Beauty vs Beast: Irish Gangs Be Slashin'
Monday, March 14, 2016 at 3:30PM Jason from MNPP here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" -- I don't know if its my walk to work in Lower Manhattan every day or what but you'd be surprised (really, because literally nobody says this) at how often Martin Scorsese's 2002 film Gangs of New York comes to my mind. I mean clearly the nieghborhoods look a little bit different but whenever I look off towards the river I think to myself, "Self, a boat could totally shoot a cannon at you right now." So thanks for that, Gangs of New York. One more New York stress I don't need!
Anyway this morning we're thinking green thanks to the approaching St. Patrick's Day holiday, and I figured it was time to turn that anxiety into action -- it's the angry Irish laddy versus the Original New York Nativist Nightmare (pre-dating Donald Trump by a couple centuries)...
PREVIOUSLY It was a real battle of man against machine with last week's Ex Machina edition, but in the end our lady of the whirring silver midsection Ava slinked away with just about 53% if your vote. Said catbaskets:
"Team anti-rape avenger every time. (As opposed to team rapist creator). We shall not get lost in Isaac's dreamy pecs."
Reader Comments (14)
Can anyone beat Bill The Butcher? What a performance! I love when actors manage to be excellend and BIGGER THAN LIFE. Subtlety is overrated.
I will say here at the outset that I fully expect this to be a DDL blow-out - it always is! What would I have to do to make it not? A Nine contest? SHUDDER
Jason: Julian Sands ought to be able to take him in A Room with a View-off. And maybe a Crucible-off would favor Winona or Joan.
Gangs of New York might be my favorite truly messy film. Its pacing and narrative focus veer hither and yon at the drop of a (stovepipe) hat, its main protagonist is marginalized for the lion's share of the overstuffed running time, it tries to cover everything from bloodoath vengeance to romance to class and race divisions to the Boss Tweed political machine, and in style and in content it often goes all topsy-turvy and histrionic. But the result is a cocked-eyed beauty of a film which I love through and through.
Also Bill the Butcher all the way, every day. Obvs.
I miss Daniel Day Lewis
I really didn't care for this film or the performances but at least Day Lewis keeps his accent consistent. DiCaprio sounds like he has been all over Europe.
I mean is there a better named character than "Amsterdam Vallon"? But names aren't everything. DDL just wipes the floor with Leo in this.
Lol, this isn't a fair fight. Bill the Butcher all the way. No contest!
I think Daniel Day-Lewis is laughably bad in this movie. I know this isn't a constructive comment, but I can't restrain myself in light of the boundless praise he received.
"Undercover Fievel Realness." Jason, you are amazing.
Please. It's not even a contest.
Nathaniel, I'm curious: how did you feel about the 2002 Oscar race? I know you like The Hours but is that the film you were rooting for in Best Picture? What did you think of Gangs of New York in general? And did you think Chicago was overrated, underrated or properly rated?
Of the films that were nominated, The Two Towers was my favorite but I also loved The Pianist and I think Gangs had moments of brilliance and should've won for Art Direction & Lead Actor (ironically the two Oscars that another DDL vehicle -- Lincoln -- won years later). Chicago was easily my least favorite of the nominees and I was annoyed that it got the accolades that Moulin Rouge (a far superior musical film) should've gotten one year before.
This is just about the same as Plainview vs. Sunday: no contest.
Definitely the weakest Leo performance in a collab with Scorsese. Best is probably when he portrays Billy Costigan in the Departed.