BEST MARTIN SCORSESE MOVIES
“Mean Streets” (1973): With two of his favorite pictures by other directors represented Saturday, April 6, on Turner Classic Movies, Scorsese recalled his Little Italy boyhood to fuel this first of his many collaborations with actor Robert De Niro.
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974): Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning title performance fuels Scorsese’s excellent drama.
“Taxi Driver” (1976): “You talkin’ to me?” De Niro is iconic as cabbie and vigilante Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s moody drama, which gained additional and unfortunate fame for a real-life action allegedly inspired by co-star Jodie Foster’s character.
“The Last Waltz” (1978): The final concert by music’s The Band is documented brilliantly by Scorsese, who had been an editor and assistant director on “Woodstock.”
“Raging Bull” (1980): De Niro nabbed an Oscar for his remarkable transformation as boxer Jake LaMotta in Scorsese’s gritty biography, also boasting superb supporting work by Joe Pesci.
“The King of Comedy” (1983): De Niro is typically great as an obsessed fan, but the true revelation in Scorsese’s comedy-drama is Jerry Lewis, in a knowing and rather chilling performance as the talk-show host who’s the object of the obsession.
“The Color of Money” (1986): Paul Newman reprised the role of pool shark “Fast Eddie” Felson, and won an Oscar for it, in this unofficial sequel to “The Hustler” that also marked a significant career step for Tom Cruise. Notable in the cast as well is Forest Whitaker.
“GoodFellas” (1990): Widely considered Scorsese’s masterpiece, this first-rate, fact-inspired crime drama casts Ray Liotta as a Mob novice mentored by veterans (De Niro, Pesci - who won an Oscar here as a hot-tempered underworld lieutenant — and Paul Sorvino). Always worth noting in a viewing of this film is the superbly chosen soundtrack.
“Cape Fear” (1991): De Niro offers a chilling update of Robert Mitchum’s 1962 role as an ex-convict targeting his former lawyer (Nick Nolte). Smartly, Scorsese gave Mitchum and original co-star Gregory Peck roles here.
“The Age of Innocence” (1993): Edith Wharton’s novel gave Scorsese the means of diving atypically into a way-past period drama, beautifully executed despite its failure at the box office.
“Gangs of New York” (2002): Another period piece, but with much more energy, was Scorsese’s saga of the conflict between mid-19th-century gang leaders (Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio). “The Aviator” (2004): Scorsese’s portrait of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes (DiCaprio) also captures the era’s Hollywood in great detail. Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.