Conversation Between dmshaposv and coolguy753

Damn, I really can't wait to watch Shutter Island now, the trailer made it look brilliant and now after what you and many others have said....should be excellent

Thanks for the reccomendations, I think I'm going to try and get through most of Scorsese's films (although there are a minority that I have no interest in E.G. The Aviator).

BTW, Would you say Shutter Island is your favourite film of 2010?

Well, there didnt i tell ya.

Movie tastes keep changing, I'm sure my 15 year old self would've been bored to sleep with Taxi Driver, but at my current age I can appreciate the movie's content at a more cerebral level. The R rating isn't just added for Violence/Sex related content only.

Almost all Scorsese films are good. Shutter Island may not have been that well apreciated by some, but I loved it. Departed is great, but I think I told you before I liked Internal affairs better.

As for vintage Scorsese - check out Raging Bull most definitely, King of Comedy, Mean Streets, Brining in the dead (not exactly sure thts the title, but the nic cage one) and Last Temptation of Christ. Age of Innocence I haven't seen. Avoid Cape Fear, unless u just have to see it. Watch everything he has made if you can, really.

I recently decided to rewatch Taxi Driver and wow, you were so right. I don't know what happened but I absolutely loved it. I did like it when I first saw it but not nearly this much, it's like I was a different person watching it. It was just brilliant, the changes in the character and the script, everything about it.

I'm a big fan of Scorsese, I loved The Departed and Goodfellas (and now obviously Taxi Driver :P), would you reccomend his other stuff? I'm sure Ragin Bull will be great, but what about Casino, Mean Streets etc, did you think they were good?

To each his own I guess. "B" had some poetic moments even though it was a simple tale of vengeance. The best part about "B" for me was the suspense before a gunfight - the long drawn silences before shots were fired. I love A as well, but for different reasons.

I'm not sure, maybe it's just me but I felt that TMWNN trilogy was infinitely better than Once Upon a Time in the West.

I don't know how to write these films without it taking an age, so from now on I'll just refer to them as A and B, A being Clint's trilogy and B being Once Upon a Time in the West, haha.

A dragged me into the plot way more and I know, you told me earlier that you don't always need a plot in a film (taxi driver) but B is the kind of film that does, is it not? Obviously it did have a plot but it didn't go anywhere, it didn't develop, it didn't mean anything. I found myself laughing at the constant attempts at ott seriousness.

Where as with A, it was just pure brilliance. I'd say it's probably better because it takes itself alot less seriously, I will always remember the scene when Eastwood walks into the bar and strikes his match on a man considerably larger than himself. Absolutely brilliant.

Probably just me though, I just could never get into B.

OUTTW and MWNN trilogy are both spaghetti westerns. I don't see how can one perfer one over the other (objectively, that is) since they are essentially in the same genre. So I'm not exactly sure what "type" of other westerns you are talking about.

Personally I like OUTTW more. Best Morricone score and some of the best camera work by Leone. Plus, henry fonda is such a badass in it.

He would probably be a little appalled to hear that, haha. He is hugely into the oriental film industry (he's actually in China now, and he's been to Japan for a year, all this just because he's into oriental films) and certainly knows more about that than is healthy. He is still very knowledgeable about western films though.

He did love Taxi Driver, it's just me who was a little iffy on that one, and he liked Citizen Kane. He just didn't think it was quite the masterpiece as touted by critics. He's 23 now, and he's into all types of films. I definitely wouldn't call him too young to enjoy more sophisticated films (maybe still a little immature though, haha).

When I say pretentious movie critics, I must have worded wrongly. Surely you know what I mean? There are some that rate films too low simply because they don't see them as sophisticated enough. I see this more in games reviewing, especially Edge, who think it's cool to downrate games as they think it gives them hip points. They do good reviews, I just don't go by their scores at all.

I am currently 17 years old so I will watch Citizen Kane in a few years to see if I can make a fairer judgement on it.

Also, out of interest, would you say you prefer "Once Upon A Time In The West" or "The Man With No Name" trilogy type of western?

No offence, but seems like your brother doesn't know what he is talking about. Do you seriously think critics downrate movies with guns?

Some critics are biased to certain genres and themes, yes. However, movies like Taxi Driver, Godfather definitely involved guns and were unanimously acclaimed be all critics. A movie like Citizen Kane (if you actually watch it) doesn't need action. You should watch the movie for yourself before letting anyone else form your opinion for you. Whether it is your brother or a "pretentious" movie critic.

It is completely up to you to form your opinions on certain movies. If you didn't find Taxi Driver interesting, then thats the way it is. However I will say this - revisiting a movie at an older age helps. My 17 year old self would've found Citizen Kane an incredibily boring movie while my 21 year old self finds it a masterpeice. Maturity changes the way you think and approach things.

I haven't seen Citizen Kane yet but from what my brother tells me, it's more a film for the pretentious movie critics, the ones who downrate anything that has guns in because they think it makes them cool and edgy.

As for Taxi Driver, like I said, De Niro was superb, but a film needs a plot to keep you involved does it not? Besides, I felt many of the scenes were unneccessary and although the ending was very tense, most of the film felt like a beginning, it had no substance.

Citizen Kane and Taxi Driver are both amazing movies deserving of their stature.

I think the way you approached them is wrong, which is what most people before you (along with myself) have done. Don't expect a plot - these movies are not meant to have one. They are both character studies, and the proceedings relate to the character's emotions and feelings, rather than the character progressing the plot. I don't expect you to love these movies or watch them again immediately - but check them out again in a couple of years down the road. Like fine whiskey, their flavor will mature and you'll understand them better.