Martin Scorsese’s (Casino, The Wolf of Wall Street) Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer were my most anticipated movies of 2023. It had so much of what I look for in a movie. First and foremost, it had Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant, Revolutionary Road), my favorite actor. Secondly, it looked like a tension-driven drama with fiery characters enriched in their story and setting. Thirdly, it was based on a true story. When all things else are equal, I lean on based on actual story films as a deciding factor. Even with a ridiculous run time of 3 hours and 26 minutes, I was convinced that the gripping tale wouldn’t have me counting the minutes for the film to end, which I did on multiple occasions with Scorsese’s last film, the insufferable The Irishman. While Killers of the Flower Moon might struggle to finish in my end-of-year top ten list, it was a worthwhile theater-going experience. While it felt long at times, it certainly did not drag in the way that I feared it might. Scorsese dignifiedly shed light on an important story in our country’s history.
Category Archives: Martin Scorsese
The Irishman (2019)
Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) reunites with director Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street) for this crime drama that sees everything from the mob to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in this three-and-a-half-hour effort that, if you stick with it, will give at least some sense of satisfaction to those willing to endure it. This all-star cast, which includes Scorsese teaming with Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scent of a Woman) for the first time, also includes Joe Pesci (My Cousin Vinny, Casino), Harvey Keitel (Bugsy, The Piano), Anna Paquin (The Piano, Almost Famous), Ray Romano (The Big Sick, CBS’s Everybody Loves Raymond), Jesse Plemons (Hostiles, The Post), and Bobby Cannavale (I, Tonya, Ant-Man).
Shutter Island (2010)
Without a doubt, Martin Scorsese’s (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed) was one of my life’s most incredible theater movie experiences. I had been super excited for the movie since seeing its first preview six months or more before it came out. There was so much hype associated with the film that I was certain it couldn’t live up to the expectations. However, it not only met expectations but also surpassed them. This movie is a complete masterpiece and has only been dampened by the fact that the second viewing (an essential viewing for all film fans) wasn’t as awesome as I thought it would be. I thought I would gain some insight into knowing things about the movie I didn’t realize during my first viewing. Rather than capitalizing on this new knowledge, I found the second viewing rather dull. The excitement of seeing this film for the first time was what made it so great. This movie is also a much better view in the theater than at home, regardless of how big your home television might be. It’s a movie that needed to be seen in a dark theater full of other people viewing the film for the first time.
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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Street is the fifth collaboration between Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) and leading Hollywood man Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Revolutionary Road). With apologies to Gangs of New York, this is arguably their most daring work together. I would rank this as the third-best movie the duo has combined for. 2010’s Shutter Island is in my all-time top 15. This movie was magnificent in its storytelling and captivating ability to draw you in and keep you hooked for its duration. I think Shutter Island is Scorsese’s best work and, arguably, DiCaprio’s too. I know I am in the minority, and many people laugh at this notion, claiming that Shutter Island doesn’t even come close to cracking Scorsese’s all-time top five. I would rank The Wolf of Wall Street slightly below the departed and slightly above Gangs of New York. In my opinion, The Aviator is the worst of the bunch. Scorcese has eight Best Director Oscar nominations and one win (2006’s The Departed). The Wolf of Wall Street could earn him a ninth nomination, but it will not earn him a second win.
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