Eric Prime

#20 Gangs of New York (2002) 69 pts, 17 lists "If you get all of us together, we ain't got a gang, we've got an army." #3 placements: 1 Top 5 placements: 2 Box Office: $193.8 million Rotten Tomatoes: 73% Metacritic: 72 Awards: 10 Academy Award nominations, 2 Golden Globes and 3 nominations, 1 BAFTA and 11 nominations, 1 Screen Actors Guild Award, 1 Critics Choice Award and 2 nominations, 1 Writers Guild of America Award nomination Roger Ebert’s Review: "All of this is a triumph for Scorsese, and yet I do not think this film is in the first rank of his masterpieces. It is very good but not great. I wrote recently of "Goodfellas" that "the film has the headlong momentum of a storyteller who knows he has a good one to share." I didn't feel that here." BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: A labor of love for Martin, decades in the making. One of two times Martin worked with Miramax (unfortunately). The first collaboration between Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. Known for having one of the worst Irish accents in cinema. Has that one rocking U2 song. Gave John C. Reilly a paycheck. Commentary: A 20-year passion project, Gangs of New York is arguably a bit of an anomaly within the Scorsese discourse. It saw solid box office returns, it earned 10 Oscar nominations, thanks in part to Miramax and H*****, and features a lot of Scorsese’s defining tropes and characteristics. A film based upon his own life experiences and heritage, a look into crime and corruption into New York, a deconstruction on the American Dream. It was even the first of six collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio. But ultimately, while it has die-hard supporters, the consensus is that the film is good and well-made, but very busy, overstuffed, and featuring characters that are hard to get invested into. And in this countdown, it often appeared near the bottom tier of many lists, with it only propped up by two placements in the top 5. It was very much a film helped by being a consensus pick rather than any strong passion. But that’s not a bad thing. Gangs of New York is still memorable, still gorgeous, and still works as a fascinating history lesson. If anything, the way the film looks at Nativists who go against the immigrants and freed slaves is sadly still a pressing issue and showcases how the American Dream is nothing more than a folly. To say nothing about the incredible acting display of Daniel Day-Lewis, a role he would earn an Oscar nomination for. It’s not considered his best, but it’s hard to imagine Scorsese’s filmography without it.

#21 Bringing Out the Dead (1999) 55 pts, 11 lists "Don't make me take off my sunglasses!" #3 Placements: 1 Top 5 placements: 3 Top 10 placements: 1 Box Office: $16.8 million Rotten Tomatoes: 72% Metacritic: 70 Awards: N/A Roger Ebert’s Review: "To look at "Bringing Out the Dead"--to look, indeed, at almost any Scorsese film--is to be reminded that film can touch us urgently and deeply. Scorsese is never on autopilot, never panders, never sells out, always goes for broke; to watch his films is to see a man risking his talent, not simply exercising it." BOT User Review: "Nicolas Cage is a master at playing men on the edge. Nobody does troubled, unhinged and frustrated quite like him. Bringing Out The Dead, a fucking stunning piece of work in its own right, has Cage giving his most nuanced and desperate performance that, for reasons unknown, didn't receive any award nominations. Damn shame. He's great." - @Jack Nevada Its Legacy: Showcased a rare glimpse into the lives of paramedics. Gave us one of Nicolas Cage's best performances. Showcased the opioid epidemic in all its horror. Was the final film to get a Laserdisc release. Gave Tom Sizemore a paycheck. Commentary: Your mileage will vary, but this is arguably the darkest, most intense film Martin Scorsese ever directed. Detailing 48 hours in the life of a depressed, burned-out hospital paramedic, this film captures the inbetween many deal with, especially in stressful or depressing situations. The sense of exhaustion from work or life, a strange sense of purgatory that isn’t easy to get out of. Guilt or confusion haunts you, and in the case of Frank Pierce, it goes into a dark, cruel place. When you include an all-time performance by Nicolas Cage, it’s a film that is incredibly sad, yet Scorsese has also argued this film as one that is celebratory of the paramedics he grew up around. It’s a tough job that few people give credit for, and one that is full of anguish, in an environment that is cold and unfriendly. It’s an existential rollercoaster that sadly was overlooked when it first came out. The goal of these countdowns is to highlight the underseen works of certain directors and I can only hope my words will entice a viewing from some folks here.

#22 Kundun (1997) 42 pts, 9 lists "I see a safe journey, I see a safe return." Top 5 placements: 1 Top 10 placements: 3 Box Office: $5.7 million Rotten Tomatoes: 75% Metacritic: 74 Awards: Four Academy Award nominations, One Golden Globe nomination, Best Cinematographer by New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics Roger Ebert’s Review: "I admire "Kundun" for being so unreservedly committed to its vision, for being willing to cut loose from audience expectations and follow its heart. I admire it for its visual elegance. And yet this is the first Scorsese film that, to be honest, I would not want to see again and again." BOT User Review: N/A Its Legacy: Caused Martin Scorsese to be banned in China. Ensured Disney would never try to anger Chinese government again. Was referenced in The Sopranos. Gave Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong a paycheck. Commentary: Once in a while, there’s always some jackass on Twitter or YouTube complaining about how certain movies “would never get made today”. And nine times out of ten, that’s just not true. However, Kundun is one of the few films that definitely falls into “would never be made today”, and it’s sadly not for anything offensive or dated. The film’s depiction of the 14th Dalai Lama, a pariah to the Communist Chinese Party, from a major studio like Disney was one that led to heavy controversy. China’s government banned the film and Scorsese himself from ever entering the country, and China threatened to ban all future Disney films and television productions for a brief while. Michael Eisner had to badmouth the film as a mistake, purposely limited the film’s distribution to make the film seem like a failure that nobody watched, and even today the film is impossible to find. It’s not available on any streaming services or digital stores, and while DVDs and Blu-Rays exist, they aren’t the easiest to find. It’s a film that quite literally was forced to bomb and hide away just so Disney could put a theme park in Shanghai about 20 years later. And while the future of Hollywood movies in China is on shaky grounds at the moment, garbage capitalism will ensure that a movie like Kundun will never be made again to appease the almighty market. It’s a pity too, because, as the middle film of Scorsese’s unofficial “Faith Trilogy” (sandwiched between Last Temptation and Silence), this has a lot to admire here, especially with an all-star crew behind it. Beautifully shot by Roger Deakins, sharply written by the late great Melissa Mathison, wonderfully edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, and composed by the great Philip Glass, it’s an engaging biopic that showcases the struggles Tenzin Gyatso faced beginning as a young child, though its episodic nature is not for everybody. It’s oft-regarded as the worst of the “Faith Trilogy”, but there’s a reason Christopher Moltisanti likes that movie so much.

Guys it could just be they don't want to reveal Church or Ifans until the movie comes out. We're all under the assumption Sony's hiding [redacted], so why are we assuming otherwise here?

Sing 2 Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-18 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 1 54 1480 9916 14.93% Total Seats Sold Today: 6

Spider-Man: No Way Home Greater Philadelphia Area Seat Report T-12 and Counting Sellouts Showings Seats Sold Total Seats Perct Sold TOTALS 0 202 15,799 37,428 40.86% Total Seats Sold Today: 507 Comp 2.081x of Black Widow's Final Count (27.47M) 3.016x of Venom 2's Final Count (34.99M) Adjusted Comp 1.207x of Star Wars: TROS T-12 (48.29M)

It will always bother me, no matter how many times I pester, that he doesn't change his name to Eric Legion

Here I was thinking the Wonka movie would get some wacky “and the Fabulous Emancipation” subtitle ☹️

…Does a 2023 movie have parentheses in them?

They should give this like 300 parts, let's be real here.

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.