Gangs of New York (2002): Scorsese’s Violent, Sprawling, Dull, Uninvolving Epic, Starring DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson

November 23, 2010 by

Though nominated for 10 Academy Awards (and losing each one of them), “Gangs of New York” is one of Martin Scorsese’s weakest epic films, a sprawling tale of revenge and violence, which does not even look right; the film was hot on sound stages in Rome’s Cine Citta.

 

 

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Shutter Island

February 3, 2010 by

The new trashy horror noir, "Shutter Island," based on Dennis Lehane's popular novel, represents a mid-range and mid-achievement for Scorsese. The film is dense in imagery but not rich enough in ideas, entertaining but not entirely gripping, stylistically overwrought without being truly poignant, but DiCaprio is both terrific and terrifying.

New trailer emanuellevy.com/videos/view.cfm?id=96.

 

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Shutter Island: Scorsese’s Derivative Film, B-Level Genre Picture about Paranoia that Never Comes Together, Starring DiCaprio, Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio Mark Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow

January 29, 2010 by

Based on Dennis Lehan’s 2003 best-selling novel, Shutter Island is Scorsese’s derivative genre picture, elevated (up to a point) by DiCaprio, Ruffalo, and the other actors.

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Departed, The (2006): Scorsese’s Oscar Card, Enjoyable if Overstuffed and Overdressed Crime Saga, Set (for a change) in Boston, Driven by All-Star Ensemble, in which the Character Actors (Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg) Get their Due Screen Time, Alongside DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson

September 23, 2006 by

“The Departed,” the gritty crime-gangster drama, is Scorsese’s most accomplished film since the 1990 Goodfellas, even if it’s overlong, overstuffed, and exhausting to watch.

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Aviator, The (2004): Scorsese’s Glitzy but Hollow Biopic of Howard Hughes Starring DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett Mimicking Katharine Hepburn in What Oscar Voters Consider (Wrongly) Great Acting

December 11, 2004 by

The Aviator, Scorsese’s entertaining biopic of the young Howard Hughes, is his response to criticism that he is not a storyteller and can’t make a commercial movie for the mass public.

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