Student Film Reviews

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1. David Mansourian 11.24.19 / 6pm

   Hi Kaio, thanks for this review. I remember we talked about the film in class, I am looking forward to watching it once it releases on Netflix. I think the concept of an almost 4 hour movie is really interesting. Who says that film has to be 1h 30 min, or 2h 30 min? Creativity shouldn’t have any rules, and these numbers are probably more fueled from the business point of view rather than respecting some “laws” of cinema. Thanks as well for reminding me that Leo’s movie is out, gotta watch that masterpiece as well. Cheers
2. Jeremy Ellison 11.24.19 / 11pm

   Hey Kaio
   What I really like about this review is that it’s an assessment on the state of cinema as a whole. As you mention, given the way Hollywood is ran nowadays, it’s a miracle that this film got made. It’s a testament to Scorsese’s power that he’s able to create such a great and uncompromising film in this day and age, especially one produced by Netflix. Scorsese has always been hugely influential in the course of cinema, and that’s still true 50 years into his career.
   I agree with everything you say about the film. Even when telling fun and chaotic stories about gangsters and crime, Scorsese has always managed to include ideas and themes much larger than just what is presented on screen. And I think this film is one of his best representations of that skill. Like you said, it’s much more than just another mob film.
3. Ethan Messecar 11.25.19 / 12am

   Hi Kaio,
   I can’t wait to see the Irishman. You’re right, this is a big deal for the future of streaming as well as cinema. A filmmaker like Scorsese making this jump shows that the tide is changing but it is clear that he still thinks film should be, in some way, connected to the theater going experience, which is wonderful. I will dissagree with your statement that there has been a return to “great male names of cinema.” I don’t think they ever went away. I think that more women and non-gender bianary people are just getting better oppertunities to make films and share them on a broader level. Personaly I think things are less “returning” or “receeding” and moreso expanding.
4. Christian Waters 11.25.19 / 8pm

   What can I say it is Martin Scorsese. I can’t wait to see this this film. I hope Netflix’s can build on this success and bring us more exceptional content in the future. Thank you for the review. I will be sure to make some popcorn.
5. Jacob Mohler 01.20.20 / 2pm

   Excellent review! One of my favorite films of the year. Not only was this film a big plus for streaming services but film in general. It showed that a mafia movie can still be big in the 2010’s. It’s also a big push in the editing field of film! Another great film for Scorsese!
6. Christian Cummins 02.26.20 / 4pm

   Interesting review! I think you touched on all the reasons this film is good. There is has not been any films like this in awhile and without Netflix who knows if it ever gets made. I like how you pointed out the acting of Joe Pesci, because he is incredible in these gangster roles. As you say he creates this intimidating demeanor which is really compelling. I thought that this film didn’t have the typical three act Hollywood structure and instead just tried to show the life of Sheeran as best as it could.
7. Gabriel Miller 02.28.20 / 11pm

   Great review. I really liked how this film developed the underlying family issues Frank had throughout its duration, and then pushed the forefront of the audiences’ attention to it at just the right time for it to, like you said, really ‘hit’ emotionally. The performances in this film—notably from De Niro and Pesci—brought a great sense of realism to the screen in how grounded they were. Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa was markedly more of a larger-than-life character, but this was fitting given his position as one of the more influential men in the country at the time. The performances, in conjunction with the true-to-life set, costume, and sound design, created a very authentic quality of verisimilitude for this film that served to solidify it’s standing as both a grounded mob film, and something more reflective and profound.
8. Dino Luceri 03.05.20 / 3pm

   Very interesting review! I agree with most of what you point out, and it certainly appears to be a great return for the leading men you mentioned. Having the likes of De Niro, Joe Pesci and Pacino on the screen at the same time is a scintillating prospect for any film lover on any level. I disagree on a couple of points though; I thought the de-aging effects to be very distracting, and at times broke the suspension of belief. I also thought the movie’s pacing was slightly slow. I am used to a Scorsese blockbuster, but I think that even framed in that context, the movie takes on a slightly lethargic pace.
   Overall, I think it’s an interesting concept to see what is traditionally a blockbuster format (large budget, big names) marketed and distributed by a streaming service which is slowly (or not so slowly) changing the industry as we know it.
9. Erik Torchin 03.06.20 / 6am

   I enjoy this review, I think that it briefs the audience on the flow and the story line of the movie very well. However, I find that the movie itself was kind of long and relatively slow paced. The producer could have potentially been interested in this format because it could slowly build up the film. I think that the actors were one of the main components to this film, they added to the story and helped the point of this film. Learning that family is one of the biggest matters in the world. All and all, this was a great review.
10. Torrey Nicholson 03.06.20 / 6pm

    This is an interesting review, quite in-depth. Personally, I felt as though this film was the essence of a Scorsese film, maybe to the point that releasing on netflix was not an innovation, so much as a requirement, as this film is quite close to a “magnum opus”. You mentioned that the film is one of the more epic/incredible stories of the year, and while I certainly can not debate the film’s cinematic quality and attention to detail, I must admit that I found myself a bit bored and disengaged at a few points during the films 3+ hour run time. I do not think that this was Scorsese’s best film, but I do think that it may be Scorsese’s favorite of his own films.
11. [email protected] 03.06.20 / 7pm

    Hi, I agree with you very much, in an era of streaming service, people are more demanding about film shooting, plot, strategy and so on than before, in this film jimmy hoffa, one foot in black and white, one hand to cover the sky until the end of the dead, such a legendary story is not really the focus of the three and a half hours of the film, although after I see the epic interest in this person, a lot of gossip reading. The main character of the film is Deniro’s role as the “middleman cold killer “, in the age of the gang, such a person who never asked, emotional apathy, killing Liso, of course the most open, but what is the purpose of gang morality? Faithful life only left the loneliest ending. Scorsese made so many gangster movies, this is the least hot blood, the most suspicious of life, an old after the desolate and helpless sad. The film was surprisingly humorous, with a heavy cool tone (photography and scene design complement each other), but generally not dull. What else is more exciting than the three movie stars who are playing together again? Paxino is a fire-like burst, de niro is the gradual penetration of bone, joppersi is the pin of the sea is always the master of a play.
12. Bryce Mateer 03.07.20 / 12am

    I agree that the movie ‘Irishman’ had the theme of life and death. Throughout the film, Sheeran is telling a story and telling you about how all these mobsters have died while being in the mafia. In the end of the movie, although all the surviving mobsters did some pretty crappy thing, you almost feel bad for them because it looks like they are all going to die alone. It shows that what all they fought for in the mafia, was nothing more than what family is worth. The 3+ hour movie was sometimes slow at times, but was needed in the film to build relationships, trust, and a build up to the climax. Also the make-up/editing in the movie was very well done to express age/youth throughout the timeline of the film.
13. RemiRobert 06.04.20 / 12pm

    It’s an interesting review you’ve done, you’ve brought up a lot of points I hadn’t noticed. But like you, I thought the staging was extraordinary. In the sense that we retrace their whole life until they are old and regret some of their actions. The relationship between the actors and their acting is very impressive, we believe in it a lot (maybe because De Niro and Pesci have been in Scorsese’s films for a long time). Scorsese has once again succeeded in making a masterpiece of the gangster type while always adding that little touch of heavy and cold humour. Moreover, to play 3 legends of the cinema is not easy but he does it brilliantly. De Niro in this film is a little bit the one who acts in the shadows and that only the real ones know. Pacino is the synonym of explosiveness and Pasci is the mediator.
14. Ryan Lucas 06.06.20 / 3pm

    This review of the movie, The Irishman, was a very thought provoking analysis. You had mentioned things that I had not thought of previously and I do want to rewatch the film so that I may notice things that I had missed my first time watching the movie. The acting in the movie was very good and the actors had performed with each other before, so they were comfortable and the chemistry between them was there. Although the length of the movie might put some people off of it, it is truly a masterpiece of a film and is enjoyable the entire time.
15. Nico Peluso 06.06.20 / 5pm

    Hi Kaio, bringing Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro back into a film was something I deeply appreciated. They are such great actors and fit the perfect description of associates to a mob. Joe Pesci was described in a great way in your words “He is tinny and yet so frightened…” and although his role unlike other films he has acted in (as a more violent character) had a more of a quiet and calm tone, he still did a great job. You wrote a great review, and your description of the friendship and loyalty between the characters in the story is of the highest quality.
16. Chensheng Ye 06.06.20 / 10pm

    To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to the Irish movie when it was officially released. After Watching Heat, I didn’t even expect to see Robert DE Niro and Al Pacino working together again. Scorsese is known for his flexible cinematography, and this film is no exception. At the beginning of the film, the camera comes in from the darkness, takes a long time, and finally descends on Frank, and I want to say more, and then I’m going to tell you a story of growing up from the bottom to the great. It is also worth studying the shooting language of murder in the film. Most of the killings use panoramic shots, and only the close-up shot is used to kill Jimmy, which seems to tell the audience that in Frank’s life, he doesn’t care about anyone but Jimmy, as if he has been guilty. Scorsese’s biggest montage editing style is also used in the film, slowing the pace at times of tension. I very much agree with your comments and with the statements I have made above. Despite this excellent story, what could be more exciting than the gathering of three former Musketeers? However, compared with the glory of the 1990s, it is inevitable to sigh that the special effects technology cannot hide the age of the film. Once fierce, Robert DE Niro became a kind grandfather. But I really like them.
17. Brooke George 07.13.20 / 5pm

    Hi Kaio, very interesting review here! I remember when this film was first being released I was quite interested in seeing it. However, if I’m being honest, I don’t think it was one of Scorsese’s best films. I definitely think you brought up a lot of good points including that the theme revolves around life and death. Scorsese has always been able to create an explicit story line as well as an implicit one that includes bigger topics and themes than what just meets the eye. In addition, I think that the de-aging effects were really fascinating and like you mentioned, the story is told through flashbacks, which I also thought added a sort of suspense. Great post!
18. Daniel Ten 07.19.20 / 12am

    Hey Kaio,

    I love your review on the Irishman. I always think Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are a dynamic duo on Scorsese’s films. I find it interesting how you highlight how Frank ignored his family and for that reason and how he looked back on it and wished differently. I remember doing a report on Raging Bull, the first film that Scorsese did with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. I noticed how well they worked together in that film. I also like the fact the Irishman had a longer screen duration of four hours, it really got me deeply involved in the storyline.
19. Dan Repaci 07.20.20 / 12am

    Hi Kiao,
    Loved your review on this film. I agree with you when you say this tops all of Martin Scorsese’s mob films. This film did have an exceptionally long run time, however the events that played out over time were so specific and the story and plot duration were essentially an adult lifetime. I believe the extra time was needed to break off from the mob genre to bring the audience back in tune with Frank and the regret of his life choices.
20. Alyssa Pama 07.24.20 / 9pm

    Hi Kaio, I really liked your take on the film Goodfellas. I agree that many of the characters played a significant role in conveying this story. Martic Scorsese did a great job in involving actors like Robert De Niro to attract a wider audience. Though this movie is very long, I believe Martin Scorcese made a great choice of keeping all the parts because each part was crucial to pull this film together. I liked your point at the end of how the main character was just a man reflecting on his past mistakes that are too late to fix. Anyways, great analysis!
21. sharaa miran 07.31.20 / 2am

    Great review of the Irishman, nice take on todays streamings services and I think you are right that this film would be way out of budget for a lot but not Netflix. I am very glad that Netflix did this movie with legends as Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Scorsese known for making Goodfellas which may be the best gangster film and Pacino, De Niro and Pesci which are personality actors known for the best gangster films makes a perfect combination in making this film. We get a good feeling for that this is filmed in 1960’s rather than 2019 because of the great setting and props used in the film. Overall this is a very good film with a great story to.
22. Kathleen Amboy 09.28.20 / 11pm

    I agree, The Irishman is Scorsese’s best work for the auteur, bar none. The theme of the film was choices and the consequences thereof. Once you’re connected with the Mob, they become your family, and Sheeran (DeNiro) put his mob family first and of course suffered for it later, as his daughter could not forgive him. Since the film covered a 50 year span in flashback, DeNiro went through de-aging special effects courtesy of ILM, and it was impressive. What a great cast – including Ray Romano and Harvey Keitel! The pacing of the film was intense, it did not feel like 3 hours, in fact I could’ve watched more. This film was up for 10 nominations at the Academy Awards and did not win in any category – how can that be? Nice review!
23. Greg Meiers 10.16.20 / 9pm

    Hey there Kaio! Thanks for this review. You couldn’t have known this when you wrote it, but your point about streaming services taking over from traditional theaters couldn’t be more relevant than it is now in 2020. I hope you’re right about streaming services and theaters succeeding side by side. I enjoyed The Irishman, though I did think it was a bit long. I normally don’t mind longer films, but this one just felt like it dragged on unnecessarily. Having said that, I don’t regret having seen it. I was very impressed with the de-aging effects that were used. I also find it interesting that Italian-American De Niro plays an Irish American not only in this film but also in Goodfellas.
24. Reef Graham 10.17.20 / 6pm

    Hey Kaio, Great review.I agree with you about how its hard for most movies other than big super hero movies to break even because of streaming services. Movies have now become cheaper and you can watch it from the comfort of your own home. This is bad because theaters eventylaully if this keeps happening will go out of business. This is terrible because going to the theaters and seeing a movie is so much fun even when your not directly watching the film. Getting candy and spending time with your family or friends is key to the whole movie theater experience. This is why I agree with you that it would be terrible if these streaming sources took over the way people choose to view new movies.
25. MJ Smith 10.25.20 / 10am

    I really enjoyed this review. It’s strange, nearly a year later, I feel like the film had little to no effect on the industry or culture, but I loved it. You can feel the weight of the world weighing on De Niro, Pacino, Pesci, and Scorsese as they come to grips with the fact that they have more time behind them than in front of them. It also serves as a wonderful cap to Goodfellas and Casino in that the first was a rollicking adventure through the mafia life and the other was a sprawling epic chronicling the grand rise and fall of an empire. The Irsihman stands as an amalgamation while also adding on a layer of an old man looking back on the “glory days” and wondering if it was truly worth it.
26. Gage Corsi 03.27.21 / 11am

    Hey Kaio, This was one of my favorite movies ever released on Netflix and with that you had an excellent review and opinion on the film. This film is a high-concept as we follow the characters through the plot line and he moves up through illegal business. This is a massive film with a just as big budget that allowed a very high casting and many famous actors entered the film. As you said it is a film that would not of been as successful in theaters due to being nearly 3 hours. However it was highly successful and nominated for many awards due to the ability of breaking up the film into many parts as need be by the viewer.
27. Wynton Peters 04.16.21 / 9pm

    Hey Kaio, interesting review. Personally I found this film to be way too long and it just couldn’t keep me interested for that amount of time. I did like the story, but it just moved too slowly. I also found the pacing to be a bit odd, where it would have short bursts of tension seemingly at random instead of following a gradual rise in tension. I also think the actors were just too old for their roles, despite the anti-aging technology to have definitely improved over the years. Its just the way they move, you can tell they aren’t really young men which feels out of place for the roles they play. Also even in the scenes where we see “young” Frank he still looks way too old for the age they’re claiming. Anyways, good summary of the plot, very well written.
28. Chet Conlan 06.05.21 / 12pm

    I thought this review was a very accurate representation of the film. Although I throuroughly enjoyed this film, being a hug fan of Goodfellas, I thought this movie was slightly dragged out and very long. However, I could not keep my eyes off the screen. I very much agree with how powerful the presence of Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci have together on the screen. Not only with those two, but adding in Al Pacinio really puts the film together. You almost forget that they are acting. I can understand why it was not one of the most popular films when it came out though, due to how long the film is and the attention required to sit through the film.
29. Randal Kamradt Jr. 07.14.21 / 2pm

    Hi Kaio,

    Great review of a film that, despite all those Academy Award nominations, deserves to be talked through more fully. As you note, The Irishman really winds up being entirely about regrets and things not done by the end of a life. So much of the discourse around this film has been around the extended runtime, and how so much of the film does not seem to have an obvious purpose. But that meandering quality is the purpose: Sheeran has been playing with the boys all his life so to speak, playing war (with real consequences) and avoiding any sort of feelings like guilt or compassion. And by the end Scorsese takes us somewhere brave that no gangster films and few films of any sort do: right to the grave, to contemplate the ultimate pointlessness of existence and the horror that Sheeran may have made his own existence even worse than pointless. You mention at the end of your review that it is too late for him to change anything, but we get to leave the theater and pull away from his grim mausoleum with some wisdom, having witnessed his total failure of a life.
30. Hamza El Amni 07.24.21 / 11pm

    Hi Kaio,

    The Irishman is such a good movie, I like your review and I agree with you about Al Pacino, he is a great actor, one of my favorites. He made the movie excellent by his presence. Also, I liked the relationship between Frank and Russell, sometimes they seemed like brothers, sometimes like father and son, and sometimes an old man and someone who helps him.
    The opening scene is one of a kind, the camera lens is moving through what seems like a retirement home, moving like a person’s eyesight, until it finds Frank, then goes to his eye level like the camera lens which is like a person finding whom they were looking for, but we never knew who the person with Frank was.
    I find it interesting how the director chose to do fast cuts to show when Frank kills someone, cut, go to river, cut, then throw the gun in the river. This repeated many times which made me understand automatically when I see the river it means Frank killed someone.
    The length of the movie and the narrator makes us feel like the film is a situation we are living in and we are part of it.
31. Jonathan Menjivar 09.27.21 / 3pm

    The Irishman is a good film I just wish that Martin made it when DeNiro and Pacino and all the other big mob movie guys were younger. Whoever did the dealing CGI needs to be fired because they did a horrible job. A YoTuber did a better job at dealing them with an app and it looks believable. Some scenes didn’t look right like when DeNiro’s character is beating up someone, it looked really stiff and that’s because DeNiro is old. like I said I wish this film was made 20 years ago. The writing was good, very accurate to the book and Al Pacino just stole the whole movie. the ending and the use of music where great and it leaves you feeling for them. Some of the slow shots they choose were interesting and like all other Martin films it had the classic breaking of the 4th wall. For a Netflix film it’s not bad but it’s not Martin’s greatest movie.
32. Zachary Henderson 10.24.21 / 3pm

    Amazing review! This is one of the most interesting and in depth reviews I have read in a while and it kept me interested the whole time. However I will say that this film definitely kept me attentive throughout the three hours there were aspects of the film that through me off. It felt that they should’ve made this film while the actors were much younger and parts in some of the fight scenes felt stiff due to the actors older age. But the pros definitely out weighed the cons the story and acting was amazing (as expected from a cast of this caliber).
33. Leon Bera 03.10.22 / 12pm

    Hi Kaio,
    I think this is a great review, especially with how you were able to separate your analysis between the three acts. I also thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but with a bittersweet reminder that this may be one of the last of its kind. Scorsese’s partnership with Netflix reflects the changing pace of the film industry, and his generation has made their move out in space for the next. Despite this, Scorsese is still able to prove himself as one of the all time greats, and he will be remembered for doing so.
34. Buster Baylis 03.11.22 / 9pm

    Kaio great review. This is one of the movies that really pulled me into the world Scorsese created, which I think adds to the greatness of the film considering the length, as you noted. In my opinion, the continuing complaints of the length of the film come from people who are missing the ball, so to speak, on the point of the movie. The last shot of the film sees Frank Sheeran sitting alone in old folks home. He’s old, but he’s been through a lot, seen a lot, and killed a lot of people, but after all this time, he’s alone with nobody. The length of the movie adds to this loneliness because I think the more we saw of Frank’s live throughout the whole duration of the movie, the more we understood how much he gave up at the end to be all alone in the old folks home.
35. Zack Shinnick 06.04.22 / 7pm

    I enjoyed reading your review Kaio. I especially liked the fact that you mentioned cinema is potentially making a comeback due to great males’ names in Hollywood as well as high budgets being incorporated in films. Your appreciation for Martin Scorsese, Netflix’s importance in production, and the experience of watching a film in a movie theater was very intriguing to me. The de-aging effects you discuss and Scorsese used to capture De Niro’s past life were very impressive when watching and reflecting on this film. I completely agree with what you mentioned about the great cast being able to bring good humor to a cold story.
36. Kate Hopkins 07.21.22 / 9am

    Kaoi!
    Great review on the Irishman. I completely agree that covid and streaming provided an opportunity to have all star casts on streaming services such as Netflix. It is great to see some of these casts on our tv, no need for a movie theater. I was very excited for this movie to come out on Netflix, but I have to say I was disappointed. The movie felt long, a little boring and typical of the characters Pesci and De Niro play. It is always nice to see good acing, which there was but I found the plot slow and lacking in depth. It felt like a movie script that was shelved and then brought out out of desperation of needing covid material. Great review though it was well written and concise. Good job.
37. Elise Olvera 09.08.22 / 10am

    I love the movie the Irishman. This review captivates all of its ups and downs in the movie and the connections that each character had with each other. Do you have a really good point, Martin Scorsese‘s does a very good job with creating relationships between characters of yourself. The chemistry that Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro bring to the film industry there’s something special. I think the most special thing about Martin Scorsese movies are the camera angles. He gets very intimate shots and almost all of his movies. Specifically in the irishman. He sets the senses with the right props and settings.
38. Kyle Sabio 11.01.22 / 4pm

    Hey nice review! I really like this movie. I thought the same exact thing the first time I saw this film- the de aging effects on the characters is so much better than those in Gemini Man. Scorsese is great at using lighting and always has great music for his films. Al Pacino is great as Jimmy Hoffa, like you said he is funny- the sit down scene with Tony Pro always cracks me up. Glad you liked the movie!
39. Jacob Paris 04.01.23 / 11pm

    Hey,
    I really liked your review on the Irishmen directed by Martin Scorsese. I agree when the movie picks up mid way when the audience meets Joe Pescis character in the film. I cannot finish the film in one sitting unfortunately. I underestimated the duration of the film. Overall when I finished it I thought it was well directed and well paced
40. Gabe Morello 10.20.23 / 3pm

    Hi Kaio,

    I liked your review and I loved that you mentioned the use of Netflix and how that affected the making the film and helped it get seen, 2019 was a good year for film and film in theaters, that year was also a showing of how prominent streaming services are going to be in cinema and the powers they can have and I think Netflix having the Irishman in their service was a big move for them. I think that’s a big under appreciated fact is that Netflix helped get the Irishman made and gave Scorsese control to do what he does.
41. Ivan Carmona 10.24.23 / 9pm

    With the release of Killers of The Flower Moon, I’ve been in the mood to rewatch The Irishman. This review reminded me of just how great it really is. I often think about the opening shot that goes through the retirement home and lands on Frank Sheeran. The use of In the Still of the Night by The Five Satins creates a deep sense of melancholy which permeates throughout the whole film. The final hour is about as depressing as any of Scorsese’s films get and it feels like epilogue to all of his gangster/crime films. Scorsese is often criticized for glamorizing bad people in his films (this criticism seemingly comes from people who would want the Hays Code to be implemented again). I believe he does, but only to show how/why a person would go down that life path. He doesn’t need to directly tell the audience that it’s wrong, they should be able to deduce that themselves. I believe The Irishman is the most explicit in its condemnation of the life gangsters lead.

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