Goodfellas
http://www.impawards.com/1990/posters/goodfellas.jpg
this is one of my fav movies of all time so this won't be a review - but rather, just an outlet for me to rave and ramble about it (as opposed to my entries about other films, over which i ... raved and rambled...).
prime scorsese is just untouchable. that dude is so fucking smart. a once-in-a-lifetime storyteller. complete master of his craft. his entire de niro run starting in the 70's was awesome, but whereas his previous films were more about character study and exploration, i think this movie is his peak as a director doing a fluid, stylish complex storytelling film. you can see his stamp on so many things happening simultaneously - the attention to detail, the music, the laid back and liberated acting, the pacing, the dialogue, the editing.
this movie rarely ever hits a bum note. perhaps only a scene or two are less-than-perfect, but the overall quality maintained throughout the long running time here is astounding. the entire main cast is perfect, each in their respective roles. joe pesci deserved his oscar on this, man. de niro had more remarkable performances throughout his crazy career, but he's perfect and irreplaceable in this. even ray liotta somehow leads the whole thing very well.
in a way, scorsese is everything tarantino ever wanted to be: a true visionary, a human film encyclopedia that references and nods other works, a director with a staggering array of stylistic flourishes that elevate him well above his contemporaries. but unlike tarantino, scorsese does all those things with complete artistic merit, and not out of self indulgence. the choices he makes complement his movies perfectly. it doesn't feel like it's there just to gratify scorsese. it's there because it's gratifying, period.
one last point: the incredible camera work on this film. the cinematography is pretty darn good too - but what really knocked me on my ass here, after not seeing it for a good couple of years, is how perfect and fluid the camera work is. many steadicam sequences that truly justify themselves being there - the famous scene with karen and henry going in the club from the back door, the long string of people jimmy kills to disconnect himself from the heist, the introduction of the mobsters around the beginning of the film. just beautiful, meaningful, lyrical, fluid camera work. great shit.
ok bye.