2023 Movie Log: October

1st: The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese (2013)
When this movie came out, I was in a time and place where a lot of people around me wanted to be Jordan Belfort. And I think, for that reason, I’ve always struggled a bit with this film because I ultimately want it to be more biting. But I do think this film is in fact more unsettling and just more honest with the approach Scorsese takes. It’s a testament and not a shortcoming that the end of this movie just leaves me feeling completely empty.
Grade: B+

2nd: Bringing Out the Dead – Martin Scorsese (1999)
I was pretty skeptical of this one for the first 45mins or so and then something must have just flipped where I completely settled into the world and tone of the film. It’s not my favorite Scorsese by any means and I’m not sure it even totally works, but I kind of love what he’s going for. Also, as everyone knows, Prisoner of Azkaban is the best Harry Potter film and now I know where Cuarón got the filming and editing approach for the Knight Bus sequence. Also also, shoutout to Marty for the “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” needle drop which is my personal “Gimme Shelter”. I suppose “King of Comedy” was too close to home to use.
Grade: B

6th: Cape Fear – Martin Scorsese (1991)
Absolutely insane movie but I kind of loved it. De Niro is legitimately scary in this role.
Grade: B

10th: The Aviator – Martin Scorsese (2004)
To me, this might be the most underrated or overlooked work in Scorsese’s filmography. The old Hollywood segments, especially, are tremendous. It makes me wish he would make a full feature in that setting (Howard Hawks biopic anyone?). I also can’t overstate how fucking good Leo is in this movie. Gangs of New York is a film that doesn’t work for a lot of reasons and I think Leo gets blamed a little unfairly for a pretty tough role. But the leveling up he does as an actor in the two years between these films is unbelievable.
Grade: B+

15th: Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain – Morgan Neville (2021)
Man, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to take some time before writing anything here to gather my thoughts on this film. But I don’t think I’m anywhere closer than I was 10 days ago. There is something really moving and exciting in hearing those closest to Bourdain talk about him. It’s delightful to see old footage of him in the days long before he had the tv thing all figured out. But there’s something fundamentally wrong at the heart of this film. And look, I’m not trying to say I’m above it. Of course people want to know why someone that they loved would take their own life. But, as tempting as that question is, it’s one that we’ll never get an answer to. For this movie to morph into that investigation for its second half feels gross and exploitative in the worst way. That the film basically pins it on one person who they don’t bother to have participate in the film is awful. It’s all just really disheartening. I wish I hadn’t watched this, especially when there’s so much art that Bourdain left behind himself. To anyone on the fence about this documentary, engage with that stuff instead.
Grade: D+

19th: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – Martin Scorsese (1974)
This is so good, I’m sorry I overlooked it this long. Decades later, it also presents a really fascinating time to look back at for Scorsese. In 1973, you get Mean Streets in which Scorsese really solidifies the style and type of films he’ll go on to be known for for the next 50 years. But just one year after Mean Streets there’s this, which now feels a bit like an anomaly in his career. In many ways though, I think it anticipates the many turns and explorations he takes over his career. It’s smaller, more intimate, and introspective.
Grade: B+

19th: Boxcar Bertha – Martin Scorsese (1972)
Totally fine but pretty lifeless. Thank god for John Cassavetes.
Grade: C+

21st: Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese (2023)
Not enough I can say about this film. Already eagerly anticipating multiple rewatches. I was curious how Scorsese would transform a story based on historical record into something personal and moving. How do you tell a story about conspiracy and genocide that doesn’t feel like it’s exploiting that story for the sake of entertainment or mystery? Of course, he does it masterfully. I was surprised by how much the film rearranges the structure of the book and in all honestly, I was more moved and impacted by the film than the book (not that it’s an either/or). For most of Scorsese’s career, his films are filled with a palpable vitriol and outward rage that leaps off the screen. To me, it seems like this run of late masterpieces (Silence, Irishman, KOTFM), have transformed this anger into something just as poignant. It’s not completely a resignation, but more of an inward lament at lives, forces, and wrongs that are unchangeable.
Grade: A

22nd: New York, New York – Martin Scorsese (1977)
I really tried to like this movie and I just can’t. Appreciate what Scorsese is trying to do with the big sets. Love that Clarence Clemons is here. But man oh man, De Niro is just detestable as a protagonist. I still can’t look away from him, but it really does nothing for the movie or story as a whole.
Grade: D+

24th: Kundun – Martin Scorsese (1997)
There’s a good movie in here. I think the second half, especially, is really compelling. I know the scope of the project is Kundun’s life, but I think this works much better if you skip ahead of the baby and the child years.
Grade: C

30th: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan – Martin Scorsese (2005)
Fantastic. Maybe I’m reading too much into the later Scorsese/Dylan doc, “Rolling Thunder Revue,” but I love that you never quite take Dylan at his word here. It’s a really clever mixture of archival footage and commentary. You see one thing, you hear an explanation, sometimes it adds up, sometimes it doesn’t.
Grade: B+

31st: The Village – M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
I have never been more delighted by anything than the “twist” in this movie. Inconceivable to me that a script this bad could get made. How did nobody tell him?
Grade: D-