Raging Bull (1980)

 

On the set: Joe Pesci & Robert De Niro

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

 

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

The rare case of a sequel to a masterpiece improving, expanding and deepening the scope of the original; one of the greatest movies ever made.

On renewed viewing: Evey new viewing leaves me in complete amazement over its mastery.

Halliwell****: "Complex gangster movie, explaining the present in terms of the past and providing a comprehensive view of American society, full of good scenes and performances."

Maltin****: "They say it couldn't be done, but cowriter-director Coppola made a sequel that's just as compelling."

 

Hi, Mom! (1970)

 

A Vietnam vet moves into an apartment and views in other people's windows across the street, meets one of the women, and discovers black theater. 

Another early De Palma satire this time around has a more focused narrative with Robert De Niro as its main protagonist, better, if not always good humor and some imaginative sequences.

Halliwell*: "Busy comedy of the drop-out life, full of random satirical jabs and homages to other filmmakers."

 

 

The Wedding Party (1969)

 

Buddies try to talk a bridegroom out of it, after meeting the bride's stuffy parents.

Chatty, wildly meandering satire has its moments, but only occasionally shows much wit, and generally outstays its welcome.

Maltin*1/2: "Talky, corny, boring comic oddity...Self-consciously directed..." 

Greetings (1968)

 

3 friends in NYC discuss how to dodge the draft and Vietnam, JFK assassination, voyeurism, computer dating etc. 

Made with a good sense for cinematic images and sequences and with some wit (albeit not always in good taste), nicely photographed on location, this student film has a rather sprawling narrative and is mostly a hit-and-run affair.

Halliwell*: "Kaleidoscopic stringing together of fleeting satirical bits; talent undeniable but equally uncontrolled."

Maltin***: "Loose, informal, improvisational satire...Exudes a late '60s N.Y.C.-Greenwich Village ambience not to be found in any Hollywood feature." 

Godsend (2004)

A couple agree to have their deceased son cloned, under the supervision of an enigmatic doctor, but bizarre things start to happen several years after his rebirth.

Good premise is rolled out into a cliche-ridden and unmemorable horror tale despite having a capable star cast.

Maltin**1/2: "Good performances and an interesting premise reel us in, but then the filmmakers string us along, teasing us about where the story is headed. It doesn't pay off."

Joker (2019)

In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime.

Dark and intense dive into a madman's mind is a fascinating as well as disturbing experience, largely due to Joaquin Phoenix's frenetic, mesmerizing performance.

The Irishman (2019)

A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.

A return to form for Martin Scorsese (and for both Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci as well) once again intensely analyzing mob mentality, but with mature mastery and a more subtle and at times even humorous approach and, nonetheless, with great emotional power.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

The U.S. Vietnam War impacts and disrupts the lives of people in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania.

From memory (multiple viewings): Controversial for its biased depiction of the Vietnam War, this masterpiece explores the war's impact on an average American community; stellar performances throughout, excellent cinematography and many meticulously staged, often highly intense and harrowing sequences makes it a thoroughly exhausting cinematic experience.

Halliwell*: "The three-hour running time is taken up with crosscutting of a wedding, a deer hunt and a game of Russian roulette. Presumably the audience has to guess the point, if any; meanwhile it may be repelled by this long and savage if frequently engrossing film."

Maltin****: "Stunning film...Long but not overlong, this sensitive, painful, evocative work packs an emotional wallop."

Raging Bull (1980)

The rise and fall of the prizefighter Jake LaMotta.

A remarkable masterpiece in black and white carving a character study out of the downward spiral of its protagonist's life.

Halliwell****: "Tough, compelling, powerfully made ringside melodrama. A poll of American critics voted it the best movie of the 1980s."

Maltin****: "Extraordinarily compelling...That such an unappealing  man could inspire so vivid a portrait is a tribute to the collaboration Scorsese, De Niro, and writers Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. There's not a false note in characterization or period detail."

 

The Intern (2015)

A seventy-year-old widower has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be; seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site.

Likable comedy with a great premise is quite amusing and Robert De Niro delivers one of his best performances in recent years (although his character is almost too good to be true); However, as so often in this genre, the movie does drift into sentimentality towards the end.

New acquisition: De Palma & De Niro

Raging Bull (1980)

The Untouchables (1987)

Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

Streamlined entertainment without any depth; quite enjoyable for ist sheer professionalism in all departments.

Halliwell**: "The long-running TV show is given a new polish in this showy, violent gangster picture, which seemed to please all classes."

Maltin****: "High-energy entertainment that packs a wallop...Fluidly (and flamboyantly) filmed, with powerhouse performances by Connery..., and De Niro, as a grandiose Al Capone. Climactic shoot-out, with echoes of POTEMKIN, will have you on the edge of your seat!"

Robert De Niro

Mean Streets (1973)

 

 

A small-time hood aspires to work his way up the ranks of a local mob. 

 

Amazingly realistic drama following the everyday lives of small times hoodlums; expertly staged with excellent performances throughout.

 

Halliwell****: "Relentlessly sordid melodrama with a good eye for realistic detail. The first film in which Scorsese announced himself as a major talent and discovered the subject matter that has served him so well."

 

Maltin***: "Masterpiece...Technically dazzling film put director Scorsese on the map and deservedly so." 

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Robert De Niro

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_De_Niro

Heist (2015)

A father is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment, and as a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino.

Fairly effective thriller with some good (albeit improbable) twists; cast is good, and De Niro gets the opportunity to play a tough, but complex wiseguy character.