Eric Furiosa

Think that's enough, at least for right now. I'll see if I'll do more tonight, especially because we're soon getting into the Scorsese movies some of you likely would love to hear me talk about. Still, I hope you're enjoying my writing so far and hopefully you'll be intrigued to check out some of these more obscure titles.

#23 New York, New York (1977) 38 pts, 9 lists "Do I look like a gentleman to you in this shirt and these pants?" Top 10 placements: 3 Box Office: $16.4 million Rotten Tomatoes: 58% Metacritic: 64 Awards: 4 Golden Globe nominations, #31 on AFI's Top 100 Songs (2004) Roger Ebert’s Review: "Martin Scorcese's "New York, New York" never pulls itself together into a coherent whole, but if we forgive the movie its confusions we're left with a good time. In other words: Abandon your expectations of an orderly plot, and you'll end up humming the title song. The movie's a vast, rambling, nostalgic expedition back into the big band era, and a celebration of the considerable talents of Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro." BOT User Review: Its Legacy: The final appearance of Jack Haley. Spawned the iconic Frank Sinatra cover of the title theme. Said theme now synonymous with New York City, sadly led to Martin Scorsese going into a downward spiral and depression. Gave Liza Minnelli a paycheck. Commentary: Weird to think that Martin Scorsese once made a musical. This was essentially a blank check moment for Scorsese. An attempt to experiment and try something new, fresh off his big break with Taxi Driver. The film tried to go against the typical grit and realism Martin was famous for, in favor of a Classical Hollywood homage. And ultimately, the film is considered a bit of a hodgepodge. It tries to be a 40s musical tribute, yet also blends itself with Scorsese’s dirt and grime, a blend that didn’t get many invested and bombed in theaters. In fact, the film’s failures sadly led to Scorsese going down a dark path in depression and drugs. There’s been reappraisal since then, and many entries here put the film up solidly high on their list. And it’s understandable why, with a compelling romance as its focus, and absolute icon Liza Minelli front and center. If anything, the fact this is considered one of the weaker Scorsese pictures despite having so much that works well says a lot about how good Martin is as a filmmaker.

#24 The Last Waltz (1978) 24 pts, 5 lists "'"Well, son, you won't make much money, but you'll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra.'" Top 10 placements: 1 Box Office: $340,687 Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Metacritic: 88 Awards: In New York Times' Best 1000 Movies Ever Made (2003), 3X Platinum for the album Roger Ebert’s Review: Watching this film, the viewer with mercy will be content to allow the musicians to embrace closure, and will not demand an encore. Yet I give it three stars? Yes, because the film is such a revealing document of a time. BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: Hailed as one of the greatest concert movies ever made. Serves as the send-off for The Band. A showcase of iconic rock talent. Joined the National Film Registry in 2019. Gave Rick Danko a paycheck. Commentary: This is the last non-narrative film on the countdown, and I think this is a good note to end things on...no pun intended. This details the farewell concert for The Band, alongside other rock icons like Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. I’ll admit that I’m not very familiar with The Band, apart from that one joke from Animaniacs (real ones know what I'm talking about), but I get the appeal here as an outsider. Seeing some of the greatest musicians of the sixties and seventies perform some of their most noteworthy tunes to a giant adoring crowd? How can you not love this stuff? And at the same time, the film is interspersed with interview segments from Scorsese with The Band’s members, as they reminisce about days gone by. And not in the best light, as the rock and roll lifestyle is finally having its negative impacts. The road and being a musician isn’t as glamorous as people think it is, and these interviews allow The Last Waltz to serve two distinct purposes. It’s a thrilling concert with iconic numbers, as well as a melancholy time capsule at the beginning of the end for The Band and their compatriots. Harrowing, but still electric. Makes perfect sense this is considered one of the greatest concert films in history.

#25 Who’s That Knocking At My Door (1967) 21 pts, 7 lists " Everybody should like westerns" Box Office: $16,085 Rotten Tomatoes: 70% Metacritic: 63 Awards: N/A Roger Ebert’s Review: To be sure, Scorsese was occasionally too obvious, and the film has serious structural flaws, but nobody who loves movies believes a perfect one will ever be made. What we hope for instead are small gains on the fronts of hope, love, comedy and tragedy. It is possible that with more experience and maturity Scorsese will direct more polished, finished films--but this work, completed when he was 25, contains a frankness he may have diluted by then. BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: The one that started it all. Harvey Keitel's acting debut. Appeared at the 1967 Chicago Film Festival. Gave Harry Northup a paycheck. Commentary: It’s the one that started it all. Unfortunately, this is still very much a Scorsese film from his peach fuzz era, where he didn't know what he really wanted to do. A combination of several student shorts, the film was criticized for its lack of cohesion and a sloppy, slapdash structure. At the same time however, what makes the film so compelling today is how so many of the film’s ideas and characters would be constants in future Scorsese titles. Our hero J.R., portrayed by Harvey Keitel in his first ever film role, is struggling with Catholic guilt, a topic everybody who likes Martin’s work is familiar with. J.R. is also unique as a complex, confusing figure. He doesn’t have strong values, nor is he vicious. He’s a complex, confusing figure, somebody you’re not supposed to sympathize with, but still find engaging and relatable. That's the Scorsese protagonist blueprint. But with that said...yes, there are better films from Martin that do these topics and characters much, much better. So while there isn’t merit to the film, it makes sense why this ranks so low. Even so, it is fascinating to see that this man, while far from the auteur he would soon become, did have his own vision and ideas about what movies he wanted to make. And that has to count for something.

https://deadline.com/2021/12/weekend-box-office-encanto-spider-man-no-way-home-1234884813/

#26 Italianamerican (1974) 18 pts, 5 lists "I'll murder you. You won't get out of this house alive!" Top 10 placements: 1 Box Office: N/A Rotten Tomatoes: N/A Metacritic: N/A Awards: Critic Review: "Martin Scorsese’s 1974 documentary, arriving a year after Mean Streets, is an unfussy, unfiltered document, mostly consisting of his mother Catherine and father Charles sitting in their New York City apartment, cooking and eating a meal, and sharing memories as children of Italian immigrants. The delight is in the couple’s particular dynamic—the playful, blunt Catherine eager to be the star and Charles’ eagerness to let her have the spotlight—as well as the way it works as a time capsule of interior design." - Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: A unique time capsule of Martin Scorsese's family and home life. Joined the Criterion Collection in 2020. Spawned The Scorsese Family Cookbook in 1996. Commentary: This is a fairly obscure film in the Scorsese canon, even compared to his other documentaries. You can only find the film (legally that is) on the Criterion Channel and the Criterion Collection title “Scorsese Shorts”. So it says a lot that, while low on the list, it still managed to beat out Boxcar Bertha despite being on fewer lists. This 49-minute doc is nothing more than a home movie, with Scorsese interviewing and chatting with his parents Catherine and Charles and their lives growing up as Italian immigrants. Scorsese’s Italian heritage has always been a presence in many of his movies. Hell, his parents frequently appeared in his movies up until both of them passed away. But this is the film that’s all about what his family went through. The struggles Italy had after the war, the poverty and hardships Italian immigrants faced when moving to America. It’s still relevant and relatable for many viewers, Italian or not. But even then, it’s also a movie about how cool and awesome your parents are, a theme/concept I’ve always held close to my heart. And most important of all, you get to learn how Catherine Scorsese makes meatballs, with the recipe featured in the end credits. If that doesn’t excite you, I don’t think anything will.

#27 Boxcar Bertha (1972) 16 pts, 7 lists "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." Box Office: N/A Rotten Tomatoes: 52% Metacritic: 61 Awards: N/A Roger Ebert’s Review: Scorsese remains one of the bright young hopes of American movies. His brilliant first film won the 1968 Chicago Film Festival as "I Call First" and later played as "Who's That Knocking at My Door?" He was an assistant editor and director of "Woodstock," and now, many frustrated projects later, here is his first conventional feature. He is good with actors, good with his camera and determined to take the grade-zilch exploitation film and bend it to his own vision. Within the limits of the film's possibilities, he has succeeded. BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: Scorsese's first and last attempt of an exploitation piece. Continued Roger Corman's dominance as a producer in the genre. Inspired John Cassavetes to push Scorsese away from these films and to make better, more personal films. Gave David Carradine a paycheck. Commentary: There’s a good reason why this is all the way at the bottom. Simply put, Boxcar Bertha, an already obscure picture, is mainly known as the black sheep of Martin's filmography. The reason is because the movie, simply put...doesn’t feel at all like a Scorsese picture. This was produced by independent film trailblazer Roger Corman and this has his fingerprints all over it. Corman is far from a bad filmmaker or even a producer, but this low-budget piece, full of gratuitous and unnecessary sex and violence, is just not something Martin would have made, especially when his career truly took off one year later with Mean Streets. This was Scorsese’s first and last exploitation film, serving as a low-budget attempt to capitalize on the massive success of Bonnie and Clyde. Yet it failed to engage many, with many citing that despite all the sex and violence, it’s a largely dull affair. A film for Scorsese completists and die-hards, but very few else. But like I always say, even failures have value. And with the advice of John Cassavetes, Scorsese would focus on making films personal to him and his interests. This would lead to Mean Streets the following year, and the rest is basically history. It makes sense why this is at the bottom, but this doesn’t make it all bad. If anything, it paved the way for something greater.

This weekend is boring. Why don't you guys come on down over to my Martin Scorsese Countdown thread, where I reveal the consensus of what are the best Scorsese films according to the members of this forum? The first few entries should be up in a little bit

So before we actually begin this list, I do wanna give out some important honorable mentions. The following films were movies that only appeared on 1-2 lists, so I feel there's not too much to say, and honestly I think most people here wouldn't read up on what I said for these movies anyways. I’m sure some will be disappointed, but I also have to do write-ups for 27 other movies, so understand that things are pretty busy for me. A Personal Journey Through Movies with Martin Scorsese - 9 pts, 2 lists No Direction Home: Bob Dylan - 8 pts, 2 lists Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese - 7 pts, 2 lists Shine a Light - 6 pts, 2 lists My Voyage to Italy - 5 pts, 1 list American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - 3 pts, 1 list George Harrison: Living in the Material World - 3 pts, 1 list Public Speaking - 2 points, 1 list Thank you so very much to both @BestPicturePlutoNash and @Fancyarcher for going above and beyond the call of duty and adding these obscure titles to your list. You didn't have to, but you felt your list was incomplete without them and I truly appreciate that. The first real ranking will be up in a wee bit.

Sorry for the delay, but we're finally kicking off the Scorsese countdown properly. Keitel, De Niro, and DiCaprio will all get their fair dues and we get to look over a man with a varied, complex, and engaging filmography unlike anything else. But before we begin, here's just a few fun statistics for you guys. -25 people sent in a list. A bit lower than the Spielberg countdown, though it's understandable since the latter's films have bigger box office numbers to them. -Nobody submitted a list that featured every single movie. Which makes sense because, again, a lot of these were obscure documentaries that won't be the most exciting viewing options. -In contrast, 5 people submitted a list that contained all 25 narrative Scorsese features. Shout outs to them for going above and beyond. -Only two of his narrative films failed to rank on anybody's top 10. So there was solid support for just about every film. -In fact, 10 different movies got ranked #1. By comparison, Spielberg had six different movies rank #1. That kind of goes to show how interesting these lists are, as well as Martin's work as a director, because not everybody will agree on what's his best movie. -#1 and #2, without spoilers, was a tough call. Both films flipped positions every time some new lists came in, and the winner won it all just by one single point. If one more list was added in, things probably would have changed dramatically. -"This movie I hate ranked higher than a movie I like? I lost all my respect for this list!" Yes, believe it or not, the general consensus of the forums will not automatically fit your tastes and sensibilities. All I ask is to please try to be respectful and courteous during the duration of this countdown, both to myself and to fellow BOT members. You don't have to agree with this, but you can act like a gentleman. -If you are going to complain about something, and you didn't submit a list, just know that it's on you. Much like with government elections, you can't complain about something if you didn't vote in the first place. The first batch of rankings should be up in a little bit, so cheers!

https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/box-office-encanto-house-of-gucci-second-week-1235126013/

Movie Distr Gross %YD %LW Thr Per Thr Total Gross D - (3) Ghostbusters: Afterlife Sony Pictures $2,700,000 +187% -72% 4,059 $665 $94,541,594 15 - (1) House of Gucci United Artists $2,187,687 +102% -62% 3,477 $629 $29,055,506 10 - (5) Resident Evil: Welcome to… Sony Pictures $760,000 +106% -61% 2,803 $271 $11,278,747 10 - (8) Dune Warner Bros. $510,000 +263% -36% 1,217 $419 $103,272,547 43 - (6) Clifford the Big Red Dog Paramount Pi… $425,000 +107% -78% 3,261 $130 $44,353,389 24 - (7) King Richard Warner Bros. $375,000 +103% -73% 2,654 $141 $12,572,551 15 - (9) No Time to Die United Artists $260,937 +96% -63% 1,177 $222 $158,877,975 57 - (10) Venom: Let There be Carnage Sony Pictures $240,000 +194% -61% 1,234 $194 $210,119,422 64 - (-) Belfast Focus Features $150,000 +85% -60% 1,255 $120 $5,512,990 22 - (-) Licorice Pizza MGM $63,749 +31% -55% 4 $15,937 $601,547 8 - N Wolf Focus Features $37,000 308 $120 $37,000 1 - (-) Halloween Kills Universal $3,000 +109% -56% 150 $20 $91,980,455 50 12 $7,712,373

Well why not just make a full-on Matrix game? They did it well before and I doubt the costs will be that high for a big property like this.

Sing 2 Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-19 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 1 54 1474 9916 14.86% Total Seats Sold Today: 0 Your eyes do not deceive you. But again, it's not a big deal for a movie like this.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-13 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 0 202 15,292 37,428 40.86% Total Seats Sold Today: 583 Comp 2.014x of Black Widow's Final Count (26.58M) 2.919x of Venom 2's Final Count (33.86M) Adjusted Comp 1.188x of Star Wars: TROS T-13 (47.52M)

So I've been out of the gaming scene for a long time, so this is me being an Old Man here. What exactly is an "experience"? I know Unreal Engine 5 is like a video game development kit, but I don't get what "experience" means. Is it a video game? A VR tech demo? I'm confused.

https://www.boxofficepro.com/long-range-box-office-forecast-spider-man-no-way-home-tracking-for-potential-200m-launch-the-matrix-resurrections-sing-2-more-christmas-release-outlooks/ 25-35M OW range, 125-175M Total Range

https://www.boxofficepro.com/long-range-box-office-forecast-spider-man-no-way-home-tracking-for-potential-200m-launch-the-matrix-resurrections-sing-2-more-christmas-release-outlooks/ 35-50M OW Range, 95-135M Total Range

What is with Jamie Foxx's face? Dude looks like a video game character.

Just as a bit of a heads up for people, I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to start the countdown today. Work has been an absolute pain this week, so I haven't been able to get as much progress on my write-ups than I intended to, I'm hoping to catch C'mon C'mon later today, and tracking for Spider-Man just takes up an obscene amount of time. I'll see if I can get something out today, but I might have to push things tomorrow.

Sing 2 Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-20 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 1 54 1474 9916 14.86% Total Shows Added Today: 2 Total Seats Added Today: 210 Total Seats Sold Today: -1 Yeah, one group just disappeared. Don't know if it was a refund or glitch or what, but it doesn't really matter.