Raging Bull (1980) Audio Commentary - The Scorsese Series

De Niro and Moriarty take a mulligan while playing putt-putt golf in Raging Bull

RC-2012-108 (The Scorsese Series): Raging Bull (1980)



Before I get to some less-beloved Marty joints (coming soon), the series on Scorsese continues to hopscotch through the undeniable masterpieces, landing on the much-admired Raging Bull. What is it about Scorsese's technique that so tickles P.T. Anderson's  fancy? And how is it that a book so bad can become so affecting when adapted to the screen? (My best guess: the involvement of one Paul Schrader, and a director whose sense for the operatic doesn't out-pace his penchant for street-level realism.) I sing the praises of some newcomer named Joe Pesci and opine on such things as the the Martin-Schrader-Scorsese-De Niro storytelling structure, the film's massaging of some real-world facts, and why it seems to be more highly regarded among directors than among critics (as reflected in the Sight & Sound polls). I manage to not get sidetracked talking about post-war professional prize-fighting or, for that matter, the many gorgeous classic automobiles visible in the movie. As always, listen for the countdown to sync up with your copy of the film. And remember: I'm the boss I'm the boss I'm the boss I'm the boss I'm the boss I'm the boss I'm the boss...


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High Fidelity (2000) Audio Commentary

A conflict resolution specialist

RC-2012-108: High Fidelity (2000)



Look, conflict resolution is my job, so on this commentary track for High Fidelity, I'm once and for all resolving the question of whether this quasi-classic Cusack joint is, at bottom, a movie about loving cool music or a merely love movie with cool music in it. (I never answer this, but the former seems far more interesting, does it not?) Aside from marveling at how well the film gets away with Cusack's fourth-wall demolition job, I analyze how the essence of Hornby's novel was preserved despite the story being Americanized, and I get down and dirty thinking out loud about how refreshing it was back in 2000 to see a romantic comedy that did something unexpected with the tiresome sub-genre. You know, by being genuinely romantic and comedic. Does Catherine Zeta-Jones belong in this movie? And speaking of casting, did you know that within High Fidelity we have the best template ever for the use of this thing called "Jack Black." Actually, the Jack Black character, Barry, is a fine example of how a well-written supporting character can function in a story: he's in the background, snagging a few lines of dialogue here and there, and has himself a casually and seemingly non-essential little subplot that gets paid off in a way that is integral to the third act. And if that doesn't sell you on it, you get to see his ass crack as well. To sync with the commentary, hit "pause" when the Touchstone Pictures logo fades to black, and hit "play" when I tells ya.


Listen to the mp3. Or automatically disqualify yourself due to your association with iTunes.

Goodfellas (1990) Audio Commentary - The Scorsese Series

Look up "schnook" in the dictionary, and you find this photo

RC-2012-107 (The Scorsese Series): Goodfellas (1990)



After rifling through the suggestion box, I've decided to take the enthusiastic advice of my stalwart listener and e-mail correspondent, Glenn, and dedicate an entire series of commentaries to the work of Martin Scorsese. Since an earlier episode of the podcast already tackled a Scorsese film (1986's The Color of Money), we've given ourselves an inadvertent head start. With a filmography spanning several decades, Scorsese has made (in my opinion) four undeniable masterpieces and no fewer than a half-dozen arguable masterpieces. We'll definitely go off the beaten path in this series, as we've done already with The Color of Money, but this episode proceeds right to one of the more predictable entries from the "undeniable masterpiece" pile, 1990's gangster epic Goodfellas. The commentary explores the film's fidelity to the source material (the true-crime book Wiseguy), the ways in which Scorsese and The Sopranos both understood the profound surrealism that must be inherent to life in the mafia, and why that scene in which Ray Liotta talks directly to camera is so satisfying. The track was recorded while viewing the Region 1 DVD of the film, and the sync point is just after the MGM logo has faded to black.


Listen to the mp3. Or go into the iTunes protection program.