🎬 Welcome to This Week's Picks
Whats’ up, Cinephiles?! Here’s what we have selected for our next round of films.
Jake’s Pick: Goodfellas (1990)
Synopsis
Henry Hill knows only too well that he must put the Mob's interests before everything, even his family, but when the good times turn sour, his loyalties dissolve in the face of greater rewards. Faced with a terrible retribution, Hill can see only one way to get out alive. IMDB
Director
Runtime
2 hours and 26 minutes.
Trailer
Why
Shortly after my daughter was born, I found myself with a lot of downtime while watching her, most of which she spent asleep. During that time, I fell down the rabbit hole of reading about different auteurs and decided to watch several movies from each one to better understand their unique styles.
It’s not an overly brave or interesting pick, but I had to start somewhere, so I went with Scorsese, as I’d somewhat recently seen a couple of his films. Somehow, I’d never watched Goodfellas, and now seems like as good a time as any to finally see it.
Those familiar with Scorsese won’t be surprised by what he brings to the table. He has a knack for infusing his characters with moral ambiguity, making their choices both fascinating and unsettling. Bold colors and striking violence are hallmarks of his style, and he often dives deep into the day-to-day workings of organized crime.
Brian’s Pick: Stagecoach (1939)
Synopsis
A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
Director
Runtime
1 hour 36 minutes.
Trailer
Why
While one never really needs an excuse to revisit a John Ford classic, my inspiration for this pick came from the pictures my girlfriend showed me of her recent trip to the deserts of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. She hasn’t watched many westerns and asked for some suggestions. I could think of no better starting point than John Ford and John Wayne, one of the genre's most iconic pairs.
While the optics of having scary, evil natives set as the villains opposite a group of invading white settler heroes is not great, to say the least, it’s hard not to get sucked into the stunning vistas, thrilling stunts, and compelling social dynamics of the stagecoach passengers. Inventive camerawork and an earnest approach to the tropes of the genre make the already short runtime feel like a brisk adventure.
🎥 Reviews of Last Week's Picks (Caution, there may be spoilers)
Jake’s Previous Pick: Blow Out (1981)
Runtime
1 hour and 48 minutes
Trailer
Jake’s Review
⭐⭐⭐✨ (3 and a half stars)
As this is our first week, I’m just adding a fake pick from last week. Written and directed by Brian De Palma, Blow Out stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a soundman who unintentionally captures audio evidence of a murder.
I’d consider this a classic that still holds up remarkably well, though one or two tropes haven’t aged as gracefully. I hadn’t heard of Blow Out prior to last week and came across it while reading about different types of camera shots in film. It was used as an example of the 360-degree pan, and that shot alone is one of the standout moments for me in the film. It does a fantastic job of building tension as the scene unfolds.
The pacing of the movie was great. Overall, I’d highly recommend it.
Brian’s Review
👍
The first time I saw that panning fireworks scene I was so gobsmacked I had to rewind it at least 3 times. An amazing film, start to finish.
🖋 Closing Note
Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks with our thoughts on this week’s picks and fresh recommendations.
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