Author: fkt6

In the world of films and cinema, not one person is more important than the director. There are hundreds of directors throughout Hollywood, with huge names such as Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg. Being a big movie fan myself I have my personal favorites, but the one above all would be Martin Scorsese. The New York native is renowned as one of the greatest and most successful directors of all time. Scorsese has directed such world renowned and award winning movies such as “Taxi Driver” and “Goodfellas”. I personally love all of his movies and his directing style and so I wanted to do a little dive or breakdown into some of my favorite films of his, his background, and his techniques that set him apart from the bunch.

Martin Scorsese has been known for directing some of the best films ever. He is more of a slow burn movies, also most famously known for mobster movies with Goodfellas , Casino, The Irishmen, and The Departed all being centered around mob or mafia relations. Fans and critics alike sure love his directing as much as I do , Scorsese is a 2 time Academy award winner and 6 time nominee.

Scorsese has such an extensive and quality filmography under his belt, ranging from hits from the 70’s to the Irishman in 2019. Even though he’s produced some classic movies such as The Departed, Shutter Island, or Wolf of Wall Street, I would have to say that my two favorite Scorsese films would have to be Goodfellas and Taxi Driver, Goodfellas being my favorite movie of all time. These movies are somewhat similar but Taxi Driver is much more  slow burn phycological conversation piece about a taxi driver who suffers from insomnia , while Goodfellas is a narrated story about the Italian Mafia from the 50-80’s, revolving around infamous gangster Henry Hill. The one thing these films have in common are that I think that they are the most Scorsese-esque of all the Scorsese films. Scorsese is known for his use of slow motion and freeze frame to convey emotions and enhance scenes.

In Goodfellas, there is a scene that displays this masterfully, without describing this entire movie ill give a little bit go context. Robert De Niro’s character Jimmy Conway, is the leader of the gang that pulled off the biggest heist in US history at this point in time. The scene takes place in the bar after the heist has taken place and all the members have gotten their money. Jimmy gave the gang strict orders to be conservative with their money as not to draw attention to them and get them investigated by the IRS or the FBI. In the scene we see all the gang members pull up in extravagant new cars and fur coats, as the scene progresses Jimmy gets more and more frustrated, until one last gang member pulls up In a pink Cadillac he bought for his wife. This is the breaking point, we cut to Jimmy smoking a cigarette at the bar looking at the gang, the scene goes into slow motion and “sunshine of your love” starts to play. This is the catalyst for what will eventually be the falling apart of the gang. Jimmy kills everyone so that there is no loose ends left. This slow motion pan out and the look in De Niro’s eyes PERFECTLY captures the intenseness and gravity of the scene. It’s Scorsese’s iconic slow motion that gives this scene its weight , without it I think that this scene falls flat and fails to convey anywhere near the amount of pressure and intensity that Scorsese pulls off.

Another perfect example of this is in Taxi Driver. The main character, Travis Bickle who is a mentally ill cab driver in New York, lays in bed narrating his journal that he has written in. He saw this woman in the streets of NYC, he describes as “like and angel she appeared out of this filthy mess”. He hates the city and thinks its full of filth, but after seeing this woman he becomes obsessed with her and begins to fantasize about her, seeing her as hope in the dirty city. As he describes this woman footage of her walking into her place of work plays, in slow motion as Travis says ” They Cannot Touch her” in a sort of yelling manner, he has become so attached that he feels he must protect her from the filth of the city that he sees. The footage of her, in slow motion, plays and once again Scorsese has struck gold, this scene is a classic in film making, perfectly conveying Travis’s  decent into madness that continues throughout the movie.

Martin Scorsese has unbelievable film making abilities, ones way beyond just his iconic slow motion, but if I were to talk about all of his techniques and skills, we would be here all day. The Scorsese film legacy is one of great talent and classiness, one that I hold very dear and that I think is one of the best portfolios in all of film history. By using his techniques and skills Scorsese has become not just my favorite director, but a critically acclaimed and world renowned one.

 

As 2022 is starting to draw to a close, I wanted to look back at some of the great films that came from this year. I’d say that this was a great year for film, it’s always easy to forget about movies from earlier in the year because of the amount of media thrown at us. But, one film that stood out to me , among others of course, was the newest adaptation of the caped crusader in Matt Reeve’s “The Batman”. March 1, 2022 saw the release of the newest installment of Batman made for the big screen. This movie really stuck with me, as one of the most memorable theater going experiences I’ve had in my adult life. Look, and I know how that can sound over exaggerated, but I just really loved how this team portrayed my favorite comic hero. I could go on and on about this movie but I’m going to just highlight all the things that I think make “The Batman” a modern classic, and eventually a cult classic once enough time passes.

Batman, arguably, is one of the most oversaturated heroes in media I think, this is coming from a die hard batman fan. You’ve had so many different live action adaptations , from the Original, Adam west to, Micheal Keaton, to George Clooney, to Val Kilmer, to Christian Bale, to Ben Affleck and finally the newest Robert Pattinson. It seems like every decade or even more often were faced with a new live action Batman. Don’t get me wrong I love the Dark Knight as much as the next fan but its easy to get kind of overwhelmed with Batman content.

I think that “The Batman” (2022) is different from the rest. How many times are we going to see Martha Wayne’s pearls fall in the alley way outside of the play, or the billionaire playboy , perfect guy bruce Wayne assume the caped crusader almost seamlessly and become the batman we know and love. With the newest installment, we got to see Batman the way we’ve never seen it before. Robert Pattison’s Bruce Wayne is a recluse, gone to society, he’s not this massive public outgoing figure, he’s pale from how little he goes out , Alfred has to beg Bruce to leave the manor in the day light. This Batman is visceral and dark and gritty , Batman isn’t the hero we know him as traditionally. When we meet Bruce Wayne he is just purely vengeance, he isn’t looking to uplift the people of Gotham, only to seek revenge for his parent’s death through punishing criminals. He’s a broken man trying to avenge his parents and only that. An aspect I think captures the overall tone and representation of this batman PERFECTLY, is the use of Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” in the soundtrack. The slow rhythmic strumming of the guitar with Kirk Kobain’s haunting vocals, mixed with Matt Reeve’s directing and cinematography, flawlessly captures the essence of this version of Bruce Wayne and the Batman. Overall, we have never seen even close, to this dark of a Batman portrayal, that alone sets apart this version from any other.

I also think that the slow burn noir feel of this movie sets it apart. I mean Batman is known as the world’s greatest detective in the comics , I feel that in every other live action Batman there’s been little to none detective work done by the caped crusader. While in Robert Pattinson’s Batman, almost the entire film is dedicated to him solving The Riddler’s mysteries and murders. Batman does some serious detective work in this version, we see him solve cyphers and riddles and booby traps, its practically all the movie focuses on, not on rehashing the same origin story over and over again, we get to see Batman in action how we’ve always wanted. Some may argue that the length of the movie is too long, but I on the other hand argue that the slow burn of the movie adds to the dark and gritty of this film, some may find it boring but I feel that the length makes this movie all the more eerie and tense like a detective thriller, further setting apart from anything we’ve seen before.

The thing I love the most about this film is that we get to see Batman’s journey into the hero that he is. This is Batman’s second year of dawning the cape and cowl, he doesn’t have it all figured out, the police Department hates him, he’s practically out there beating up bad guys for the sense of revenge. In the beginning of the film we’re faced with a Narration from Batman’s log that he keeps. He says it himself, the bat signal isn’t a sign of hope, its a warning to the bad guys that he’s out there and that they’re scared. Thats it they’re cowering in fear, nevertheless how bad ass this scene is, batman is purely this figure that everyone fears and cowers from. Even the man he saves in the beginning of the movie is terrified of the caped crusader. He says it himself “Im vengeance “. Throughout the movie this is Batman’s journey into a sense of hope. Throughout the turmoil he faces with the riddler eventually he becomes a beacon of hope for the people of the city. Illustrated when he takes the hand of a child and the mayor after the city has been flooded, and he leads the people out of the dark with a flare in hand. I LOVE this scene so much, he is leading the city out of the darkness, both figuratively and literally, this arial shot is so symbolic and powerful. We end with another monologue of batman explaining that the people look to him as a symbol of hope and how from now on he has to do everything he does to protect the city, so that the people have hope.

I barely scratched the surface on this film. But overall this movie is different than anything we’ve seen from live action adaptations of Batman. Its so dark and different and overall I think that its what comic fans have been wanting for years. I think its differentness will make it a classic in 10 years and eventually a cult classic.

Star Wars. one of the most influential and successful film franchises of all time.  Fans have been watching Star Wars for nearing 50 years now , and they’ve gone through a rollercoaster of experiences at the hands of Lucasfilm and most recently Disney. Whether it be the original destroying of the Death Star in the original New Hope movie in 1977, or the death of the beloved Han Solo in The Force Awakens. Whatever the moment is , every Star Wars fan has a moment that they love the most and hold dear to their heart. Me personally, we’ll have to go back to the not so popular Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I believe that the Duel of Fates scene in the end of the film and the scores role in the prequel trilogy. I think that this moment and the musics evolution and meaning in the 3 prequel movies, is the catalyst of the Star Wars universe and really transcends the film it was written for.

John Williams is the mastermind behind many of the themes from film that most people can hum from memory, Jaws, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and of course Star Wars just to name a few. Every Star Wars fan knows the scene, Darth Maul, one of the few things that is universally loved from the prequels, black and red war painted face, double ended lightsaber wielding Sith Lord, is faced against the noble Qui Gon Jin and his padewan young Obi Wan Kenobi. what seems to be a simple evil vs good battle, but just as we find in the film’s title , there is more than what meets the eye with the Dual of the Fates lightsaber dual. Williams scores have this enate ability to feel as though they are these massive , almost religious experiences that seemingly have been echoing since the beginning of time, they’re just that powerful. And Dual of the Fates is certainly no exception. Darth Maul’s entrance is flanked with low bass fan fare, the rest of the sound comes in, with pumping orchestra strings, low woodwinds, the French horns, all stacking on top of each other, building the melody up and up to what I think sets this piece apart from anything else , The choir, this jarring almost frenzied choral of 80 people tiered perfectly. This choir is the most powerful thing ever heard from a film score, enough to send shivers down your spine.

Ultimately this rollercoaster of a scene is just that a rollercoaster, rising and falling taking by the seat of your pants, and finally releasing you as Qui Gon Jin being defeated by Darth Maul, and his Padewan Obi Wan avenging him by slicing Darth Maul in half. While this is one of the best lightsaber duels in the whole Star Wars universe, I think its the way this song fits into the plot and the overarching story of the prequel trilogies that makes it so transcendental.

In the first movie the plot involves young Anakin Skywalker, Qui Gon and Obi Wan find the young bound to be most powerful Sith Lord of all time on a small desert planet Tatooine. Qui Gon quickly senses that this boy has the potential to become the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, some could even say “the chosen one”. After winning a pod race, Anakin is released from his slave role, and is set off with Qui Gon and Obi-wan to become a Jedi. These plans are disrupted as when Qui-Gon returns to Coursaunt, the Jedi counsel tell him that he cannot take young Anakin as his padewan as he already has one in Obi-wan, also Jedi Master Yoda proclaims that he senses the boy’s future is clouded. Qui-Gon is displeased with this news and really plans to take Anakin under his wing against the counsel’s wishes. Obviously this plan gets cut short as he is defeated by Darth Maul, Obi-wan goes on to take in Anakin as a padewan as to continue this deceased master’s final wishes, even though he isn’t the most fond of the boy and wants to follow the Jedi counsels orders. Long story short Anakin becomes Darth Vader, if you didn’t know. Now I can hear you asking, where does Dual of the Fates come into this? In the title itself.

 

 

 

What I find so monumental about this piece of music is that this is the crux of the entire Star Wars universe and not many people see it. The battle between Maul , Kenobi, and Qui Gon, is the battle for the fate of Anakin Skywalker, the two fates of the chosen one are fighting physically. On one hand if Qui-Gon lives, he presumably takes Anakin under his wing and makes him become a noble Jedi such as he , but what ends up being the result on the other hand , is that Obi-Wan reluctantly takes Anakin in and we see young Skywalker develop into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. I think that the title of Dual of the Fates is so powerful within itself that the whole first movie could have been titled that.

What makes Dual of the Fates transcend the Phantom Menace though is that it is played throughout the rest of the trilogy whenever Anakin is at a cross road. For example in Episode II when Anakin finds out that the sand people have captured and tourtured his mother to death, as he races to the village on the speeder, the faint melody of Dual of the Fates being played in the background. Anakin’s fate is once again on the fence, Anakin eventually ends up slaughtering the entire village, the women, the children, like animals. But this piece of music that in the first movie represented the universe’s tussle with fate is heard in the background, if Anakin doesn’t act on his feelings of hate and fear, he isn’t going to be led further to the dark-side, instead the dark side pulls the chosen one further into it’s grasp. The song is heard once again in episode III after Anakin is officially dubbed lord Vader and is going to kill the younglings at the Jedi temple. Anakin’s fate is in constant turmoil, until the end of the Revenge of the Sith where we see the dark side fully encompass Anakin Skywalker and produce Lord Vader.

The entire original Trilogy rests on Luke’s battle with His father Darth Vader, the entire thing, thus making the Dual of the Fates Battle in episode I the most pivotal moment in all of Star Wars for me. And the score more than justifies that, the entire FATE of the universe rests on Qui-Gon’s death, without this battle, there may have never been a Death Star or an unlikely hero from Tatooine having to fight his father for the sake of the universe. This is why Duel of The Fates transcends the prequels, the entire fate of the galaxy, and cinemas most iconic villas, rests upon and is felt in this masterpiece of a score,