By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 24, unless otherwise noted: The Irishman: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, The Criterion Collection Rated: R, graphic violence, language The lowdown: The dialogue in “The Irishman” is rather mundane and dull, but the meaning behind the words — ah, that is something completely different. As a whole, it is scintillating. The way the words are used, the glances and facial expressions that accompany them, convey an entirely different connotation. Everyone speaks in euphemisms; it’s like a secret code understood only by members of an exclusive club. Martin Scorsese’s latest movie can be seen as a distant cousin to “Goodfellas,” sort of a “Geriatricfellas.” The film reunites Scorsese and two of his favorite actors-collaborators — Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Throw in Al Pacino, and you have a Mount Olympus of talent. The movie plays like a Scorsese’s greatest hits, a mashup of familiar types and situations he has examined in earlier efforts. And, like such movies as the aforementioned “Goodfellas” and “Casino,” “The Irishman” uses voice-over narration to propel and explain events, and it shows the same incidents from multiple perspectives. At nearly 3½ hours, “The Irishman” lacks the crackling energy and pace of earlier Scorsese movies. That is because, at its core, it is a melancholy story of an individual looking back on his life — alone and in his twilight years — and the irrevocable choices that defined him and his relationships, especially with his family. The movie is based on a book, “I Hear You Paint Houses,” which tells the story of Frank Sheeran, an assassin who supposedly confessed to the killing of former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa. The film is told in flashback by an aging Sheeran (De Niro) — old and sickly, living alone in a nursing home. “The Irishman” is a meditative feature in which Scorsese takes his time in creating a dark and dangerous world in which loyalty and absolute fidelity are the currency of the realm. “The Irishman” is like a veteran rock ‘n’ roll band on a farewell tour performing their golden oldies. Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino and Pesci infuse the movie with a lifetime of experience in front and behind the camera. They make every scene look so natural and effortless that you forget the preparation necessary to create their personas. “The Irishman” is a sad saga that fails to offer absolution to any of its characters. The film impressed critics, who awarded it a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
New to View: Nov. 24
New to View: Nov. 24
New to View: Nov. 24
By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 24, unless otherwise noted: The Irishman: Special Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 2019, The Criterion Collection Rated: R, graphic violence, language The lowdown: The dialogue in “The Irishman” is rather mundane and dull, but the meaning behind the words — ah, that is something completely different. As a whole, it is scintillating. The way the words are used, the glances and facial expressions that accompany them, convey an entirely different connotation. Everyone speaks in euphemisms; it’s like a secret code understood only by members of an exclusive club. Martin Scorsese’s latest movie can be seen as a distant cousin to “Goodfellas,” sort of a “Geriatricfellas.” The film reunites Scorsese and two of his favorite actors-collaborators — Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Throw in Al Pacino, and you have a Mount Olympus of talent. The movie plays like a Scorsese’s greatest hits, a mashup of familiar types and situations he has examined in earlier efforts. And, like such movies as the aforementioned “Goodfellas” and “Casino,” “The Irishman” uses voice-over narration to propel and explain events, and it shows the same incidents from multiple perspectives. At nearly 3½ hours, “The Irishman” lacks the crackling energy and pace of earlier Scorsese movies. That is because, at its core, it is a melancholy story of an individual looking back on his life — alone and in his twilight years — and the irrevocable choices that defined him and his relationships, especially with his family. The movie is based on a book, “I Hear You Paint Houses,” which tells the story of Frank Sheeran, an assassin who supposedly confessed to the killing of former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa. The film is told in flashback by an aging Sheeran (De Niro) — old and sickly, living alone in a nursing home. “The Irishman” is a meditative feature in which Scorsese takes his time in creating a dark and dangerous world in which loyalty and absolute fidelity are the currency of the realm. “The Irishman” is like a veteran rock ‘n’ roll band on a farewell tour performing their golden oldies. Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino and Pesci infuse the movie with a lifetime of experience in front and behind the camera. They make every scene look so natural and effortless that you forget the preparation necessary to create their personas. “The Irishman” is a sad saga that fails to offer absolution to any of its characters. The film impressed critics, who awarded it a 96 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.