Best 10 Films of Martin Scorsese

When Scorsese finally won a best director Oscar®,

 for The Departed, he said "I think I want a recount",

making fun of the 2000 Presidential election,

and the fact that he had never won an Oscar®

Ranked by my order of preference, click for my review

1. Raging Bull (1980) best actor Oscar® for Robert De Niro, No. 75 on the IMDB top 250, 21 awards overall [This is my favorite boxing film, and one of the greatest performances in cinema history. Thelma Schoonmacher's editing also won an Oscar®]
2. The Departed (2006) best picture Oscar® (four total), No. 58 on the IMDB 250, 53 awards overall [Oscars® for picture, director, editing, screenplay]
3. Goodfellas (1990) supporting actor Oscar® for Joe Pesci, No. 15 on the IMDB 250, 35 awards overall
4. Gangs of New York (2002) no Oscars® (10 nominations, a record for non-winners), 33 awards overall, including 17 for Daniel Day-Lewis
5. Taxi Driver (1976) No. 41 on the IMDB top 250, winner Palm d'Or at Cannes, 19 awards overall
6. The King of Comedy (1982)  3 awards overall (no Oscar® nods)
7. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) best actress Oscar® for Ellen Burstyn, BAFTA for best film, 5 awards overall
8. Mean Streets (1973) 3 awards (two for De Niro's supporting performance, no Oscar® nods)
9. The Age of Innocence (1993) one Oscar® ( for costumes, 11 nominations), 11 awards overall
10. The Aviator (2004) 5 Oscars®, incl supporting actress for Cate Blanchett, 50 awards overall [Oscars® for supp. actress, art direction, editing, cinematography, costume design]
11. Shutter Island (2008) No. 249 on the IMDB 250, 3 awards overall (no Oscar® nods)

[That's 236 awards total for just these films, including 14 Oscars®: 5 for Aviator, 4 for Departed, 2 for Raging Bull, 3 others 1 each.. Scorsese has won 85 awards himself, most for directing (41 were for individual feature films) but some are for screenplays - his only Oscar® is for directing The Departed]

Ok, so we gave Marty 11 films, all of his are worth seeing, especially these..

The last ones I eliminated were: The Last Waltz, (two awards) primarily because it was a documentary, and really just a music concert.. the other was the overlong musical New York, New York ..(one award, for De Niro's performance).. it just wasn't as involving as his typical films.. also The Last Temptation of Christ  -the casting was just too bizarre, Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Paul, the list goes on.. it did win one award, at Venice - ironically, it's only Oscar® nomination was for Scorsese's directing

Thelma Schoonmaker has edited every Scorsese

film from Raging Bull on, and has won 3 Oscars®,

for Raging Bull, The Departed, and The Aviator.

She is one of the best editors ever

Martin almost went into the priesthood in 1956, but thankfully decided to get a film degree from NYU instead. A dedicated New Yorker (who never wanted any part of L.A.), many believe this is why he was shunned at the Oscars® for so many years. Backing up that argument, another die-hard New Yorker was the recently deceased Sydney Lumet, who never won an Oscar® after directing these classics: Network, 12 Angry Men, The Verdict, Equus, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The Pawnbroker, Murder on the Orient Express. [He'll be the subject of a later Best 10 Films post..]

An interesting early film of Marty's is Boxcar Bertha.. starring Barbara Hershey, apparently it's based on a true story. "America in the 30's was a free country" - that's because nobody had any money left anyway.

Tribeca Film Festival Going Online

Check this out - this was in a eMail I just got from the Tribeca film festival; they're going to show a lot of free films online this year. The festival can be found at http://www.blogger.com/www.tribecafilm.com

New York, NY [March 21, 2011] – The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) today unveiled the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival supported by founding partner American Express. The pioneering digital initiative will allow domestic audiences to view feature and short films for free and worldwide audiences to engage with filmmakers and industry experts as TFF’s 10th edition runs concurrently in lower Manhattan from April 20 to May 1. The debut of the 2011 Tribeca (Online) Film Festival offers film enthusiasts nationwide new avenues to experience a film festival. Tribeca (Online) is employing the latest digital video and web technology to deliver an immersive, interactive experience unlike any other, re-contextualizing Festival content and presentation. The multi-dimensional experience features five areas: Festival Streaming Room, Live From..., Tribeca Q&A, Filmmaker Feed, and the Future of Film blog. About the Tribeca Film Festival: The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema, and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling. The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,100 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 3 million attendees and has generated an estimated $600 million in economic activity for New York City.

Multiple Acting Oscars®

These actors and families have won more than one Oscar®

Four Katherine Hepburn (Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, On Golden Pond) - I would argue that they missed her best early peformance in Adam's Rib, while only Golden Pond was a standout among her wins. Three Each Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight, Anastasia, supporting for Murder on the Orient Express) - I think they were more entranced by her beauty than her talent photo right Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, As Good as It Gets, supporting for Terms of Endearment) - and they missed Five Easy Pieces, arguably his best, most subtle performance

Walter Brennan (all supporting: Come and Get It, Kentucky, The Westerner, all in a 5 yr span, 36-40)

Actor twice: Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront, The Godfather) - and he was the only non-winner in A Streetcar Named Desire photo left Gary Cooper (Sergeant York, High Noon) Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood) - and they missed his best in Gangs of New York, when he won 17 awards for Bill the Butcher Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs Kramer, Rain Man) - his own fave and mine is still Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Best Years of Our Lives) - one of the best, deserved another for his last, Seven Days In May Sean Penn (Mystic River, Milk) Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous, Boys Town) - not exactly his best peformances, Adam's Rib was my favorite, impeccable comedy photo right

Actress twice: Luise Rainer (The Great Ziegfeld, The Good Earth) Bette Davis (Dangerous, Jezebel) - maybe the greatest ever, could've also won for All About Eve, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? photo right Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight, Anastasia) Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire) Olivia de Haviland (To Each His Own, The Heiress) Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) Glenda Jackson (Women in Love, A Touch of Class) Jane Fonda (Klute, Coming Home) Sally Field (Norma Rae, Places in the Heart) Jodie Foster (The Accused, Silence of the Lambs) Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) - she joins Vivien Leigh as 2 for 2 in this category Both lead and supporting Oscars Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, supporting for Godfather II) photo left Gene Hackman (French Connection, supporting for Unforgiven) Jack Lemmon (Save the Tiger, supporting for Mister Roberts) Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, supporting for The Usual Suspects) Denzel Washington (Training Day, supporting for Glory) Helen Hayes (Sin of Madeleine Claudet, supporting for Airport) Jessica Lange (Blue Sky, supporting for Tootsie) Maggie Smith (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, supporting for California Suite) Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice, supporting for Kramer vs Kramer)

Supporting actor twice: Anthony Quinn (Viva Zapata, Lust for Life) Peter Ustinov (Spartacus, Topkapi) Melvyn Douglas (Hud, Being There) Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules) Jason Robards (All the President’s Men, Julia) Supporting actress twice: Shelly Winters (The Diary of Anne Frank, A Patch of Blue) photo rt. Diane Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway, Hannah and Her Sisters) Most nominations for actor Spencer Tracy (9) Laurence Olivier (9) Paul Newman (8) Peter O'Toole (8) – with no wins, a record Jack Nicholson (8) Marlon Brando (7) – four were consecutive, 51-54, still a record Dustin Hoffman (7) Jack Lemmon (7) Richard Burton (6) - with no wins Gary Cooper (5) Tom Hanks (5) Robert De Niro (5) Fredric March (5) Paul Muni (5) Al Pacino (5) Gregory Peck (5) Sean Penn (5) James Stewart (5) Henry Fonda (76) is the oldest winner, On Golden Pond. Adrien Brody (29) is the youngest winner, The Pianist. Jackie Coooper was the youngest nominee at 9 for Skippy. Richard Farnsworth was the oldest nominee at 79 for The Straight Story. Most supporting actor nominations Walter Brennan (4), Arthur Kennedy (4), Jack Nicholson (4), Claude Rains (4) Most Best Actress Nominations Meryl Streep (12) – a record total 15 nominations when supporting is included (photo right) Katharine Hepburn (12) Bette Davis (10) Greer Garson (7) Ingrid Bergman (6) Jane Fonda (6) Deborah Kerr (6) - with no wins Norma Shearer (6) Sissy Spacek (6) Anne Bancroft (5) Ellen Burstyn (5) Audrey Hepburn (5) Susan Hayward (5) Jessica Lange (5) Shirley MacLaine (5) Susan Sarandon (5) Elizabeth Taylor (5) Irene Dunne (5) Jessica Tandy (80) is the oldest winner, Driving Miss Daisy (photo left); also the oldest nominee, beating Dame Edith Evans (also 80 in The Whisperers) by half a year. Marlee Maitlin (21) is the youngest winner, Children of a Lesser God. Keisha Castle-Hughes (13) is the youngest nominee, The Whale Rider, and winner of 5 international awards. Most Supporting Actress nominations Thelma Ritter (6) - with no wins Ethel Barrymore (4), Lee Grant (4), Agnes Moorehead (4), Geraldine Page (4), Maureen Stapleton (4), Maggie Smith (4)

Tatum O’Neal (10) is the youngest supporting actress winner, Paper Moon, photo right. Anna Paquin was one year older in The Piano. Tatum should have been in the lead actress category, she's in nearly every scene in the movie. Peggy Ashcroft (77) is the oldest supporting actress winner, A Passage to India. Gloria Stuart (87) is the oldest nominee, The Titanic. O’Neal is the youngest. The only brother and sister to win Oscars: Lionel Barrymore (supporting for A Free Soul), Ethel Barrymore (supporting for None But the Lonely Heart). Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Julia Roberts each need their brothers to win now. Winning father-daughter combos: Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond), daughter Jane Fonda (Klute, photo left, Coming Home)

Jon Voight (Coming Home), daughter Angelina Jolie (Supporting for Girl, Interrupted)

Liza Minelli (Cabaret), is the only acting winner whose parents, Judy Garland and Vincente Minelli (director, An American in Paris), both won Oscars®

Three generation winners: Walter Huston (supporting actor for Treasure of the Sierra Madre), son John Huston (director and writer of Treasure of the Sierra Madre), grand-daughter Angelica Huston (supporting actress winner for Prizzi’s Honor, directed by her father John) Carmine Coppola (music for The Godfather), son Francis Ford Coppola (director of Godfather II), grand-daughter Sofia Coppola (writer of Lost in Translation). If you add in Francis’ nephew Nicholas Coppola (aka Nicholas Cage), add his best acting Oscar (Leaving Las Vegas).

Photos courtesy of Fanpix.com