goodfellas (1990)

as i will be looking at goodfellas on a larger scale in a few weeks im not going to say too much about the film at this point, but will admit that going into this screening the film was a long time favourite.

goodfellas has one quality in abundance that is severely lacking from many of the films that it is often compared to. it is incredibly watchable. i cannot think of a single film in my life that i have seen as many times as scorsese's understated epic, nor can i think of many that are as downright enjoyable. from the pitch perfect voice-over (something im not usually a big fan of), to the pitch perfect soundtrack, goodfellas marks the pinnacle of martin scorsese's cinematic achievements.

the story of wiseguy henry hill (ray liotta), and his rise to notoriety, goodfellas is a truly epic story, which somehow conveys it in an intimate manner, in keeping with the close-cut nature of the "family" that hill is so proud to be a part of. while the tale is grand, the telling of it isnt, its close knit and specificly focussed, therefore thematically matching the backbone of the film. jimmy conway (robert de niro), hill's surrogate father figure of sorts, lends a level of cinematic authenticity that gives the film the draw it needs in terms of tying itself to the crime-drama genre, with joe pesci, in the films only academy award winning performance lends terrifying believability to the role of tommy deniro, hill's brother-in-arms.

for me it is the films sense of style that holds it above its contemporaries and fellow gangster-flicks; its use of freeze frame and close ups being among the finest examples of such behaviour. its apt that goodfellas came out in the first year of the 1990's, prior to the use of such techniques becoming overtly commonplace, as it maintains an air of authenticity somewhat lacking in much of the 1990's mtv-cut cinema. the key use of the freeze frame comes for this viewer at the point where hill tells of the respect his mother received from local kids, due to his connections. the accompanying shot, of hill destroying a fleet of cars via force of explosion not only contradicts the nature of his converse, showing faults within his character that will become more than apparent later on in the film, but aesthetically the frozen frame attaches it so well to the words that it spins the story into something more than simple boasting. its the same with the use of close-ups; there's a particular moment whereby hill's wife karen holds a gun to his sleeping head. the way in which the key details of the gun are focussed upon, piece by piece, at a pace that is forthright but leisurely spells out the tone of the film in that one scene. its very assured filmmaking.

the king of comedy (1982)

for some reason martin scorsese's 1982 drama has escaped my attention in the past, despite not only owning the film for nigh on 4 years, but also the fact that i consider myself to be something of an authority on scorsese. way back when, as a small boy studying media studies at 15 years old scorsese was the first "auteur" i came across, and the influence from then has stuck. as a young catholic (albeit now denounced), i found a striking point and relatability within his work that stll holds strong; the concept of the unshakable conscience most notably. having seen reference to the king of comedy an unusual amount of times this past week the choice was made to give it a shot.

robert de niro, scorsese's muse for much of the late 70's/early 80's section of his career plays rupert pupkin, aspiring entertainer and full time crackpot. much is made of the basic synopsis of the king of comedy, which is best/usually described as -

"rupert pupkin kidnaps talk-show host jerry langford (portrayed by jerry lewis) and holds him hostage in return for a shot at performing on his television show."

but for me the film is very much a character piece, with the actual plot serving only as a way to move things forward. de niro is on stellar form, in a role which reminds this viewer of his earlier work in the likes of mean streets, yet fell after raging bull. the scenes set in pupkins psyche remind just how versatile a performer de niro actually is, with the variation between the different types of pipkin on display great in difference. special mention must go to sandra bernhard as a stalker that makes pupkin's attitude toward celebrity look reasonable, in a performance that rivals play misty for me's jessica walter. having never been a huge fan of jerry lewis i must admit to being very impressed with his appearance, in a performance that countered that of de niro's really nicely. lewis toned down is indeed a welcome (and dare i say rare) treat.

i found the the central premise of the king of comedy to be highly relevent, despite the 26 years that have passed since its inception. its a tired old notion, but the role of celebrity in our culture is more prevailant than ever, with the meandering adventures of many-a-nobody reaching the national news in some cases. we live in a society whereby anyone can be famous for no apparent reason, which would perhaps be a mecca of sorts to the likes of rupert pupkin. saying that, perhaps pupkin would have despaired at the fragile and throwaway nature of the modern celebrity, besmirching the responsibility that he ties to such a role?

the young victoria (2009)

emily blunt stars as queen victoria in this martin scorsese produced pseudo-biopic. french filmmaker jean-marc vallée helms a competent enough picture, that is pleasingly enough while it lasts, but leaves little in the way of after effect. emily blunt and paul bettany both provide great performances, with rupert friend as prince albert being the key performance. he brings genuine sense of emotion towards the relationship between albert and victoria, with the final moments proving incredibly touching.