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H Buckram Sartoris looks at Scorsese's latest BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
Hey folks... Harry here with the first look on Martin Scorsese's next film BRINGING OUT THE DEAD. As far as I know this was the first screening. Now before you read this review (if you choose to) let me warn you... This is not the final film. The movie isn't scheduled to be released till October 22nd. This review states the film was 'pretty good' but apparently had some pacing problems, some of the shots felt too long... it just didn't snap. WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE THIS ISN'T THE FINISHED FILM. It had a temp track, some of the scenes were yet to be finished, and well... Scorsese has 4 months to tinker with this film to get it to snap. So the minor sorts of problems that lay between a pretty good film and a really good film and ultimated a pretty great film are not that many... and... I have to trust Scorsese to figure those out. So before reading H Buckram Sartoris' review also realize that there are some spoilers below... Read at your own risk!
Here's H Buckram Sartoris' review...
Tonite(thursday) in NYC I got in to see a screening of the new film by
Martin Scorsese. It is called Bringing Out the Dead. I believe it was
one of the first showinsg as the director was there with his producers
and his editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Joe Connoly and
the script was written by Paul Schrader. As you know Schrader and
Scorsese teamed up previously on the classic and still amazing Taxi
Driver. This review will contain spoilers so be forewarned.
As I consider this director to be one of the greatest of all time,
the anticipation level was through the roof. Unfortunately while the
film was pretty good, I would have to consider it a minor work in a
major body. The colloboration between this director and screenwriter
makes the film feel as if it is territory already explored. Taxi Driver
as EMS worker?
The main character is an EMS tech named Frank Prince, played by
Nicolas Cage. The guy is stressed out and bodering on psychotic. He is
just about at the end of his rope.(Sound familiar?). He sees and hears
the spirits of the people he has saved and the ones that have died. The
story takes place over a 3 day period in which he rides around the city
with 3 different techs. They are played by John Goodman, Ving Rhames
and Tom Sizemore. These 3 are representative of 3 different types and
stages of mankind. Goodman as the everyman, Rhames as the angel and
Sizemore as the devil. Patricia Arquette plays a woman whose father
Cage has treated and is now in a coma. Cage falls for her, first
feeling sympathy and then peeling back some layers to find that she hAs
plenty of demons of her own.
As with any Scorsese movie, there are plenty of religious and
spiritual questions and overtones. Much of the film uses Cage's
character in voiceovers(sounding even more familiar). In comparison to
Taxi Driver though, this film lacks the intensity that film had. Much
of the film meanders along with long shots of Cage contemplating his
situation. Often that is the problem when bringing a very descriptive
novel to the big screen. I have a real problem with Cage being cast at
all. He plays the character almost exactly the way he played in Leaving
Las Vegas. The difference being the character in LLV had some "flair".
I think a different actor would have brought something fresh to this
role.
There are some great moments though. The scenes that Rhames has are
fantastic. He brings a much needed life to the film and reminds the
audience why he is one of the truly amazing actors working today. I
believe he will be getting a Best Supporting Actor nod for this role.
There is a scene in a club where a punk/goth? kid named I B Buggin,
played by the son of Paul Simon, has overdosed on a bad strain of
heroin going around. Rhames, at first, tells everyone the kid died.Upon
being told that he is still alive, the character hilariously gets the
unknowing kids to form a circle and join hands and pray to Jesus to
save the kid. The audience seeing the film erupted in applause it was
that good.
There are other moments in the film which standout. A scene at a
drug den called the oasis and a shot of a guy impaled on a railing come
to mind. In the latter scene, the guy is talking to Cage as police are
blowtorching the railing to free him. The film was not completely
finished in this part There is an angle though where the guy is
talking. The camera is on him overlooking the manhattan skyline as the
sparks from the blowtorching are shooting up. It should look great when
the film comes out. There are amazing camera shots throughout. Sped up
scenes where the workers are in the ambulence and it is driving around
manhattan are wonderful. The music is fantastic with a great Van
Morrison/Them? song earmarked thoughout as well as great tunes by the
clash, rolling stones and others. But this is to be expected in a
Scorsese film.
I just felt that as a whole the film is somewhat listless. It does
not seem to go anywhere or say much of anything. The ending was
anti-climactic and left me empty. While I enjoyed parts of it, this
should have been better.
Maybe Scorsese will do better on his next picture which I found out
will be Gangs of New York a script he wrote with the former Newsweek
critic Jay Cocks. You may remember they colloborated on the very
underappreciated but still incredible film, The King of Comedy!
H Buckram Sartoris
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Is I B Buggin related to U R Annoying?
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I thought Kundun was amazing. Some critics had problems with it but it worked 100% for me. I think Bringing Out The Dead & Eyes Wide Shut will be films that demand individual praise and critisism. I can't wait. I do kind of hope Scorsese decides to skip the Dean Martin pic though. Doesn't sound especially appealing to me personally...especially with the actors mentioned. Instead, I'd like to see him direct Harrison Ford (since they are linked with Ford's wife Melissa writing the screenplay for Kundun.) Maybe that's what it takes for Ford to be great again...a director like Scorsese who always seems to get great performances.
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While this review wasn't totally positive, I am still really looking forward to this film. Scorsese has never really gotten his due considering most of his peers consider him to be the best director alive. While this movie and The KIngs of N.Y. film sound interesting he needs to find his Schindler's List, if you will, to get him the recognition he deserves. What project should that be:who knows? Still I know I'll be seeing this one for sure.
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Lukewarm review, but I'm still looking forward to this flick. I don't know about Scorcese not getting his dues, but the idea that he "needs his Schindler's List" is appealing. He needs to stop treading over the same turf and strike out in a new direction, and while I don't know anything about Gangs of NY, my assumption is it probably deals with gangs--something Scorcese has milked endlessly. I think he needs to find new inspiration, and stay away from mobsters, lonely people driving around, religious flicks and DeNiro and try and do something new, get out of his rut. That's what I'd like to see anyway.
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I have not seen Nicholas Cage's performance in this movie, so I obviously cannot comment on it, but I think he is one of the most overused actors in Hollywood. He basically seems to sleepwalk through all of his movies, or else it is a strange blend of total over-acting and making crazy faces to looking somber and not saying much (look at me deep in thought). Obviously he is in this movie because of his clout and history of drawing people into theatres, and maybe Martin Scorcese felt pressure to do that after the disappoinment of Kundun.On another note, I know he is talks of doing a Betty Page movie with Liv Tyler, but I cannot help but think that Rose McGowan might be more suited for the part.
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Why are these supposedly "brilliant" filmmakers making the same movies over and over and over? Kundun as an exception, why is Scorcese revisiting in both style and plot and theme violent urban psychodramas? It truly is a dark time in American cinema when our finest directors are turning out the same old pap in the same old ways -- they aren't visionaries as much as they are highly skilled corporate presidents. In this case the name of the corporation is "Martin Scorcese." I'm sure it will be a "good movie" but we don't need any more of those.
The only major American directors who are different each time out: Spike Lee and Todd Haynes. Poison and Safe and Velvet Goldmine share spirit and concerns but are different in complicated ways. And look at Spike Lee's recent record: the devastating GIRL 6, the political comedy GET ON THE BUS, the urban romance/adventure/coming of age story of CLOCKERS, and a stunning reclamation of basketball as urban psychodrama pitting fathers and against sons and men against women, HE GOT GAME. Both these directors are alive inside the culture -- maybe it's because of their continuing Brooklyn connections -- while the older generation that shaped them dies a slow and, worst of all, boring death. -
I think you make a good point. Now, the other side of the coin. I think it is sometimes good for an artist to work within certain boundaries, and push them to their outer most limits. Example: Do you really want to see what Scorcese thinks about rural life in Kansas? About House Politics in Washington? Instead of having a filmmaker make every type of film, let there be more filmmakers who have different yet equally interesting backgrounds from which to create a multitude of diverse films. Often times, a filmmaker will lose focus by trying to cover a variety of stories. Scorcese, with few exceptions, remains true to his specific background and/or sensibilities. He doesn't try to say that he knows everything about everything, but rather hammers away at the ever elusive "truth" in the body of characters he's decided to represent with his films.
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Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest working filmmakers today. Period. I'm sure BRINGING OUT THE DEAD will live up to his earlier works (I haven't read the book). I hope he makes DINO in the very near future. This project sounds amazing, what with the subject, Nicholas Pileggi and Tom Hanks.
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With or without Cage, Scorsese is the master of urban angst/religion. Spike Lee is trying and maybe Summer of Sam will add to his New York/Italian themes, but how can any movie go wrong with Marty and Sizemore- one of the best character actors working. cant wait.
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Scorsese had the chance to direct Schindler's List, but he let it go. If he directed it, it would've been something to see. Too bad he let go of it. Hopefully the Academy will begin handing out more Lifetime Oscars. Kubrick needs one, even if it is posthumously and Scorsese is almost 60 and he really deserves one. Maybe he'll get some recognition for this film.
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Scorsese is one of the few gods of film making left, after the departure of Sir Kubrick, and i have no doubt this will be a true masterpiece, possibly even on a par with Eyes Wide Shut. As for Nic Cage he's getting alot of unfair criticism just because people think its cool, just like Leo di Cap who, despite the elongated soap opera of Titanic, is still a great actor. Nic under Scorsese will make a great movie!!!
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"Too bad he didn't make that movie, it would have been something to see"...WHAT?!? Did you even see "Schindler's List"? It was extraordinary filmmaking. I like Scorsese's work too, but I don't think that he would have made SL better. I heard that he turned down that project because he thought it would be better if it was directed by a Jew. I think that he made the right choice.
I am looking forward to seeing BOTD...both because of my love for Nick Cage and my background as an Emergency Medical Technician. I'm curious to see how they portray that kind of work. -
I'm glad to see Marty & Tom Sizemore teamed up as well, but the very COMBO of Goodman, Rhames & Sizemore is giving me a "sexy plus size" actor chubby! Now if only those 3 would appear with James Gandolfini I could die a happy horny pervert.
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Check out the age of innocence and
Kundun, and then try to blab about
Scorsese not working out of the same genre(s) at all, you idiot! -
We have to remember that Scorsese alternates between more personal art films (The Age of Innocence, Kundun) and more commercial films (Cape Fear, Casino) so that his ability to draw money at the box-office can allow him freedom to make his own films as well. After a film like Kundun we have to assume that this will be one of his more studio-made films. This would probably explain the casting of a massive star like Nicholas Cage (whom I find extremely over-rated).
After reading the preview, I am still looking forward to the film.
Tom Sizemore is an amazing actor as he has proved in Heat and Saving Private Ryan. This is also the first collaboration between Schrader and Scorsese for more than a decade. And of course this is still Scorsese and I look forward to seeing some inventive touches and references to older films.
If Scorsese's next project is to be more personal and 'arty' then I hope it is 'Gangs of New York'. With Marty returning to the Gangland of New York and with a rumoured cast of Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio it may turn out to be something special. -
Oh my fucking Christ on a pitchfork, Con Air was the biggest waste of time and money period. i think Nic should get a beating for being in that piece of shit. Talk about doing a movie for a paycheck. Fuck! What's up with actors doing movies only for the money?? Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail? Paycheck. I think that any actor that does a film for the sole purpose of having a good income can suck the twat of a dead nun.
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I read some comments by Paul Schrader some months back and he said this movie is intended to be a companion piece/bookend with Taxi Driver. It's intentionally similar.
Personally I thought Kundun was a well-crafted bore (the Dali Lama can bite me!) and I'm glad Scorsese is returning to familiar themes.
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I agree with some of you about Cage. Cage used to be one of my favorite actors back when he was doing stuff like Raising Arizona, Honeymoon in Vegas, Vampire's Kiss, Red Rock West...but ever since Leaving Las Vegas he's become so annoying. (And I hated Leaving LAs Vegas BTW. That was pseudo-artsy with a cheeesy Sting score. I grew up with alcoholics and I just couldn't relate to the movie at all.) After LLV, Cage basically went for the bucks. Fine. I can't entirely fault the guy. And Con Air was fun. But the cost is, I'm totally sick of the guy and can no longer block out his star from the character I'm watching. Like Travolta. I'm sorry Scorsese has to cast big stars to get movies made, and I wish he'd have been able to cast a lesser-known in the role. -
BOTD should be cool. Con Air rocked. Nic Cage can sometimes over(or under) do it. I have spoken. So let it be written, so let it be, uh, known.
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I'm last! Yeah, what was with con-air? I mean Diamond Dog? Rhames cashing in again. And Johnny 23? Come on. Why doesn't hollywood give us more of what we want? Let's have some more underdeveloped characters with dumb names, they should make a movie where con-air crosses over into the world of the matrix. I'd love to see the Virus, The Marietta Mangler, Pinball, Johnny-23 and Diamond Dog team up with or against Cypher, Tank, Epoch, Mouse, Dozer, Trinity and Morpheus. Oh yeah and if they could throw is some gay characters like Chris Tucker's gay dj from the 5th element or the gay character from con air wouldn't that be great?
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I don't believe in the critics of the films,never i think the same of he thinks.When the film BRINGING OUT THE DEAD comes to ARGENTINA,I'LL GO TO SEE IT .and i'll give my opinion of it.About CAGE,I'M SURE HE WILL BE WONDERFULL,like the others films he made.He is the best actor of his generation,he makes comedies,dramas,action movies with great talent.THERE is not any actor like him .SANDRA
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