New Releases #9: The Irishman Movie Review

My name is Logan Tyler Smith, and in this series of LoganLand Prime I will analyze movies that are newer or more contemporary in the public consciousness. Welcome to the New Releases series.

In “The Irishman” a elderly former hitman named Frank Sheeran recounts the secrets he kept as a member of an infamous crime syndicate. Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, we learn of the toll killing has taken on him, his family and his criminal associates. 
The film is exactly what you can expect for a gangster movie in terms of scale and ambition. Director Martin Scorsese crafts a world that makes gang violence seem matter-of-fact but also somehow devastating - and the film itself executes that perfectly. 
In addition to the obviously phenomenal production design, the film also succeeds in getting memorable performances from digitally de-aged actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci (who came out of retirement for this picture), and Al Pacino (in his first time working for Scorsese). The film’s performances further accent what it’s like to live in the violent, crime-filled world the characters inhabit. 
Despite this, the film is long (3 and a half hours!) and is probably best for the theatre as a result. The violence and subject matter in the film can often strike without warning (the family dynamics are particularly tragic) and could turn off more sensitive viewers. 
Ultimately if you’re into violent, phenomenally executed gangster epics, this might actually be a perfect fit for you. If you’re into that stuff but not into the runtime, you should still be able to watch it in segments (though if you’re not into either you should stay away from this film). 

That's my take. I'm Logan Tyler Smith and this has been the New Releases series.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW I AM MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN YOU THINK

If you don’t already read this blog (or even know if I exist) you probably don’t believe me: bear with me anyway, as there’s a lesson in disguise.   I’ve had a very productive couple weeks, some days harder than others. I had a pretty lax schedule generally before though; it went something like this: Wake up and drink coffee/eat breakfast Watch videos, movies, listen to podcasts all day every day (MAYBE read a book or article) MAYBE DoorDash deliver or Instacart shop Go to bed Now even though I maintain I’ve been more productive these past couple weeks, I would like to point out my schedule has not changed that much.  Here’s how it goes: Wake up and drink coffee Work on podcast or upcoming videos (schedule changes depending on video) Go for a run (depends on day and time); run or not either way I take a shower, basic hygiene DoorDash or Instacart (again, depends on the day and time) Get writing done (books, screenplays, this blog, I have a lot to write) Wa...
Read more

Production Journal for 'Roomies' Production (January-July 2023)

Introduction My name is Logan Tyler Smith. Sometime in 2019, when I was getting really into filmmaking (specifically the works of Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino, as most film buffs get into), I came up with a title: Roomies. I hadn't really had a full idea at this point, but I knew it would be a good title for a 90s-early 2000 style indie film.  That is, I didn't have a full idea until August 2022.  I fleshed out the idea into a well-formed outline and knew that if I wanted to finally make a feature-length film, this outline would be the way to do it.  At this point in my career, I had only made short films, but I decided it was time to finally make my feature length directorial debut. And after putting together a well-done script, I got to working on preproduction.  Obviously, as you're going to see in the following production journal, the idea evolved and went through some evolution over the course of filming it. Preproduction was mostly where I chose my actors,...
Read more

New Releases #8: Toy Story 4 Review

My name is Logan Tyler Smith, and in this series of LoganLand Prime I will analyze movies that are newer or more contemporary in the public consciousness. Welcome to the New Releases series. In “Toy Story 4”, the toy’s of the past three movies have to deal with a decorated spork who mysteriously came to life after being declared a “toy”. After the cowboy doll Sheriff Woody gets separated from the others along with the spork named “Forky”, he realizes more about himself and the world around him around the same time he reconnects with an old friend from a previous owner.  Toy Story has and always has been a practically perfect animated franchise. Right from the opening scene, the viewers are effortlessly hooked into the sprawling narrative of the series without much need for dull exposition. In addition, the film manages to somehow be genuinely funnier and better animated than the first three movies, if not generally better.  It’s no secret that the original Toy Story...
Read more