Voting against Spike Jonze under any circumstance makes me feel like I've been backed into a corner. This is one of those times where it seems like Filmspotting Madness was only meant as a punishment to your listeners.
Dustin - 6 years ago
I have lost patience for Scorsese. Being John Malkovich
For some of these, I wonder if there is some Indie Bias in play: If both films are great, vote down the more expensive one. I certainly believe that any film can be disliked, yes, any universally beloved classic can genuinely not work for a person, but it seems like some of the voting is on film cultures rather than the movies themselves.
Hey - people can vote for any reason they like, reasonable, rational or otherwise.
Just like with our presidents.
Brent from Atlanta - 6 years ago
Goodfellas is just one of many great Scorcese movies identically staring at me in a restaurant.
I voted for Malkovich. We already have another Goodfellas in Casino, but there will never, ever be another Being John Malkovich.
Erin Teachman (Washington, DC) - 6 years ago
Filmspotting Nation's respect for Being John Malkovich suggests that my dislike of it is probably a bit irrational and I need to revisit it (oh, shucks, I won't be able to, DARN). It's quite possible that my reaction to Malkovich comes from the-new-to-me-at-the-time experience of watching a movie with no one to root for and being utterly dissatisfied with what happened to a bunch of people I did not at all like, a bit of a theme for Charlie Kaufman that I have since come to appreciate . . . just not in this film.
It's fascinating Malkovich got matched up with Goodfellas, because there is also absolutely no one to root for in Goodfellas either. Henry Hill's got charisma for days, but Hill only looks sane because he's often standing next to Jimmy and Tommy and when he's not aiding and abetting murder, Hill is helpfully explaining everything to us. If I have to choose between two movies stuffed with people I don't like and being unhappy with the inadequacy of the consequences, I have to vote for the better visual realization of an idea. As interesting and around the corner as Malkovich is in terms of its concept and visual conceits, I don't think there's anything in it that manages the audacious visual mastery of the Copa sequence. I have to go with Goodfellas here.
Luke Robinson - 6 years ago
For me this Madness has been about watching on as the interesting films got whittled away in favour of the fun.
There is a lot to love about many of the remaining films, Goodfellas included, and they way they challenge genre, but Malkovitch challenges reality. It doesn't refine the established, it is something new and therefore it is the film that needs to survive.
Other gangster movies still exist, so given enough time someone else will make another Goodellas, or something equivalent. The odds of a second maniac making something like Malkovitch are lower than the ceilings of a certain floor.
Craig in Toronto - 6 years ago
Goodfellas is a pretty great Scorcese film, and I'm glad, because boy oh boy does it feel good to not vote for the film that defeated my favourite film of the 90s in the last round: Magnolia!
Mike H. - 6 years ago
Honestly if you look at every film in this tournament from the start and judge them fairly on all their merits..........performances, cinematography, impact and influence, re-watchability, etc..........the only two films that I think truly deserved to win this whole thing more than Goodfellas were Malcolm X and Miller's Crossing. That's me trying to be as objective as possible, while putting aside my strong personal (totally subjective) attachment to a few other contenders like Before Sunrise and My Own Private Idaho, both of which I would have loved to see make it to the end as dark horse upsets but ultimately don't stack up to the towering heights of the three powerhouses of cinematic perfection mentioned above.
Goodfellas is the only one of those three left standing. So I won't be mad if it wins (WHEN it wins), even if the pretentious film nerd in me always hopes for a more interesting tourney with outsider picks triumphing over the usual suspects, no pun intended.
If Spike Lee had to get robbed, at least we can "do the right thing" by making the robber Jimmy the Gent.
Chad Hill (Monticello, AR) - 6 years ago
Scorsese's buzzsaw of a gangster pic, a true masterpiece of the genre and a compulsively watchable and entertaining work in its own right, goes up against the kooky wacked-out debut of Jonze, my favorite director of all time whose creativity and empathy never ceases to surprise me, and debut of Kaufman, my favorite screenwriter who might actually be insane. In this one, the heart wins out for me, but my hopes aren't high. If anyone wants to join me, I'll be going through the portal on the 7.5 floor of the Martin-Flemmer building with my copy of Being John Malkovich after Madness is over.
Neil Mitchell - 6 years ago
Tough, but Goodfellas is relatively low down in my Scorsese the Master list. Malkovich has more inventiveness in every frame than almost every other film.
Joel Edmiston (Toronto) - 6 years ago
I'm so sick of Goodfellas. I put it with Shawshank and Usual Suspects as movies that stopped being interesting the tenth time they were played on cable. I will say, I LOVE Scorsese, but this is not his best movie. Down with GOODFELLAS! Let's get an upset in here. Bring in Malkovich!
Malkovich is clever. It's genuinely clever, and pretty smart too.
Goodfellas is cinema.
Tommy DeVito's about to dump another body... this time, onto the New Jersey Turnpike.
Rob in Bourbonnais - 6 years ago
Look, I get it, you all love mob movies. Filmspotting's collective dream is apparently the Coens directing Fassbender as a gangster. But maybe, just maybe, we can give them something else as inspiration.
Voting against Spike Jonze under any circumstance makes me feel like I've been backed into a corner. This is one of those times where it seems like Filmspotting Madness was only meant as a punishment to your listeners.
I have lost patience for Scorsese. Being John Malkovich
For some of these, I wonder if there is some Indie Bias in play: If both films are great, vote down the more expensive one. I certainly believe that any film can be disliked, yes, any universally beloved classic can genuinely not work for a person, but it seems like some of the voting is on film cultures rather than the movies themselves.
Hey - people can vote for any reason they like, reasonable, rational or otherwise.
Just like with our presidents.
Goodfellas is just one of many great Scorcese movies identically staring at me in a restaurant.
There's only one Malkovich.
I voted for Malkovich. We already have another Goodfellas in Casino, but there will never, ever be another Being John Malkovich.
Filmspotting Nation's respect for Being John Malkovich suggests that my dislike of it is probably a bit irrational and I need to revisit it (oh, shucks, I won't be able to, DARN). It's quite possible that my reaction to Malkovich comes from the-new-to-me-at-the-time experience of watching a movie with no one to root for and being utterly dissatisfied with what happened to a bunch of people I did not at all like, a bit of a theme for Charlie Kaufman that I have since come to appreciate . . . just not in this film.
It's fascinating Malkovich got matched up with Goodfellas, because there is also absolutely no one to root for in Goodfellas either. Henry Hill's got charisma for days, but Hill only looks sane because he's often standing next to Jimmy and Tommy and when he's not aiding and abetting murder, Hill is helpfully explaining everything to us. If I have to choose between two movies stuffed with people I don't like and being unhappy with the inadequacy of the consequences, I have to vote for the better visual realization of an idea. As interesting and around the corner as Malkovich is in terms of its concept and visual conceits, I don't think there's anything in it that manages the audacious visual mastery of the Copa sequence. I have to go with Goodfellas here.
For me this Madness has been about watching on as the interesting films got whittled away in favour of the fun.
There is a lot to love about many of the remaining films, Goodfellas included, and they way they challenge genre, but Malkovitch challenges reality. It doesn't refine the established, it is something new and therefore it is the film that needs to survive.
Other gangster movies still exist, so given enough time someone else will make another Goodellas, or something equivalent. The odds of a second maniac making something like Malkovitch are lower than the ceilings of a certain floor.
Goodfellas is a pretty great Scorcese film, and I'm glad, because boy oh boy does it feel good to not vote for the film that defeated my favourite film of the 90s in the last round: Magnolia!
Honestly if you look at every film in this tournament from the start and judge them fairly on all their merits..........performances, cinematography, impact and influence, re-watchability, etc..........the only two films that I think truly deserved to win this whole thing more than Goodfellas were Malcolm X and Miller's Crossing. That's me trying to be as objective as possible, while putting aside my strong personal (totally subjective) attachment to a few other contenders like Before Sunrise and My Own Private Idaho, both of which I would have loved to see make it to the end as dark horse upsets but ultimately don't stack up to the towering heights of the three powerhouses of cinematic perfection mentioned above.
Goodfellas is the only one of those three left standing. So I won't be mad if it wins (WHEN it wins), even if the pretentious film nerd in me always hopes for a more interesting tourney with outsider picks triumphing over the usual suspects, no pun intended.
If Spike Lee had to get robbed, at least we can "do the right thing" by making the robber Jimmy the Gent.
Scorsese's buzzsaw of a gangster pic, a true masterpiece of the genre and a compulsively watchable and entertaining work in its own right, goes up against the kooky wacked-out debut of Jonze, my favorite director of all time whose creativity and empathy never ceases to surprise me, and debut of Kaufman, my favorite screenwriter who might actually be insane. In this one, the heart wins out for me, but my hopes aren't high. If anyone wants to join me, I'll be going through the portal on the 7.5 floor of the Martin-Flemmer building with my copy of Being John Malkovich after Madness is over.
Tough, but Goodfellas is relatively low down in my Scorsese the Master list. Malkovich has more inventiveness in every frame than almost every other film.
I'm so sick of Goodfellas. I put it with Shawshank and Usual Suspects as movies that stopped being interesting the tenth time they were played on cable. I will say, I LOVE Scorsese, but this is not his best movie. Down with GOODFELLAS! Let's get an upset in here. Bring in Malkovich!
Malkovich is clever. It's genuinely clever, and pretty smart too.
Goodfellas is cinema.
Tommy DeVito's about to dump another body... this time, onto the New Jersey Turnpike.
Look, I get it, you all love mob movies. Filmspotting's collective dream is apparently the Coens directing Fassbender as a gangster. But maybe, just maybe, we can give them something else as inspiration.