Taxi Driver

[Coldneck]

I don't disagree with any of that Butch. Scorsese > Fincher by a mile. I just don't see what you see in that clip you posted. I guess that is why it's your favorite movie and I think is just pretty good.

[rok]

I don't see how you can't feel the tension in that scene, but maybe that's just me (and Butch). Everything about it, from the editing, the camera angles, the dialogue, the moody score, etc. always gives me a feeling of dread and that you don't know what's coming.

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=55143:date=Aug 3 2009, 02:19 PM:name=Coldneck)-->QUOTE (Coldneck @ Aug 3 2009, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I don't disagree with any of that Butch. Scorsese > Fincher by a mile. I just don't see what you see in that clip you posted. I guess that is why it's your favorite movie and I think is just pretty good.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fair enough.

I also think my definition of what is scary is a little different from what most people think. Horror movies rarely scare me. Shock, startle, repulse? Absolutely. And I love horror movies. A movie like Taxi Driver is really scary to me because it's just about a (somewhat) regular guy who has a hard time fitting in and relating to people. It also deals with more common themes that most people have to deal with in their own lives -- isolation, paranoia, jealousy, etc. He isn't a psychopath -- he's just a guy that has spiraled out of control. To contrast that with Seven -- John Doe didn't seem like a real guy to me (even his name suggests this). He was more like the personification of evil. It was effective, and I had an incredibly visceral reaction to Seven when I first saw it. And the ending was damn-near perfect.

The most effective scene in Taxi Driver, to me, was when Travis calls Betsy on the pay phone and as he's talking to her (you can only hear his end of the conversation), the camera slowly pans away from him to look down the long, empty hallway. The rejection is too much for the camera (or the audience) to bear. But when he goes on the rampage at the end, in contrast, Scorsese films a lot of it in slow motion, so the audience sees it all. The contrast of those two scenes makes each one that much more meaningful.

So, the Scorsese/cheating wife scene. Not only do I think Scorsese amps up the tension to an almost unbearable level -- the way Scorsese keeps repeating himself as Travis just listens and looks, but you can see that in some way a tiny seed has been planted in Travis's mind there. That becomes clear when he buys the guns from the guy later in the film.

That's the kind of thing that's scary to me. Travis, this lonely, isolated guy feels powerless and rejected. But he finds a source of power and comfort in buying a bunch of guns. That feels much more real to me. In fact, the two kids from the Columbine tragedy? I'd say there's a pretty strong parallel there.

Seven is almost more of an allegory, IMO. Again, I'm not saying it isn't an incredibly effective movie. It is. It just didn't scare me as much as Taxi Driver.

All of that said, I will again emphasize that I recognize subjectivity in film. My take isn't necessarily the right take.

[veryzer]

<!--quoteo(post=55139:date=Aug 3 2009, 02:17 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Aug 3 2009, 02:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Again, art and film are pretty subjective, so I'm not saying you guys are wrong. To each his own.

I will guarantee you this, though...

If you gathered a group of the most well-respected movie critics and asked them Fincher or Scorsese, the vote would be unanimous in favor of Scorsese.

That isn't to say Fincher isn't incredibly talented or a really good director. He is. Seven, Fight Club, and Panic Room were all outstanding. But Scorsese is in a league of his own. He has changed the face of American cinema. And I'm sure if you asked Tarantino, Fincher, or pretty much any other director of their ilk working today, they would all tell you that Scorsese is a huge influence on their work.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


i don't argue with any of that. fortunately, i am not a man swayed by what everyone else thinks.

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=55167:date=Aug 3 2009, 03:50 PM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Aug 3 2009, 03:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=55139:date=Aug 3 2009, 02:17 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Aug 3 2009, 02:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Again, art and film are pretty subjective, so I'm not saying you guys are wrong. To each his own.

I will guarantee you this, though...

If you gathered a group of the most well-respected movie critics and asked them Fincher or Scorsese, the vote would be unanimous in favor of Scorsese.

That isn't to say Fincher isn't incredibly talented or a really good director. He is. Seven, Fight Club, and Panic Room were all outstanding. But Scorsese is in a league of his own. He has changed the face of American cinema. And I'm sure if you asked Tarantino, Fincher, or pretty much any other director of their ilk working today, they would all tell you that Scorsese is a huge influence on their work.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


i don't argue with any of that. fortunately, i am not a man swayed by what everyone else thinks.
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I'm glad for you.

I don't like Scorsese because the critics like him, by the way. All I'm saying is that I'm not some sort of retard for thinking Taxi Driver is better than Seven.

[veryzer]

and a couple other points:

1. "se7en" didn't sacre me either. to me, it wasn't suppoosed to scare you. it was supposed to disturb you and to make you think, which it accomplished very very well. it wasn't even the ending. it was the whole movie. i could not get it out of my head. it bothered me for weeks.

2. fincher also directed "the game" and "zodiac." he may not be in the same ball park as scorcese, but he will. of that i am convinced.

3. the scene with scorcese in the cab was a real good scene. didn't scare me, but it was disturbing. i have tremendous respect for scorcese because he's a pioneer and a visionary, but his movies don't touch me the way tarantino, fincher and nolan do, to name a few.

4. fncher also directed "benjamin button" and that movie blew. that scares me. i like him when he's dark. i have no desire to see him directed "forrest gump" type movies.

[rok]

I love Tarantino, I really do, but in what way do his movies "touch" you? I'm really curious, and I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I recognize his movies for what they are, but I just view them as pure pop-culture, derivative entertainment. Maybe this is because I'm familiar with a lot of the films that he has based his movies on, but I don't know. I just don't feel a personal connection with his films.

[veryzer]

<!--quoteo(post=55173:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I love Tarantino, I really do, but in what way do his movies "touch" you? I'm really curious, and I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I recognize his movies for what they are, but I just view them as pure derivative entertainment. Maybe this is because I'm familiar with a lot of the films that he has based his movies on, but I don't know. I just don't feel a personal connection with his films.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


maybe "touch" was the wrong way to put it. i don't come away from his movies necessarily with a different view on life or emotionally richer. i just love everything about his movies. i find them wildly entertaining and that especially includes the dialogue. i love the over the top violence, the pop culture refences, the strong female leads, everything. i can't explain it. i'm just not verbose enough.

the fact is, every time he makes a movie, i have to force myself not to watch them over and over. i'm like a little kid.

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=55175:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:18 PM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Aug 3 2009, 04:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=55173:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM:name=rok)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rok @ Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I love Tarantino, I really do, but in what way do his movies "touch" you? I'm really curious, and I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I recognize his movies for what they are, but I just view them as pure pop-culture, derivative entertainment. Maybe this is because I'm familiar with a lot of the films that he has based his movies on, but I don't know. I just don't feel a personal connection with his films.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


maybe "touch" was the wrong way to put it. i don't come away from his movies necessarily with a different view on life or emotionally richer. i just love everything about his movies. i find them wildly entertaining and that especially includes the dialogue. i love the over the top violence, the pop culture refences, the strong female leads, everything. i can't explain it. i'm just not verbose enough.

the fact is, every time he makes a movie, i have to force myself not to watch them over and over. i'm like a little kid.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's a pretty good assessment. And as I said, I love his movies too for the pure entertainment value.

[veryzer]

<!--quoteo(post=55178:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:25 PM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Aug 3 2009, 04:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=55175:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:18 PM:name=veryzer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (veryzer @ Aug 3 2009, 04:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=55173:date=Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM:name=rok)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rok @ Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I love Tarantino, I really do, but in what way do his movies "touch" you? I'm really curious, and I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I recognize his movies for what they are, but I just view them as pure pop-culture, derivative entertainment. Maybe this is because I'm familiar with a lot of the films that he has based his movies on, but I don't know. I just don't feel a personal connection with his films.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


maybe "touch" was the wrong way to put it. i don't come away from his movies necessarily with a different view on life or emotionally richer. i just love everything about his movies. i find them wildly entertaining and that especially includes the dialogue. i love the over the top violence, the pop culture refences, the strong female leads, everything. i can't explain it. i'm just not verbose enough.

the fact is, every time he makes a movie, i have to force myself not to watch them over and over. i'm like a little kid.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's a pretty good assessment. And as I said, I love his movies too for the pure entertainment value.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


it's really not a good assessment though. i just don't know how to put into words what i feel. that's why i could never be a critic. i know why i like things (or dislike them) but i just don't know how to say it.

[Lance]

I've seen every movie Tarantino has made and I love them all. Pulp Fiction is my all time favorite. However, I showed this movie to my girlfriend and she asked, "so what was the point of all of that?" I really didn't have an answer. So I get what Rok is saying about him--and he's always very eloquent when it comes to movie reviews.

He's spot on when he says that Tarantino does "pop culture, derivative entertainment". And again, I love Tarantino--but I think Scorcese is operating on a much deeper level.

[funkster]

Martin S. and Tarantino's movies always seem to have music that coincides PERFECTLY with each scene of their movies. I love that about both of them. Just listen to the soundtrack thats playing in that scene where Nicky is driving through the desert to meet Ace. Super ominous.

Casino is required watching for any Chicagoan....all that famous Chicago mob history is in there. I live on Noble and Grand which is the neighborhood where half the characters from that movie were from.

[kbwsb]

Yeah, I read where, for some reason, they were not allowed to say "Chicago," so in the flick they just say "back home." But the story is definitely Chicago-based.

[veryzer]

<!--quoteo(post=55261:date=Aug 3 2009, 08:08 PM:name=Lance)-->QUOTE (Lance @ Aug 3 2009, 08:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I've seen every movie Tarantino has made and I love them all. Pulp Fiction is my all time favorite. However, I showed this movie to my girlfriend and she asked, "so what was the point of all of that?" I really didn't have an answer. So I get what Rok is saying about him--and he's always very eloquent when it comes to movie reviews.

He's spot on when he says that Tarantino does "pop culture, derivative entertainment". And again, I love Tarantino--but I think Scorcese is operating on a much deeper level.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

maybe i'm the one that's not all that deep.

i just know that when you watch a tarantino movie you see things you don't ever see in movies and you see alot of things that you've already seen in movies. his ability to take old ideas and breathe new life into them is what makes him a genius.

[Coldneck]

This whole George Sodini Gym shooting kind of reminds me of Travis Bickle.