I've been watching old famous films lately and picked GoodFellas this weekend.
I was only a teenager when I watched it for the first time about 20 years ago. I've always liked Robert De Niro but wasn't a big fan of Martin Scorsese's style at the time. I remember buying a DVD copy of this film with great expectations as I liked Robert De Niro and films about crimes but it turned out to be an uncomfortable and disappointing experience. If I remember correctly I had just watched Heat before that which I absolutely enjoyed but GoodFellas was completely different and totally not my cup of tea.
Now over two decades later I finally watched Taxi Driver along with a few other Martin Scorsese + Robert De Niro films and loved them all. Then I saw on the internet that GoodFellas was rated highly by both critics and audiences around the world. So I gave it ago despite I rarely rewatch anything nowadays. It turned out to be very enjoyable and just like the other Martin Scorsese projects I've watched recently, I can't stop thinking about it for the next couple of days. I'm sure I would not like Taxi Driver or New York New York if I was only 15. The reason that I like GoodFellas now is the same why I like Taxi Driver etc. so much - I've grown up, experienced, seen, read or heard about a lot more compared to 20 years ago and can understand the themes of those films. They are so real, the characters are so real and the stories convey profound messages. All of these things probably wouldn't get into the head of the 15 year old me. Most of the real life gangsters are more like Tommy (Joe Pecsi) and Jimmy (De Niro) in GoodFellas instead of Vito Corleone in The Godfather - not that I don't rate the latter, I still consider the trilogy as my all-time favourites. Just that I've finally got to be able to understand why Martin Scorsese is admired so much by so many people, and be able to appreciate his works. Last night I came across his essay on NY Times about why he doesn't like Marvel films and it quite resonates with me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html
So I'm curious if you've ever had a similar experience, changing opinions on a certain film after seeing it for the second time, perhaps many years later.
Comments
To answer your question, none. Once I hate a film, they stay that way!
Shout out to Mama Mia which was beyond spite, and won't get a second chance.
I HATE ABBA!
It's been so long I cannot specifically remember what I disliked about them, but I know it has a lot to do with me being too young to understand them properly. Thematically the films are similar - they're about bad guys with reputations who have gotten old, and for whatever reason, find themselves back in the game. Both films even feature a scene where the lead character is cornered and needs to use that reputation to threaten his way out of the room.
I think as a kid I just didn't get any of the subtlety of Unforgiven (Little Bill being utterly useless and full of shit) or the pathos of Carlito, and I did used to find De Palma's direction annoying. I see them now as bona fide classics and realise I was a moron when it came to appreciating them!
Wow, what a coincidence! I watched Carlito's Way just a few days ago! I'd seen the copies of this film so many times back in the old days when I often went to local DVD stores. But for some reason I never bought it. I watched Dog Day Afternoon recently and loved Pacino's performance in it so I thought maybe I should try another highly-rated film of his. I'm glad I did. My parents and I watched Carlito's Way together and we all enjoyed it. I think this is an easier one for me to like. I would like it even 20 or 25 years ago. Next weekend I'm going to watch Scarface. By the way, if I had to say who's better, Robert De Niro or Al Pacino, I'd always say De Niro because Pacino gives me the impression that he plays similar roles whereas De Niro is so much more versatile.
If anyone hasn't seen it, watch it, read about it then watch it again and its like watching two different films.
For what it's worth I think it's the same with Taxi Driver, in that I think the final part is just a fantasy - although it's a bit of a fascist-tinged fantasy, which makes me like it less than KOC.
A film like Brief Encounter I would have seen as a kid and been unimpressed with but now it’s one of my favourites.
I first watched the Wheadon cut and the character development felt lazy.
The Snyder cut used a lot of the same content, but the editing and additions made the film so much more watchable. It made everything darker and filled out some of the missing back story.