Raging Bull [1980]
Extreme violence can sometimes be extremely beautiful, just look at Raging Bull: the gorgeous, black and white cinematography by Michael Chapman, the blend of fast cuts and slow motion; of intense, shouty drama and light humor, and those painstakingly choreographed fight sequences. Yes, Scorsese creates beauty out of the bloody story of Jake LaMotta, a great boxer and a disgraceful man. Robert De Niro took Method acting to new heights as LaMotta, with an intense training regime followed by an unprecedented weight gain. His dedication to the role, one of just two that have gained him Academy Awards, is evident. He’s at his scenery-chewing best. Anybody in a movie with De Niro runs the risk of being overshadowed, but Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci more than hold their own against the juggernaut actor.
This is some of the finest filmmaking in existsance as far as I’m concerned.
All this talk of a sequel/prequel makes me cringe.
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Worst idea ever. I’m glad Scorsese nor De Niro will be involved in this idiocy.
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Still curious about the sequel-prequel combo. As in I loved the film so much that I’m curious to see how they’re going to screw up. They also “sequelizating” Forrest Gump (Gump & Co.), Dumb and Dumber (untitled), Blade Runner (untitled), the Night of the Living Dead series (Day of the Dead), The Departed (currently called Departed 2, I think), and more. I think they should all (except Blade Runner, for which I’d love a sequel) be left alone, especially Forrest Gump; there just doesn’t seem like there’s a point.
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Terrible ideas. Unnecessary doesn’t even begin to describe those films.
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Throughout his illustrious career, this is probably my favourite of Scorsese’s. I also think DeNiro’s performance is the defines “acting”. Brando had the reputation for taking it to different levels but DeNiro set a benchmark with this. It is the ultimate performance in cinema history, making him, in my opinion, the master of the craft.
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De Niro is an acting god. My favorite Scorsese movie i an underrated one, Casino.
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I want to see this so fucking badly. I love a good fight movie, and Scorsese would probably make that ten time better. Great review.
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Thanks. You should definitely check it out. The fight scenes are perfect.
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Just about as perfect as one flick can get. I love De Niro’s performance here and gives one of best and most effed up anti-heroes of all-time. I know anti-hero may not be the right word to describe him by but he still seemed like a deeply flawed person that you could still like. Good review.
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Thanks, man!
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Another great review and another film I have yet to see! Think I will have to stick this one on the rental list 🙂
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Yes, you should see it soon. Cinematography’s gorgeous, and the fight scenes and acting are superb.
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Another great review, and another film I have yet to see! I think I’ll have to stick Raging Bull on the rental list after reading this 🙂
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I’ve never seen this, but now I want to. Great review mate!
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Thanks! 🙂
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Just went to the library and rented this. I also rented La vita è bella (Life Is Beautiful), The Silence of the Lambs, and The Prestige.
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Nice selection! Liked Raging Bull and Silence a lot, LOVE The Prestige and I haven’t watched La Vita e Bella in full, but I hate Roberto Benigni.
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I hate Benigni, too, so that may be why I gave Life is Beautiful a C-, haha. He was such an idiot in that film. Don’t watch it if you hate him.
Anyway, I just watched Raging Bull. I much more than loved it.
http://themoviefreakblog.com/2012/05/20/review-raging-bull/
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Since I love black and white cinematography, I was delighted to watch a 1980s film with these looks. One of the best, if not the best, contribution between De Niro and Scorese, this movie sure made Martin’s career go back to top.
Don’t forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! 🙂
Greetings!
Le
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Thanks a lot for dropping by, Le. It’s a great film and the cinematography is amazing.
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