Salon.com > Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese to develop “Gangs of New York” television series

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Legendary film director Martin Scorsese is adapting his 2002 movie "Gangs of New York" to television. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, is based on Herbert Asbury's book of the same name about rival gangs in New York during the late 1800s.

Deadline reports on the television series:

"The series, co-produced by Miramax and GK Films, will draw from the events surrounding organized gangs at the turn of the century and shortly thereafter in America, not only in New York but in other cities such as Chicago and New Orleans and the birth of organized crime in America. 'This time and era of America’s history and heritage is rich with characters and stories that we could not fully explore in a two-hour film,' said Scorsese. 'A television series allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life.' "

Must-see morning clip

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:49:00 +0000

He's lonely, he's maybe a little insecure about his waistline. But that doesn't mean the droll basketball legend doesn't have holiday cheer. Watch Charles Barkley as he celebrates Christmas, Rupert Pupkin-style, with some of his favorite NBA frenemies.

And whatever you do, don't call him Santa.

From funnyordie.com

Colin Quinn is excited about Martin Scorsese’s Bill Clinton documentary

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Like many of us, comedian and "SNL" veteran Colin Quinn is amused by the news that legendary director Martin Scorsese — he of "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver" and "Gangs of New York" and all the best gritty New York films about mobsters and violence and guilt and redemption — will be directing an HBO documentary about former President Bill Clinton. What would a Bubba in "Goodfellas" kind of movie be like? Quinn and friends have a few ideas:

From Quinn's Twitter feed:

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Martin Scorsese to deliver Bill Clinton documentary

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:19:00 +0000

Legendary film director Martin Scorsese is partnering with HBO to produce a documentary about former President Bill Clinton. "A towering figure who remains a major voice in world issues, President Clinton continues to shape the political dialogue both here and around the world,” Scorsese said. “Through intimate conversations, I hope to provide greater insight into this transcendent figure.”

Scorsese has the full support of the 42nd president, who said, “I look forward to sharing my perspective on my years as President, and my work in the years since, with HBO’s audience.”

This will be Scorsese’s fourth collaboration with HBO, including a documentary about American author Fran Lebowitz ("Public Speaking") and the Emmy-winning "George Harrison: Living in the Material World." He also serves as executive producer for the network's "Boardwalk Empire."

h/t The Wrap, Deadline

Will Robert De Niro ever make another good movie?

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:58:00 +0000

I've had numerous conversations with actors over the years about how they choose their movie roles, and the only generalization I would make is that it almost always has to do with factors that are invisible from the outside. Like friendship, or money. Journalists are naturally drawn to prominent actors who have cinephile tendencies, and who seem largely driven by personal taste or relationships with certain directors: Michelle Williams, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen. Or by stars who seem to develop a calibrated strategy for moving from one career phase into the next, like George Clooney or Matthew McConaughey. (Or Mr. Newly Single Showbiz Unsinkable himself, Tom Cruise.)

The perfect double bill: Classic Hollywood from “The Artist,” Chaplin

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:10:00 +0000

There is the thing. And things about the thing. Or, to dress that thought up, all proper-like, there is meta perspective, a post-ironic approach, or that old standby, the homage.

"The Artist" was a much-beloved phenomenon last year. An exquisitely crafted love letter to the lost Art of Silent Film, it levitated into the hearts of some audiences -- including just about all the critics and the ever-unreliable Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Why then, does it feel like such a chore to watch? And why do I feel guilty even thinking such a thing, let alone writing it? It’s like kicking the adorable Uggie the Dog.

Michel Hazanavicius approached this project with the most noble of intentions. To transport modern movie audiences back into time, by lovingly re-creating the vocabulary of the silent film. He succeeds totally in that department. But is this a round trip really worth taking? For "The Artist" seems like the master thesis of an absolutely brilliant film student, who really, really wants to impress the faculty on just how well he has done his homework. Hazanavicius has been candid on how he obsessively studied the silent film masters. Murnau’s "Sunrise" and "City Girl," and Chaplin’s "City Lights," were his textbooks, and it is clear that he read them well. Too well. There is the thing, and things about the thing.