THE IRISHMAN, A Martin Scorsese Picture with de Niro, Pacino, Pesci, Keitel

entering SPOILER TERRITORY....

The Brandt book adds a lot more emphasis to the mob-hit-JFK angle, with Sheeran delivering rifles headed for Texas in fall '63, and Hoffa telling Sheeran that Bufalino's words (to Hoffa) at the Philly tribute dinner were "Some people think you are not showing enough appreciation for Dallas." I suspect Scorsese didn't want the film to come off like JFK II.

Hell I figured it was his backhanded compliment to Stone the entire time. (Not per se a complaint but anyway.)

Anyway, my theater four blocks away was screening it a few times so figured I'd go for it. Felt like its length but I didn't feel the need for any sort of break -- maybe a bit restless in the final hour at points. Having just seen the full-on version of Once Upon a Time in America a couple of months ago in the same spot, that really does feel like a comparison point in ways, going big on the scope of time and overall length at least, as well as stuck with regrets and reflexive burnout at the end of it all. (And, well, De Niro but anyway.) The longueurs towards the end once the road trip's purpose is established do work, I think; he can still do quotidian better than most. CGI I thought about briefly at the very start when we get young De Niro/Pesci but after that I just let it go.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-irishman-movie-review-2019

liked zoller seitz’s take, and it’s making me sit with de niro’s performance and appreciate it a little more

Yeah, I liked his take too.

that is a good review

I thought this thread has been waaay too rough on RdN, didn't know he still had this in him.

Agree with Morbs. Saw this yesterday and besides finding it one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I've seen I thought DeNiro really shone. Thought Pacino's Hoffa was endearing as well and their bromance - I mean, this whole thing can be seen as a bromantic triangle gone wrong, no? - a major part of the film's beating heart. Hence the little bit of the "Touchez pas au grisbi" theme playing early on and echoed in the score ( which was pleasingly minimalistic ) throughout. Lots to digest, still, but what a great last few years from Scorsese thus far. Looking forward to rewatching before it disappears from the big screen in my area.

Yeah, criminals can be endearing in their way.

this is by far Marty's least "endearing" mob film imho

Was referring to Pacino's Hoffa as endearing and not the film as a whole, capice?

he's kind of a megalomaniacal creep who likes kids and ice cream

The last half hour is one of the few recent attempts in American film to reckon with extreme old age.

oldsters gonna old
lol jk i thought this was great
but yeah, the ultimate old man movie

Speaking of old man swag

https://www.gq.com/story/al-pacino-and-robert-deniro-godfathers-of-the-year-2019

Orlando finally got this a week early. Going tomorrow.

Sadly at a dine in theatre so things like soda refills probably won't happen. And i will need the caffeine.

Is there any intermission in this thing

Nope. And I don't think it would work with one. But it moves fast, it didn't feel like three and a half hours at all.

Saw this tonight and need to sit with it for a bit, but I agree with the consensus that the 2nd half is 10x more interesting than the first, which could have lost 30min or more imho. I get that it’s necessary to give dramatic heft to the 2nd half and the pointlessness of Frank’s life in retrospect and etc, but still there comes a point where piling on these endless quotidian scenes of which wiseguy offended which other wiseguy becomes self defeating. Keitel & Joey Gallo could each have been fully excised with no loss to the film imo.

Also thought Paquin towers over the movie, definitely not ‘misused’. Pacino on the other hand hilariously random in his decisions of when to deploy the PA accent.

Also pretty remarkable that the movie released as The Irishman goes out of its way twice to tell you that it’s actually titled “I Hear You Paint Houses”?

Rewatched yesterday. Loved the Hoffa/ Sheeran scenes even more. Editing is fantastic in general though I agree there's lots of fat that could've left the first half. And the guy who played Bobby Kennedy...did they even try to cast someone with a slight resemblance lol?
Bobby Canavale still grates, btw.

Didn't make it to the movie due to traffic. Bleh

ironic - this might be the definitive 'how much extra time should you account for traffic' film

Hahaha

Pacino on the other hand hilariously random in his decisions of when to deploy the PA accent.

Hoffa was born in Indiana and moved to Detroit at age 11, where he remained for life (except for prison). Still, Rust Belt.

yeah i realized after i posted that i think i was subconsciously thinking of the joe paterno movie from last year, ha.

His dipping in & out of the accent was so big that I almost want to go back and take a look at those scenes again, i wonder if it was a choice that went over my head, like he turns on his folksy accent at different times to schmooze or manipulate.

OEO mostly otm on all those posts (though I still think piquing was wasted)

Er. Paquin, rather.

I thought the kid who played the daughter as a kid was about as good as Paquin. Both were really good, mind you, but if a kid can do what the role asks for, then why not get an unknown actress who looks more like the kid to do it later on?

food in this film, ranked

Okay, I shat the bed on this one, so here's an amended list with the footstuffs I missed the first go (but not the other ones I probably forgot) https://t.co/gWBBaFH89a pic.twitter.com/oupxXGmQRV

— Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) November 25, 2019

LOL thats great

the prison ice cream sundae is a tough one for me bc one the one hand it was probably prepared with much more time and care than yr typical sundae on the outside so i thought maybe it shld rank higher, but on the other hand the dude also might have spit in it or something so i geuss its a wash

i forget the details in the book re how Hoffa got the perk of prison ice cream, if there were any

this is a fun, lightly dishy, not particularly illuminating read.
https://www.gq.com/story/al-pacino-and-robert-deniro-godfathers-of-the-year-2019

Everyone mentions how little steven is in this but i was caught completely unprepared for the sudden surprise appearance of Action Bronson, which caught me v off guard

otoh, macho dimwits in my theater were cheering and rolling in the aisles laughing at all of the beatdowns and moldy mob jokes. "The only way three people can keep a secret - is if two of them are dead!"got huuuge bellylaughs. When HOffa's fate became clear after the testimonial dinner they laughed at almost every Pacino line, I guess bc they found it hilarious that he didnt know he was going to get murdered, which was kind of depressing to be around.

I sat next to a very hyped (coked?) up Dutch hipster - slicked back hair and pointy shoes, chewing gum and looking around before the film began like he was in character for a bit part in, you guessed it, a mob film - and some old ladies on my first viewing. Hipster and his buddy LOVED the "Leave it like ya left Berlin" line and any violent scenes while the old ladies very audibly gasped "Oooh!" throughout the entire film anytime said violence happened. Going to the movies in 2019, man...

can someone explain why the film appears on Netflix starting today, and is still in a few dozen theaters? I thought there was going to be no overlap, contractually.

also Anna seems pleased with the film and Marty

Paquin on why Scorsese chose her: https://t.co/Hy6nikReLj pic.twitter.com/kid1LjyIVa

— Peter Labuza (@labuzamovies) November 27, 2019

Gonna give Bo Dietl prime real estate in end-of-year movie polls pic.twitter.com/ykKFJWymAq

— Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) November 27, 2019

Jesse Plemons barely has more dialogue than Paquin and it’s mostly arguing about fish WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE

Finally have multiple videos of Jimmy Hoffa open-mouth gnarling on testimonial dinner steak while glowering at his many enemies pic.twitter.com/hYPrCfX71G

— Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) November 27, 2019

Liked this but by no means a masterpiece, or a career summation. And the meaninglessness of their lives and their power, I thought that was all conveyed pretty clearly in Goodfellas and Casino. The last half hour is the only exceptional part of the movie.

Pesci has never been better. Dead ringer for Sidney Lumet of all people. Pacino sucked, pick a fucking accent dude. Reminded me of Orson Welles trying to do Irish in The Lady from Shanghai.

The criticism of Paquin is baffling to me... I thought her performance was substantial and by no means quotidian. What is this literalism with line counts? Come on.

Morbs OTM about DeNiro calling Hoffa's widow. I didn't think he was particularly remarkable until the last half hour.

Loved the Touchez Pas Au Grisbi motif incorporated throughout, first in its original harmonica version and then those mournful cellos.

What's up with the two titles?

FBI: Frank, everyone’s dead. Tell us what happened to Hoffa.

Frank: Hey! Im so glad you reached out. I’m actually at capacity / helping someone who’s in crisis / dealing with some personal stuff right now, and I don’t think I can hold appropriate space for you. Could we connect

— Alex Sherman (@shermitthefrog) November 28, 2019

What's up with the two titles?

(Based on nothing, obv:) I wonder if Netflix insisted on The Irishman, and Marty was like fine but I’m still putting the title I like better in the actual movie

that was my guess too. Good for him

Liked this but by no means a masterpiece, or a career summation. And the meaninglessness of their lives and their power, I thought that was all conveyed pretty clearly in Goodfellas and Casino. The last half hour is the only exceptional part of the movie.

Pesci has never been better. Dead ringer for Sidney Lumet of all people. Pacino sucked, pick a fucking accent dude. Reminded me of Orson Welles trying to do Irish in The Lady from Shanghai.

otm

I loved the 'secret' title. It also ties into how language is constantly used to mask things, they paint houses, things are what they are. Nobody talks about how serious and dangerous what they do is. To a large extent, it seemed to me to be a film about psychological repression. The most uncanny thing to me was how it felt like there were all these other stories going on, which nobody really knew about. The fact that the death dates of all the gangsters kept popping up, and that they all seemed to die 79-81, ended up being really creepy. And there's all this stuff about politics and union organization, which is never really delved into, the alliance with Nixon, why it seemed the mob was basically allowed to take over. I thought it was a pretty fantastic portrait of history.

From what I can recall none of that stuff was elaborated on in the book. It certainly adds to the sense of a world of hidden agreements and associations - one which Sheeran and the rest of the "soldiers" and made guys would never be privy to. Certainly creepy.

Gathering the family around the TV to watch The Irishman and then secretly playing John Travolta’s GOTTI and seeing how long it takes everyone to figure it out

— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) November 29, 2019

I Heard You Use E-Meters

de-aged deniro, meant to sheeran at 30 or so, assaulting the grocer with all the grace and ferocity of 2019 robert deniro is a bit of unintentional humour

yeah that was... rough

I’m pretty sure it’s good actually