GANGS OF NEW YORK
TV ClubHouse: archive: Movies Sept 2002 - April 2003:
GANGS OF NEW YORK
Ophiliasgrandma | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 09:32 am     Anybody? |
Ketchuplover | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 10:41 am     Doesn't start until Christmas day in my town. |
Goddessatlaw | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 11:00 am     I saw it last with Marriage Material. Alot to say about nothing. The movie is WAY too long - anything that needed to be said could have been said in 90 minutes, which leaves the movie another 90 minutes to bore you stiff. The story line is unclear and this contributes to not giving a crap what happens to anyone in the movie. I never conceived of a situation where Daniel Day Lewis, Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio could all manage to look like complete sh*t at the same time, but they are butt ugly in this film, particularly Lewis. If the movie were lush with scenery, maybe some of the prolonged establishing shots could be justified, but it is not. The movie centers on a stinking abyss of humanity and a cesspool of a small district in Civil War era New York. You look at the movie and think "squalor." There is no indication whether the events represented, i.e. the "gangs" and their effect on living and politics in New York in the 1860's, are in any way historically accurate. It would have helped to know that there is basis in fact for the depiction. I do not recommend this movie. I was terribly disappointed in it, and left with the feeling that if editing were left in the hands of another artist besides Scorsese, it would have been a significantly different and much better movie. It seriously needs tailoring. Seriously. |
Oregonfire | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 12:37 pm     I'd like to see this movie, not sure if I will or not because it's hard to get me to the theater if there aren't any hobbits in the film. Still, it looks intriguing, and I'm interested in New York history (watched the whole Ken Burns documentary--the infighting between the immigrants during the Civil War was mentioned in it), and Scorcese is one of my favorite film makers (Goodfellas, Last Temptation of Christ). Will let you guys know if I make it.  |
Hummingbird | Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 01:45 pm     I haven't seen it yet but sure am tired of seeing Leonardo on every TV show they can book him on. He was a cute kid but still looks too young to pair up with Cameron Diaz. I know he's old enough, just has one of those little boy faces. |
Alegria | Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 08:02 am     I have no urge to see this one. I'd rather see Leo in Catch Me If You Can. Cameron Diaz is a good actress but somewhat overexposed |
Ophiliasgrandma | Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 10:09 am     Alegria: ...'overexposed', hah, that's a good one. |
Webkitty | Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 06:38 pm     We went to see this today and wish we hadn't. It was extremely violent, bloody, depressing and way too long. I don't think I will ever be able to watch Daniel Day Lewis in anything else again, he played such a sub-human character. I do not recommend this movie! <going back to the festivities and trying to get this horrible movie out of my mind> |
Juju2bigdog | Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 05:57 pm     We saw it today. Based on the above reviews, I had no real desire to see the movie. Long, violent, and bloody is not my thing. And yet ... and yet I feel a bit of an obligation as a moviegoer to see all of the movies nominated for best picture for Golden Globes and Academy Awards. I did not hate the movie, although after the opening scenes I did tell Bigdog I might have to leave, and I was feeling grateful for my foresight in having an unread Amy Tan novel in the car. For the most part, the movie was brutal, brutish, and depressing, but Scorcese did a good job of some things. Lewis, Dicaprio and Diaz and supporting cast were mostly superb. Some of the juxtapositions were intriguing, like where he showed what was happening simultaneously in three different places, such as the prayers in the latter part of the movie, and each set of characters said Amen just before all hell broke loose. I liked the use of acapella singing in place of a musical score in parts of the movie. The sets and costumes were rich. But, in short, if a bloody violent movie is going to gross you out, this one will. Don't go. |
Crazydog | Monday, March 03, 2003 - 06:21 am     We just saw it last Saturday. I thought it was great, although I almost always enjoy period movies. I thought the cinematography and the art direction were fantastic. They did a really good job of recreating 1863 New York. The movie was extremely violent at times and I agree that it was very long. The part near the end where the federal troops mistook Leo's gang fighting Daniel's gang as another mob uprising against the draft could have been explained a little better I thought. There were some holes in the plot, and generally just too many characters to keep track of. But overall, I thought it was a good movie even though I know there are a lot of people who thought it was dreadful. I would award it the Oscars for at least Director, Actor, Art Direction and Costumes. With 10 nominations, the Academy must have found something in it to like. |
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