Monday, February 16, 2009

Underrated Movies: 2 From Scorsese

Taking a brief departure from my fascination with all things of a 4 nature, I remind you of two excellent films from the brilliant director Martin Scorsese who has somehow become primarily associated with mafia/gang films when, in fact, he has a wide range of films under his belt, including a musical with Robert DeNiro ("New York, New York")!

1. After Hours (1985) - a dark comedy about a guy (Griffin Dunne) who decides to get out of his rut and take a walk on the wild side of Soho and the Lower East Side of Manhattan and every single thing that could go wrong, does in the course of one very long night. Amazing cast: Rosanna Arquette, Catherine O'Hara, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, Cheech and Chong...and all of them turn against him.2. King of Comedy (1983) - another dark comedy starring Robert DeNiro as Rupert Pupkin, a guy who wants to be a stand-up comic and who becomes obsessed with Jerry Lewis, who is - believe it or not - awesome in this movie as a talk show host/comedian a la Johnny Carson. Sandra Bernhard is DeNiro's female compadre who assists him in kidnapping Jerry Lewis. Pupkin's demand? A top spot on Lewis' show.

Anyone who says Scorsese is too serious or too over-the-top hasn't seen these films. Marty totally has a sense of humor, albeit a dark one with an edge to it. I love it. No cheese in sight.

Netflix these for a good time.