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Post by Vits on Aug 1, 2017 10:53:53 GMT
Have you ever heard that narration is a lazy method in storytelling? It only is when it's used for a scene that could be explained on its own. CASINO takes it to a whole new level. During the first 60-90 minutes, it tries to convince the audience that the story is great. It doesn't work that way; we have to experience it by ourselves. By the time the narration decreases and we're allowed to actually watch the scenes, I was disconnected from the movie. Now, why do I think that GOODFELLAS and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (also directed by Martin Scorsese) are better, despite having narration and the same story structure? Because the script writers of those movies knew when narration was necessary and because they developed the characters. Also, those movies had epilogues that showed how the things the protagonists had gone through had affected them. This movie doesn't do that. It literally ends with the protagonist saying "I was back where I had started... and that's that." 4/10 ------------------------------------- You can read comments of other movies in my blog (in English, in Spanish or in Italian). |
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Post by itsthatguyme on Aug 1, 2017 14:24:59 GMT
Narration saves time. If it hadn't been used in Casino, it would have added another 2 hours to the movie. This way , u don't have to explain who everyone is..their motivation and backstory etc. He ( Scorsese ) would have had to flashback to how and why Las Vegas was made ..and it's Mafia ties etc...then who Sam Rothstein was...which the narration did but in a quick way. In this case it compressed time which is effective and really the only way to cram all that info an already bloated movie. Casino is a 3 hour movie even with the narration. Imagine without it.
also. There's no way that The freakin Wolf of Wallstreet is a better movie than Casino. I'm sure most ppl would agree. Maybe you can make a case for Goodfellas though.
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Post by Popeye Doyle on Aug 1, 2017 15:53:05 GMT
I've probably re-watched Casino more than any other Scorsese film. It plays to his strengths - the energy from his direction, cinematography, performances, dialogue, and endless soundtrack make for a pretty terrific movie; it's Scorsese at his both brutal and operatic.
9/10 |
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Post by Vits on Aug 1, 2017 15:53:42 GMT
Well ItsThatGuyMe, those things could've still been said, but in conversations. It would still be exposition, but less direct. Actually, I think that some of those things could've been just alluded and we would've figured out the rest.
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Post by moviemouth on Aug 1, 2017 17:22:15 GMT
I love the narration in Casino.
It isn't lazy storytelling imo, just a style of storytelling that not everyone likes.
Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street are closer to characters studies, while Casino is more about the mechanics of how the mob ran Las Vegas.
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Post by Popeye Doyle on Aug 1, 2017 17:30:36 GMT
I love the narration in Casino.
It isn't lazy storytelling imo, just a style of storytelling that not everyone likes.
"It's a Casino! people gotta win sometimes!"
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Post by moviemouth on Aug 1, 2017 17:38:53 GMT
I love the narration in Casino.
It isn't lazy storytelling imo, just a style of storytelling that not everyone likes.
"It's a Casino! people gotta win sometimes!"
What I like so much about the movie is that it almost feels like a documentary sometimes. |
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Post by Popeye Doyle on Aug 1, 2017 17:42:25 GMT
"It's a Casino! people gotta win sometimes!"
What I like so much about the movie is that it almost feels like a documentary sometimes. "In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all." |
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Post by itsthatguyme on Aug 1, 2017 21:41:16 GMT
What I like so much about the movie is that it almost feels like a documentary sometimes. "In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all." Yes. It's the amount of detail about everything going on that makes it effective. |
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Aug 2, 2017 1:18:10 GMT
It's a little bloated and also derivitive of Goodfellas, but a solid movie overall. 8/10.
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Post by sdm3 on Aug 2, 2017 1:23:04 GMT
Scorsese's best film behind Raging Bull. 9/10
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 1:39:10 GMT
Probably a bit too much narration going on, but not the biggest problem for me. I just think it's an uneven movie, with the first half being better and more entertaining than the second half. And as with most of Scorsese's films I feel that a lot of scenes are too drawn out and could've been trimmed.
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Post by DSDSquared on Aug 2, 2017 14:33:07 GMT
Casino is in my top ten films of all time. A 4/10 is borderline blasphemy.
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Post by kuatorises on Aug 2, 2017 14:49:54 GMT
stop reviewing movies.
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Post by bd74 on Aug 2, 2017 17:04:39 GMT
It's a much more interesting film than the overhyped Goodfellas. The narration never bothered me at all. And, there's a really good performance by Sharon Stone (probably her best?). I heard that Madonna (of all people) was originally considered for the role of Ginger.
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Post by movielover on Aug 2, 2017 17:24:34 GMT
Funny, it's The Wolf of Wall Street that I felt was trying to convince us how great the story was, but i just didn't care. In Casino, like in Goodfellas, I was fascinated by what the narrator was telling the viewers about how things worked in their world.
Goodfellas - 10/10
Casino - 9/10
The Wolf of Wall Street - 6/10
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