll be awful.

AsparagusTrevor

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on March 19, 2010, 09:54:46 AM
A remake/sequel of Taxi Driver would be fucking dire. I hope you're reading this British Comedy Forum, Scorcese and De Niro.
Don't be silly. They stopped visiting after Nathan Barley.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quote from: Danger Man on March 19, 2010, 10:08:57 AM
Depends on how much of a 'sequel' it would be. A 66 year old Bickle, still driving a cab and sporting a mohican would be horrific but something along the lines of Clint Eastwood's 'Gran Torino' might work.

That's just it isn't it? After all these recent vigilante movies, capped off by one which was actually decent and non-moronic, the chances of them cutting a corner for themselves in this current climate is zero. It'll be like the remake of Assault on Precinct 13. Just the most utterly, utterly pointless pointless film. And/or total shit.

I don't want De Niro to do another 'I get angry about something and start to hit things' movie. That said, I don't want him to do another film like 'What Just Happened?' either.

biggytitbo

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on March 19, 2010, 03:02:24 AM
I recommend getting the special edition DVD (or Blu-Ray), it has a commentary by the real Henry Hill and the FBI agent who he made the deal with.
Is he still in hiding or are all the people that want him dead now dead themselves? Sounds a bit risky doing a DVD commentary if you're still in fear of your life.

Johnny Townmouse

I would like to chime in and say that I think Taxi Driver is Scorsese's masterpiece. I would argue that Schrader's screenplay is the one of the best ever written, when I am inclined I believe it to be the apex of passionate, dramatic and masterly screenwriting. It is better than most novels I have read.

It is more than just a descent into madness, which some believe it is. It is a powerful account of the Vietnam war. I have maintained, since seeing Schrader interviewed when I was about 16, that it is my favourite war movie. It is really an extension of Scorsese's The Big Shave. When you look at the performances, set-pieces, editing, dialogue, humour, plus the rawness of the cinematography it just hits every note perfectly and becomes wonderful. The dialogue is never predictable, which I think is Schrader's artfulness. I have watched it so many times I feel like I am experiencing a kind of ballet where I know each step, but it is performed so well that I never get used to it.

In conclusion: I like Taxi Driver.

batwings

Quote from: biggytitbo on March 19, 2010, 10:43:19 AM
Is he still in hiding or are all the people that want him dead now dead themselves? Sounds a bit risky doing a DVD commentary if you're still in fear of your life.

Henry Hill has turned up on Howard Stern many times over the years, in various states of intoxication. I believe he's no longer in witness protection. He's something of a sad character, these days.

Drunken Henry Hill Calls In (1/3)

Howard Stern - Henry Hill Pt. 1

Howard Stern - Henry Hill Call

biggytitbo

How is he still alive? There have to be nutters still alive today who remember how he betrayed the 'family'. You'd think someone with a long memory would have got him anyway!