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While some dads around the nation might be waiting for The Irishman to come out on Netflix during Thanksgiving, I decided to go to a theater because I knew I could not trust myself to watch this behemoth of a movie at home. What’s a theater you ask?
Given that I am so richly blessed to be living in LA, I had my choice of where to see The Irishman. Depending where you are in the country though, you probably have no choice but to wait till it drops on Netflix on November 26th. This is neither the time nor piece, but feel free to read about why Netflix and theaters do not get along. In my oversimplification of the issue, I’d just like to say there are bigger issues in this industry that we should be focused on instead. But hey, what do I know?
Fortunately though, I don’t think the method in which you consume this movie will make or break your enjoyment of it. The Irishman will work whether or not you see it on a big screen. There’s a reason why Martin “Marvel Is Not Cinema” Scorsese is so revered. His direction is better than ever and it sure doesn’t hurt that he’s got Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino rounding out the cast. It doesn’t depend on being a big spectacle, but rather draws the viewer in with a pensive character study that might mirror a little of Scorsese’s, and even De Niro’s, self-reflection on such an illustrious career. Given the magnitude of those involved, it really pays off to see it how it was meant to be seen.
But anyways, aside from this particular movie, I love going to the theaters and one of the reasons is because its a shared experience. Everyone is reacting in real time. Big movie events like this one remind me just how much I love it and how, bigger picture, I don’t see this ever going away. As I’ll state below, along with some other observations made during the movie, moviegoing is just such a fun time that it’s hard to pass up — at least for me.
“No intermission? What about the men?”
Let me explain. My friends and I went to The Landmark, which is essentially the Westside equivalent of the Arclight. For those outside of LA, it’s just a slightly more upscale theater chain than the mainstream AMC or Century. Before every movie, some poor worker is forced to introduce the movie, which includes announcing the runtime.First and foremost, given the sort of clientele that goes to The Landmark, namely its arthouse bias, one would think that people would already know what they were getting into. Nope, in fact, many were very vocal to express their shock on what the runtime was. To the point in which one man spoke said subheader aloud. I’m not quite sure why this was a men only problem. Yes, the audience makeup was probably around 90%, but yo, I also was stressed out for my bladder. Nothing quite like a theater full of people all holding it in. Cinema’s truest shared experience, am I right? I loved sensing the restlessness of people as we headed into the stretch.
Is Clapping After A Movie Like Clapping For A Pilot Landing A Plane?
I’m not going to say you can’t express your satisfaction with a movie by clapping as the credits roll, but I’m also going to have to ask why? At least I guess the pilot is in the plane when you land, but unless the creative team behind the movie is there, I don’t really see the point. When Scorsese’s title card flashed, I kid you not, a man clapped thunderously to the point in which I couldn’t help but laugh, but not before my friends and I were startled. I don’t mean to be a dick, but it’s just such a predictable fanboy move.This reminds me similarly when I saw Joker on the Thursday night opening and a man behind me audibly said, “Amazing,” as the the film faded to black. I promise I’m tolerant of people’s opinions but sometimes, fanboys are so easy. Maybe this is more a critique of the fanboy culture than anything. Listen, Scorsese is not going to know if you clapped or not, so maybe just don’t.
Getting Old Sucks
Death is truly inevitable, after all we’re all hurtling towards it. But wow did this movie really hammer in this idea of being old as an absolutely miserable time. It just felt like a personal attack.De-Aging Is Okay?
A fun trivia point brought up on the film’s IMDB is, and I quote, “The lead actors are much older than the characters they portray in the film.” No s***. However, I will say that the de-aging of the actors really wasn’t that bad. I think we have Marvel to thank for that, in the way they’ve been slowly conditioning us to begrudgingly accept it. One will probably see the flaws moreso on a big screen, but it worked for the most part. What didn’t? De-aging the face did not extend to de-aging the physicality. So while De Niro may have played a man in his 40s, he was certainly still moving like he was in his 70s.But just because we can, does this mean we should keep doing this? Insert the Jurassic Park theme.
I’d Join The Mob For The Food
I don’t know, just seems like a lot of eating was involved. Especially of bread, steak, and wine. That sounds great, sign me up.The State of The Hollywood Star
We do have terrific actors right now, but as I watched Robert De Niro, and to an extent Joe Pesci, I couldn’t help but think about who right now is on that level. Maybe a handful can be named? Robert De Niro has had a tremendous end of the year with his turn in this film and Joker, perhaps reminding us that we shouldn’t forget.Are you going to watch THE IRISHMAN in theaters or wait till it drops on Netflix? What are your thoughts on the movie if you’ve seen it? Who’s our next De Niro? Sound off in the comments section or email us!