Xixax Film Forum

The Director's Chair => Martin Scorsese => Topic started by: MacGuffin on February 13, 2004, 02:09:12 AM

Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 13, 2004, 02:09:12 AM
Martin Scorsese Eyeing Infernal Affairs Next
Source: Variety

According to Variety, Martin Scorsese has just finished the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator and his reps are now busily negotiating to make Infernal Affairs his next picture at Warner Bros.

Based on the trilogy of Chinese-language gangster movies of the same name ("Wu jian dao"), "Infernal" will be produced by Scorsese as well as Brad Grey, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. Pitt is said to be considering a starring role in the film.

Set in the midst of an intractable battle between the Hong Kong police and the triads that rule the area, the original film follows a cop who's been assigned to work undercover inside the gangs and who's risen to a fairly senior level. Simultaneously, a secret member of the same powerful criminal gang has infiltrated the police force with an equal measure of luck and success.

William Monahan has written the script for the film. He also penned Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven at Fox, Mazar e Sharif at Columbia Pictures, Tripoli at Fox again and Jurassic Park IV at Universal.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ElPandaRoyal on February 13, 2004, 04:44:46 AM
:?  Weird...
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alethia on February 13, 2004, 08:41:52 AM
agreed
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: meatwad on February 13, 2004, 09:00:44 AM
William Monahan is on a role with all those scripts. Jurassic Park IV seems a little out of place in the group
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on February 13, 2004, 09:14:28 AM
This has been a bizarre Scorsese rumor month.
Title: I finally get to do this...
Post by: Kal on February 13, 2004, 11:19:07 AM
http://xixax.com/viewtopic.php?t=5310&highlight=infernal

Saw the original in the Palm Springs Film Festival and loved it... they told me there it was sold to Miramax for the remake and that Brad Pitt was going to be in it...

I bought the original version DVD (Asian) and its really cool. Of course its in Cantonese with subtitles. The presentation of the DVD and all the features are great.

They also made Infernal Affairs 2 and 3... I saw the 2nd one and didnt like it much... seems that Miramax bought only the 1st one

:roll:
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on February 13, 2004, 11:53:20 AM
Scorsese is truly a Hollywood director now. He is a man of talent, but little vision. He keeps going back to projects that have him resurface old techniques hoping that his new tune might be finer than the last one. That being said, I hope this film does well. Brad Pitt is an underrated leading man and Scorsese may be able to cook up something that is entertaining.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Ghostboy on February 15, 2004, 12:04:24 AM
FYI: a few posts commenting on GT's above critique have been deleted; the comments made light of cancer, and while I'm sure their authors didn't intend for them to be insensitive, they were deemed such and have been removed.

Everyone please remember to be considerate...even when you're (playfully) insulting someone else.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ElPandaRoyal on February 15, 2004, 07:08:08 AM
Well, I can try and understand why you deleted those posts, but I don't really agree with that. We were all joking about it (I know I was) and I'm sure GT knew about it (hey, GT, if you took that seriously, I'm sorry, anyway). I just think everyone makes a big deal about all these things. This is an Internet message board. I repeat, although I don't agree with deleting the posts, I understand why you did it. I just wouldn't like this to become a place were you condemn Janet Jackson for showing the world that she has a breast.

Anyway, this is about Scorsese, and he's a king  :)  Let's just hope he makes another Cape Fear with this one, bringing back his technique to mainstream cinema again.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: citizenaniki on February 15, 2004, 04:50:56 PM
Hopefully Scorsese will do a good job, I have faith in him on this one.  I don't see any other director doing a better job currently.  

I thought the original Infernal Affairs was decent the 1st time I saw it, but i have seen it a couple times since and it has definitely gotten increasingly better.  As for the second one, I actually enjoyed that one a lot too.  Part 3 is on it's way from HK as we speak hopefully it will be up to par.

..can't wait to see what a fantastic job Miramax does on their release of the original. :roll:
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on February 15, 2004, 07:53:38 PM
Quote from: GhostboyFYI: a few posts commenting on GT's above critique have been deleted; the comments made light of cancer, and while I'm sure their authors didn't intend for them to be insensitive, they were deemed such and have been removed.

Everyone please remember to be considerate...even when you're (playfully) insulting someone else.

Seriously??

Is this a new direction for the board or something? Cos if GT complained, I would've been happy to delete the post myself. I'm fairly reasonable, someone could have Pm'd me.

But, uh, I dunno.... are we in Twilight Zone here? Are we not allowed to talk about Fight Club now, too?

disclaimer: this is no anger directed towards you GB, just wondering generally out loud...
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on February 15, 2004, 10:47:19 PM
Quote from: SoNowThen
Quote from: GhostboyFYI: a few posts commenting on GT's above critique have been deleted; the comments made light of cancer, and while I'm sure their authors didn't intend for them to be insensitive, they were deemed such and have been removed.

Everyone please remember to be considerate...even when you're (playfully) insulting someone else.

Seriously??

Is this a new direction for the board or something? Cos if GT complained, I would've been happy to delete the post myself. I'm fairly reasonable, someone could have Pm'd me.

But, uh, I dunno.... are we in Twilight Zone here? Are we not allowed to talk about Fight Club now, too?

disclaimer: this is no anger directed towards you GB, just wondering generally out loud...

I did complain and saw no reason to PM you because doing so would have only deleted one of the posts. I got the job done with one PM and as I know you guys were joking, you hit a sensitive subject for me. To explain briefly, I once was hospitalized for weeks receiving treatment for suspected brain cancer. It turned out to be just a scare, but in no way did I come away clean, I'm the first person I know to be diagnosed with MS while still in high school. No one say sorry for the jokes, no one PM me offering any fucking condolences. Just drop the subject and move on.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on February 15, 2004, 10:49:57 PM
i have to ask, is your sig Bull Burham on purpose?
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on February 15, 2004, 10:59:11 PM
well infernal affairs is a pretty standard cop-and-gangsta/ cat-and-mouse thriller--a good, solid thriller, but still a pretty standard movie.  some parts were pretty cheesy, some parts felt derivative (I mean Tony Leung is basically playing the same guy from John Woo's Hard Boiled), and its biggest saving grace is actually the Buddhist references made in the beginning and the end of the film, thus the title "Infernal Affairs."  But it's by no means a spiritual film.  Unless Scorsese decides to go really far with the undercover schizophrenia thing, or the Buddhist thing, the film will probablyl be a pointless remake.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: gabriel on February 16, 2004, 04:06:43 AM
John Woo definitely comes to mind. On paper, this sounds like material for a more oriented action director like him than Marty. A more believable Asian-project for Marty that was announced in the late 90's was an adaptation of Robert Whiting's book "Tokyo Underworld", about a real life US Marine turned into a gangster in mid-century Tokyo, which apparently was being penned by Nicholas Pileggi no less. Not a lot of news since then though. Recent bits mentioned Dreamworks optioning the book, with producers Harry & Mary Jane Ufland attached and Jason Cahill, from the "Sopranos", being drafted to join Pileggi in the adaptation.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on February 16, 2004, 08:12:50 AM
Quote from: themodernage02i have to ask, is your sig Bull Burham on purpose?

What do you mean? Can I even answer it got there accidentally?
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on February 16, 2004, 08:43:16 AM
the name of the movie is Bull Durham.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on February 17, 2004, 10:36:15 AM
Quote from: gabrielJohn Woo definitely comes to mind. On paper, this sounds like material for a more oriented action director like him than Marty. A more believable Asian-project for Marty that was announced in the late 90's was an adaptation of Robert Whiting's book "Tokyo Underworld", about a real life US Marine turned into a gangster in mid-century Tokyo, which apparently was being penned by Nicholas Pileggi no less. Not a lot of news since then though. Recent bits mentioned Dreamworks optioning the book, with producers Harry & Mary Jane Ufland attached and Jason Cahill, from the "Sopranos", being drafted to join Pileggi in the adaptation.

well the movie infernal affairs itself doesn't have too much of action, it was definitely not an action movie.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on February 25, 2004, 12:01:30 PM
Infernal Affairs: China's Sunday Morning Post hints that Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Ed Norton and Robert Downey Jr. are all being mentioned for Scorsese's US remake of the Asian film hit.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on February 25, 2004, 11:03:43 PM
I know that Brad Pitt is already on board (fact)... Dont know who will co-star though
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 29, 2004, 10:54:22 PM
DiCaprio May Reteam with Scorsese for Affairs
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Leonardo DiCaprio might reteam with Martin Scorsese, his director on Gangs of New York and the upcoming release The Aviator. The Hollywood Reporter says DiCaprio is in talks to star in Infernal Affairs for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Based on a trilogy of Chinese-language gangster movies, the project is set in the midst of an intractable battle between the Hong Kong police and the triads that rule the area. The original follows a cop who's been assigned to work undercover inside the gangs and who's risen to a fairly senior level. Simultaneously, a secret member of the same powerful criminal gang has infiltrated the police force with an equal measure of luck and success.

"Infernal" is being produced by Scorsese as well as Brad Grey, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. Pitt most likely will star in the picture as well. William Monahan has written the script for the film.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on March 01, 2004, 12:41:05 AM
is it still going to be set in Hong Kong?  do i smell another Black Rain coming?

on a side note: at what point did michael douglas become kirk douglas?!? he looked like SHIT at the oscars.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Arnzilla on March 01, 2004, 03:55:01 AM
Quote from: themodernage02is it still going to be set in Hong Kong?
According to today's Variety...
Quote"Infernal" will be reset in Boston, amid tough Irish-American mobsters and cops who are their constant nemeses.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on March 01, 2004, 06:44:07 AM
Quote from: themodernage02

on a side note: at what point did michael douglas become kirk douglas?!? he looked like SHIT at the oscars.

LOL I THOUGHT THE SAME THING!!!!!!!
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Fernando on March 04, 2004, 09:34:31 AM
From: moviehole.net

Inside word on Infernal Affairs remake
Posted on Thr, 4-Mar-2004

According to insider 'Aero', Leonardo Di Caprio has near officially signed for the "Infernal Affairs" remake.

"Leo's going to be playing the undercover cop who wins a pass in the gang. He's just waiting on the revamped script – but seems happy. Pitt's signed to play the gang member who infiltrates the cops – great fit for both", he says. "It'll be a two-hander".

"They're transporting the action to Boston, and in essence, combining elements of all three Infernal Affairs movies. If this one's successful, then of course there will be a sequel, but as it stands, it's just going to be written as a stand-alone movie. Bill Monahan who did Jurassic Park 4, is the scribe. He's juggling both jobs at the moment".

In addition, we're informed that a new script called "Kumite" has sold nicely, with Jean Claude Van Damme circling the production. It's apparently reminiscent of some of JC's earlier material, like "Bloodsport".
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on March 04, 2004, 09:44:36 AM
So Marty's doing a movie with a script by a guy who wrote Jurassic Park 4? Am I having a nightmare???! WTF
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on March 04, 2004, 11:22:26 AM
Joe Pesci: What do you want to tell me now, tough guy? I said, "Hey, what are you doing here, I thought I told you to go fuck your mother!"
I thought he was gonna shit!
*Stegosaurus roars*
Whaddaya mean I'm funny?...Funny how? I mean, funny like a clown? I amuse you?
*Stegosaurus roars*
But, I'm funny how? Funny like a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?
*Stegosaurus roars*
How am I funny, like a clown? What is so funny about me? What the fuck is so funny about me? Tell me! Tell me what's funny!
*Stegosaurus eats Joe Pesci*
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on March 04, 2004, 12:02:53 PM
Beautiful but scary at the same time.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Ghostboy on March 04, 2004, 12:06:10 PM
I'd be a lot more interested in this if they kept it in Asia; it'd be interesting to see Scorsese take on crime in another culture.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on March 04, 2004, 05:35:56 PM
Quote from: GhostboyI'd be a lot more interested in this if they kept it in Asia; it'd be interesting to see Scorsese take on crime in another culture.
whattya mean?  compared to NY, boston IS another culture!
i just hope pitt and dicaprio (the new deniro i guess) dont get out their best mystic river accents for this...
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on March 04, 2004, 06:31:24 PM
Quote from: GhostboyI'd be a lot more interested in this if they kept it in Asia; it'd be interesting to see Scorsese take on crime in another culture.

I'm happy about the relocation. I don't think the film would have done a serious portrait on Asia, but rather, through some excuses, put two good looking American actors into a picturesque environment to execute a story commonplace anywhere. What I don't like is that Leonardo DiCaprio has been given yet another starring role. Hooray for Brad Pitt, he's an accomplished leading man, but Dicrapio has the charm and looks that still feel he is in the awkward transition between a teenager and a man. He's still babyface and it still feels he has to pronuciate all his lines when he says them. Pitt's confident cool. I would have love to seen George Clooney in place of DiCaprio. Thats a "Hollywood Elitist" dream!
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Weak2ndAct on April 04, 2004, 04:07:47 AM
I finally caught the original, and now I'm REALLY excited about what Scorsese could do with this story.  The original's good (yet flawed), and totally ripe for some fun sequences and turns.  I hope they change the ending... though they'd BETTER NOT change how, um, a certain character meets their fate.  I haven't been shocked like that in ages (and also pissed b/c in a script I wrote I had the exact same thing happen and even imagined to be staged as such :evil:).
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on April 04, 2004, 12:10:41 PM
Quote from: Weak2ndActI hope they change the ending...

If you see Infernal Affairs 2 and 3 you'll understand the ending of the first one :)

2 is a prequel and 3 is sequel

very well done
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Fernando on July 23, 2004, 10:52:06 AM
From Joblo.com (http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=4849)

Matt Damon has signed on to co-star with Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the Hong Kong film INFERNAL AFFAIRS. Scorsese's film will be titled THE DEPARTED and will change the setting of the film to Boston. Damon would play a Irish mob gangster who's infiltrated the police department through its cadet class while DiCaprio will play a Boston cop who's undercover in Damon's gang. The two race to find out who the other mole is before it's too late. Damon takes the role from Brad Pitt who was expected to star but instead will produce along with wifey Jennifer Aniston and their Plan B production company. Filming on DEPARTED likely wouldn't begin until later this fall once Damon wraps production on SYRIANA with Stephen Gaghan directing and George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh producing. Damon can be seen starting today in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 24, 2005, 01:34:21 AM
Wahlberg joins Scorsese force for 'Departed'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Mark Wahlberg is boarding Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." Wahlberg is in negotiations to join Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in the Warner Bros. Pictures police thriller, a remake of the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs." The story, set in Boston, centers on a gangster (Damon) who infiltrates the police department and a cop (DiCaprio) who infiltrates the gangs at the same time. The two find out that a mole is in each organization and race to find each other's identity. Wahlberg would play a cop who's a key figure in DiCaprio's life. William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven") adapted the material. Brad Grey, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle is producing, while Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison are executive producing. Warners' Dan Lin is overseeing the project.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on January 24, 2005, 02:29:23 AM
Huh.  Does Plan B still exist with Brad and Jen's divorce?  I mean, are they still business partners?  Co-producers on this film?
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on January 24, 2005, 12:09:08 PM
I heard last week that Brad was keeping Plan B... but not sure.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on January 24, 2005, 12:12:48 PM
Quote from: MacGuffinWahlberg joins Scorsese force for 'Departed'
This would be 10 years since Wahlberg and DiCaprio worked together.  :yabbse-thumbup:
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 27, 2005, 09:20:44 PM
Quote from: matt35mmHuh.  Does Plan B still exist with Brad and Jen's divorce?  I mean, are they still business partners?  Co-producers on this film?

Pitt and Aniston To Remain Business Partners

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have announced plans to remain business partners, following their shock split earlier this month. The future of the former couple's production company Plan B Entertainment was thrown into doubt when company co-founder Brad Grey announced just days before their split he would become head of Paramount Pictures. But publicists for the stars tell USA Today that their company has more than a dozen movies in the works which they plan to press ahead with - including this summer's anticipated Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp. Several of the projects are high profile - such as the crime thriller The Departed, which is scheduled to start shooting in the spring directed by Martin Scorsese and with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon starring. At one point, it was speculated that Pitt and Aniston would co-star in at least two Plan B projects - the romantic fantasy The Time Traveler's Wife and A Mighty Heart, about slain journalist Daniel Pearl and wife Mariane - but they're no longer expected to take on the roles.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on January 30, 2005, 12:00:07 AM
yay Boston.
there is a Jurassic Park 4?!
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 03, 2005, 02:28:47 PM
Jack Departs for Leo, Marty, Matt

Jack's back! And this time, he's super bad.

After a two-year hiatus from movie making, Jack Nicholson has agreed to star with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in Martin Scorsese's next film, the Warner Bros. police drama The Departed.

The film, an English-language remake of a trio of Hong Kong gangster flicks collectively known as Infernal Affairs or Wu Jian Dao, will move the story to Boston and focus on a war between the Irish-American gangsters and corrupt police officers.

The three-time Oscar winner will play an Irish gang boss caught between a cop (DiCaprio) deep undercover inside the organization and a Mob mole (Damon) who infiltrates the Boston police force. Things spiral out of control when one of the plants gets wind of the other and both men must race to get out. The Departed will also costar Mark Wahlberg

Nicholson tells Variety that he's been looking to get back in front of the camera again and was attracted to the idea of working with Scorsese, whom he's called a friend for "many years," as well as DiCaprio and Damon, both of whom he's met on several occasions--the latter while working on a charity benefit.

"[The part] could be interesting," Nicholson says, adding that he and the Raging Bull filmmaker have been "looking for something to do together" for some time.

"[I've been] looking for a bad guy," the 67-year-old thespian tells the trade, noting that his last three films were all comedies--2002's About Schmidt and 2003's Anger Management and Something's Gotta Give.

Nicholson quips that because his father, Jack, was Irish, "I won't have to act much."

The project will be produced by Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's company, Plan B (the company remains together even though the couple has split).

With Nicholson on board, there's only one key role that remains to be cast--the lead female role of a police psychiatrist.

One reason the casting is taking so long is due to the busy schedules of DiCaprio and Scorsese, who have been making the award-show rounds to collect hardware for The Aviator, their second collaboration together after 2002's Gangs of New York. The epic biopic on oddball billionaire Howard Hughes snagged Best Drama and Best Actor for DiCaprio at last month's Golden Globe Awards and is the front-runner with 11 nominations going into Feb. 27's 77th Academy Awards.

Nicholson's last two movies, Something's Gotta Give with Diane Keaton, and Anger Management with Adam Sandler, proved he's still a big draw at the box office, grossing $124 million and $133 million, respectively.

The Departed is slated to begin shooting in April for a 2006 release.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on February 03, 2005, 02:44:34 PM
THIS WILL BE AWESOME.  NICHOLSON + SCORSESE = CLASSIC.   :yabbse-thumbup:  :yabbse-thumbup:  :yabbse-thumbup: as long as he doesnt go overboard with some sort of lucky charms accent, which it sounds like he wont.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on February 03, 2005, 03:01:17 PM
Quote from: themodernage02THIS WILL BE AWESOME.  NICHOLSON + SCORSESE = CLASSIC.
COWBOYKURTIS ALREADY KNOWS WHAT THATS LIKE. DON'T YOU, COWBOYKURTIS?!!?


anyway, i'm so happy about this.. i am without speech.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Fernando on February 03, 2005, 03:18:40 PM
Quote from: themodernage02THIS WILL BE AWESOME.  NICHOLSON + SCORSESE = CLASSIC.

Quote from: cinephile
anyway, i'm so happy about this.. i am without speech.

This really sounds awesome!  :-D

Quote from: Mac Von GuffinWith Nicholson on board, there's only one key role that remains to be cast--the lead female role of a police psychiatrist.

Now, without knowing what age range they're looking for, Julianne Moore or Cate Blanchet should be on this one, although in the original they casted a younger acrtess. Maybe Kate Winslet, oh, but the titanic connection might get in the way...
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ono on February 03, 2005, 03:31:17 PM
I REALLY THINK, MAYBE, PERHAPS, MR. MARTIN SCORSESE WOULD CONSIDER THE LOVELY MAURA TIERNEY FOR THE ROLE?  IT WOULD SURELEY GIVE HER CAREER ANOTHER GREAT BOOST.  I JUST HOPE SHE'S AVAILABLE FOR THE PART.

:CROSSESFINGERS:
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alethia on February 03, 2005, 05:33:31 PM
i, for one, am excited.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SiliasRuby on February 03, 2005, 11:28:36 PM
I really would like to see Julianne Moore in the role of a police psychologist, but after the line up they have now, I don't really care. This is going to be so Badass...Gosh, I'm psyched.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Henry Hill on February 04, 2005, 07:56:42 AM
This has to be the film to beat in 2006.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ono on March 01, 2005, 06:41:40 PM
...meatball?  Is that you?  :squint:
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on March 16, 2005, 12:08:29 AM
Anderson nearly 'Departed' for Scorsese thriller

Anthony Anderson is boarding Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." Anderson is in final negotiations to join Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in the Warner Bros. Pictures police thriller, a remake of the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs." The story, set in Boston, revolves around a gangster (Damon), who infiltrates the police department, and a cop (DiCaprio), who infiltrates the gangs. The two find out that a mole is in each organization and race to find each other's identity. Anderson will play a cop that has had close relations with both men and ends up in an emotional conflict. William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven") adapted the material.

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fhv%2Fphoto%2Fmovie_pix%2Fwarner_brothers%2Fkangaroo_jack%2F_group_photos%2Fanthony_anderson2.jpg&hash=f58534b203853d50ca996c7fd43c45f609d45e01)
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on March 16, 2005, 09:27:59 AM
OH....GOD.  :shock:

the picture really makes this as shocking as it should be.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on March 25, 2005, 02:38:00 PM
DEPARTED Finds a Femme
Vera Farmiga will take the female lead opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Source: FilmStew.com

Actress Vera Farmiga, perhaps best known for her roles in HBO's Iron Jawed Angels and on the short-lived television series Touching Evil, will garner some big screen attention as the female lead opposite Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese's The Departed for Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Departed centers on a young police officer who goes undercover in an Irish mob, while at the same time a member of the gang infiltrates the police force. Each races to expose the other as a plant.

Farmiga has also signed up to take a supporting role in the Anthony Minghella drama Breaking and Entering, which has Jude Law set to star. She'll next be seen opposite Paul Walker in Running Scared, and she recently completed filming the Joshua Michael Stern drama Neverwas.

In addition to Iron Jawed and Touching Evil, Famiga has been seen on the big screen features including The Manchurian Candidate (below) and Down to the Bone, while she has been seen on the small screen in UC: Undercover and Roar.

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fhv%2Fphoto%2Fmovie_pix%2Fparamount_pictures%2Fthe_manchurian_candidate%2Fvera_farmiga%2Ffoliage.jpg&hash=b502a2216c4085693c61a304a87644fc3356fd79)
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Sleuth on March 25, 2005, 05:08:16 PM
She looks like Aniston without the lionhead
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Ghostboy on March 25, 2005, 05:48:11 PM
Quote from: MacGuffinDEPARTED Finds a Femme

Actress Vera Farmiga, perhaps best known for her roles in HBO's Iron Jawed Angels and on the short-lived television series Touching Evil, will garner some big screen attention as the female lead opposite Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese's The Departed for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Farmiga has also signed up to take a supporting role in the Anthony Minghella drama Breaking and Entering, which has Jude Law set to star. She'll next be seen opposite Paul Walker in Running Scared, and she recently completed filming the Joshua Michael Stern drama Neverwas.

She must be on a modes-of-passage kick or something.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on June 22, 2005, 12:34:27 PM
Nicholson Spices Up Scorsese Movie
Source: imdb

Jack Nicholson helped re-write the script for his new movie with legendary director Martin Scorsese, because he felt the sex scenes needed spicing up. Nicholson stars alongside Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in thriller The Departed, a remake of Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs, due for release next year. According to reports, the actor wanted to make his character - an Irish-American gangster - a little more like himself, and more of an animal in the bedroom. A source tells the New York Daily News, "Jack didn't feel there was enough Jack in his character. Jack actually did some of the writing himself." The insider adds of the sex scenes, "Jack suggested using a (prosthetic appendage). He also wanted to dust the a** of one of the actresses with cocaine. Marty said, 'Go for it!'" A Warner Bros spokesman adds, "It's not at all uncommon for dialogue to be fine-tuned during production. Everyone is extremely pleased with the way this shoot is proceeding."
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on June 22, 2005, 12:36:46 PM
Quote from: themodernage02He also wanted to dust the a** of one of the actresses with cocaine. Marty said, 'Go for it!'"
the actress is diane keaton..
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on June 22, 2005, 02:11:09 PM
Quote from: Pubrickthe actress is diane keaton.. leo dicaprio
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: JG on August 06, 2005, 07:48:22 AM
I wish there was more info on this movie.  The Boston mob is really an interesting topic and the cast is great.  

So excited.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SiliasRuby on August 06, 2005, 12:04:39 PM
Jeez what a buch of Bumps.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on August 07, 2005, 07:52:15 AM
Quote from: Pubrickhahaah, wow, PWNED by silias..
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on August 26, 2005, 01:40:18 PM
Departed Delays?
"The set is not a happy one."

The Boston Herald claims that "all is not well" on the Beantown set of The Departed, director Martin Scorsese's remake of Infernal Affairs, with one insider telling the paper, "The set is not a happy one."

The report, citing unnamed witnesses and spies on the set, declares that the production, which recently returned to Boston after a stint filming in New York, is "way behind schedule and way over budget."

Scorsese's perfectionism is singled out as the primary cause of the delays. For example, the filmmaker reportedly took issue with a certain lamppost that would only appear in the background during a chase scene and had it replaced.

Witnesses described star Leonardo DiCaprio as seeming "frustrated" while filming a scene outside a courthouse with co-star Vera Farmiga. (Fellow leading man Matt Damon has already segued to The Good Shepherd.) "It took over six hours to shoot it - 10 or 12 rehearsals and over 15 takes," according to the Herald's snitch.

Then there is the matter of Jack Nicholson, who portrays a Boston Irish crime boss. The paper claims Nicholson will "rewrite each day's shoot, forcing the director to shoot the actor's doctored script before shooting his own version just to keep Nicholson happy!"
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on August 26, 2005, 05:06:01 PM
This is the fault of the producers, pure and simple.  Sure, you want to keep Marty and Jack happy, but there are limits.  We'll see how it all comes together, but if the extra time and money spent on certain scenes causes other scenes to suffer (because they had to be rushed through to meet the deadlines), then it was a poor move Marty's part to make that decision, and the producers shouldn't have let him.

But, it's not really that bad.  Not all sets can be happy, and ultimately, it's not a crisis.  The movie's not in any real danger, I don't think.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on August 27, 2005, 05:40:23 PM
True... but after dozens of movies those two should know better and be more proffesional. They know what it means to be disorganized, waste time, money, and also start getting bad press one year before the release of the movie.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on August 27, 2005, 06:09:15 PM
Oftentimes, directors and actors are not as aware of this as you'd think.  The producers should be more active in preventing this sort of situation (but it is a tough balance between that and keeping your stars happy and allow your director the artistic space).

Actors and directors focus more on their work than on the budget or time, but I'd like to believe that they'd be reasonable enough if you gently reminded them that the budget and time limits do exist, as well as early press (but this sounds more like an information leak that no one intended).

But you know, there's the general debate on, if a director has a specific vision, should he not comprimise?  My personal stance is that any art, especially filmmaking, should be about what you're able to do creatively given certain limitations.  I think it's dangerous when a director is allowed to go wild and do everything he wants exactly how he wants it.  Does it produce a better film?  I don't think it does.  SOME filmmakers, like Kubrick, do seem to demand this.  Kubrick knew that time was his most valuable asset, though, and as I understand it, pretty much had a deal with Warner Bros that said he could take... quite a while to make Eyes Wide Shut.  That's an example of a film that couldn't really be made any other way, but BUSINESS-WISE, it didn't make much sense.  Eyes Wide Shut didn't make much of a profit for Warner Bros, although I don't think it lost any money, either.

Of course, this is just one publication, with one source who seems to get an unhappy vibe from the set.  Maybe it's not as bad as it sounds.  I hope the movie turns out well.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: The Red Vine on August 27, 2005, 06:47:12 PM
Actually is seems like these kinds of articles would come out more often with so many of the movies with extremely patient directors out there. It's probably not Marty's fault. There's nothing wrong with taking the time that is needed. Hell, look at Kubrick.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cron on August 27, 2005, 06:50:20 PM
this is going to kick arse anyway.
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: mutinyco on August 27, 2005, 06:52:23 PM
Quote from: matt35mmThe producers should be more active in preventing this sort of situation

Who? Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston?...
Title: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on August 27, 2005, 08:35:34 PM
Quote from: RedVinesActually is seems like these kinds of articles would come out more often with so many of the movies with extremely patient directors out there. It's probably not Marty's fault. There's nothing wrong with taking the time that is needed. Hell, look at Kubrick.
Yes, I mentioned Kubrick, and mentioned that business-wise, it didn't make much sense and that, as I understand it, Kubrick was allowed as much time as he needed, so didn't necessarily go past his deadline, per se.  I'm not sure about that, though.

Quote from: mutinyco
Quote from: matt35mmThe producers should be more active in preventing this sort of situation

Who? Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston?...
I think we've found the root of the problem.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on December 31, 2005, 12:21:21 AM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xixax.com%2Fimages%2Fdeparted1.jpg&hash=67ab29128ec608c27693ca4113c40c40c46662cb)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xixax.com%2Fimages%2Fdeparted2.jpg&hash=aadd528e2a8f969ef0e5eddbf3429803377f165b)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: killafilm on December 31, 2005, 04:46:27 AM
 :ponder:

That second photo is giggle worthy.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on December 31, 2005, 11:14:16 AM
let's make up captions! like they do in the new yorker and maxim.

dicaprio: you slept with her, didn't you?
damon: yeah but i pulled out dude, don't worry.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: JG on December 31, 2005, 11:22:56 AM
Brock Landers should totally break up the fight in that second picture.   And the first picture looks like a scene from Spiderman. 

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on December 31, 2005, 02:00:30 PM
Quote from: ©brad on December 31, 2005, 11:14:16 AM
let's make up captions! like they do in the new yorker and maxim.

Or xixax:
http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=6285.0
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on December 31, 2005, 02:06:32 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xixax.com%2Fimages%2Fdeparted2.jpg&hash=aadd528e2a8f969ef0e5eddbf3429803377f165b)
"No, listen to me.  Listen to me!  I love you, Arthur Rimbaud!"
"I know you're cheating on me!  I curse your name, Tom Ripley!"
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on December 31, 2005, 02:50:52 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on December 31, 2005, 02:00:30 PM
Quote from: ©brad on December 31, 2005, 11:14:16 AM
let's make up captions! like they do in the new yorker and maxim.

Or xixax:
http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=6285.0

hahah. i completely forgot about that.

wow. i have been gone for a while.  :shock:
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: AntiDumbFrogQuestion on March 08, 2006, 02:37:13 PM
someone started this one thread on IMDB, and it raises an interesting question (even though most of the posters don't have as much incite as on her, *no shit*)

Who's going to get top billing in this film? Nicholson? Leo? Matty? Marky?
So many guys with brown hair who girls like too.
Hmmm...Scorsese tappin' the pussy market?
Anyways, I just hope this movie isn't ego-trippings (although I doubt it with actors who have actual TALENT), and if it is, I hope it helps the story. 'Nuff Said.

(and oh yes...that first pic does look like a scene from Spiderman, and the lighting makes me think of Jerry MacGuire. Hm!)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: I Love a Magician on March 21, 2006, 02:36:03 AM
Johnny Cicco    ....    Sad Sack of Shit
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on March 21, 2006, 03:00:00 AM
Quote from: I Love a Magician on March 21, 2006, 02:36:03 AM
Johnny Cicco    ....    Sad Sack of Shit

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0161978/

The true star of the film... Matt Damon's "Lighting Specialist" (apparently when you get engaged to Lena Headey, "stand-in" isn't good enough anymore).  Seriously, who the fuck is this guy?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on April 09, 2006, 05:09:22 AM
he knows how to light Matt Damon. he could light Matt Damon with a shiny spoon from 50 miles away in the dark. he could light Matt Damon old school with a candle he can make using wax he keeps in his pocket just in case Matt Damon has to travel back in time.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on April 09, 2006, 12:33:45 PM
Thought fo' sho' there was gonna be a trailer here this morning.  Kinda ridiculous, picolas.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on May 25, 2006, 06:36:08 PM
Doyle Speaks on Scorsese's The Departed, and it Ain't Pretty

Depending on who you talk to, Martin Scorsese's The Departed is either a remake of or just based on Infernal Affairs, a massive hit in its native Hong Kong  -- and elsewhere in Asia -- and a sneakily well-crafted thriller to boot. Whatever its actual relationship to Infernal Affairs -- the producers did buy the series rights, and used them in some way in crafting The Departed -- Scorsese's film stars Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio and, at long last, has been given a release date: According to Box Office Mojo, the movie will hit American screens on October 6.

So, that's the simple, good news. Now we get to the fun part: Christopher Doyle, one of the world's best-known, best respected cinematographers (he shot such visually stunning works as Chungking Express, First Love: Litter on the Breeze, and Happy Together) was the "visual consultant" on Infernal Affairs and in a recent interview with Saul Symonds, a writer in Hong Kong, pulled no punches when asked about The Departed.

Here's what Doyle had to say about THE DEPARTED:

"I find it disappointing if not depressing to see someone of the integrity and scholarship of Marty:

1) apparently not knowing or caring where the original originates from (which I find insulting to our integrity and efforts...when of all the filmmakers in the world Marty is the one who pretends to celebrate excellence and integrity and vision in cinematography)

2) needing to suck box office, or studio, or whoever's dick he feels he needs to suck...it can't be for the money...it can't be for the film (for the reasons above)...it must be just to work...which is mostly my motivation most of the time...but to have something fall into one's lap because one is supposedly competent in a certain kind of filmmaking is exactly why we are moving on and accountants are making non-subtitled versions of what we do.

3) it makes me very sad to see Marty and so many others genre-fying and gentrifying himself into mediocrity. Granted, mediocre is not just a Western ailment...but it would seem the disease is malign and endemic."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cron on May 25, 2006, 08:59:52 PM
there he is again. sigh. wait for the god damned film, christopher.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on May 26, 2006, 10:42:12 AM
didn't he already say marty was sucking oscar cock like a year ago?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on May 26, 2006, 11:06:17 AM
everybod should shut the fuck up for now... we havent even seen a teaser or anything about this. i was hoping for that when i saw activity on the thread.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on May 26, 2006, 04:46:50 PM
I believe it was in that same interview that Doyle said The Aviator and Eyes Wide Shut were both, separately: "a piece of shit"...so that's enough reason to assume he's on some "i'm hip and smart and I can say anything I want no matter how disrespectful it is" phase....I like the fact that true geniuses like scorsese or kubrick would never have the impulse or the need to say anyone's film is "a piece of shit" on any interview.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on May 26, 2006, 08:49:24 PM
Or even respond to garbage like this.  See the Anderson/Smith story... wait - no, don't do that. 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on May 27, 2006, 09:21:07 AM
Quote from: kal on May 26, 2006, 11:06:17 AM
everybod should shut the fuck up for now... we havent even seen a teaser or anything about this. i was hoping for that when i saw activity on the thread.
i hope that by 'everybod' you mean christopher doyle specifically. cos no one has said anything about the movie, news was posted about doyle talking shit and we reacted, no need to get defensive.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: edison on July 28, 2006, 01:50:26 PM
Sorry not posting a trailer....but I did see one with Miami Vice, and it looks pretty sweet.

I sense a Nicholson nom with this. This has got to be online sometime this weekend.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on July 28, 2006, 02:16:47 PM
don't worry, ed, i'll make up for it:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808745378/trailer
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on July 28, 2006, 08:02:45 PM
Quicktime Trailer here. (http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1451527&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on July 28, 2006, 10:42:39 PM
hmm.... i really wish scorsese would quit casting his pictures this way.  dicaprio is too young for every role he is given, regardless of his actual age, he just does not have the weight to pull off characters who are adults.  and marky mark will likely suck ass too.  even nicholson seems not quite as badass as i had imagined from the 'pure evil' quotes. 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gamblour. on July 31, 2006, 11:44:52 AM
Yeah, that trailer was very confusing in terms of plot. Hope the movie is less expository.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on July 31, 2006, 01:04:22 PM
Killer cover of comfortably numb. Any idea who did it?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on July 31, 2006, 02:40:17 PM
Quote from: Derek on July 31, 2006, 01:04:22 PM
Killer cover of comfortably numb. Any idea who did it?

It's not a cover... that's Pink Floyd... live, with Van Morrison singing on part of the vocals.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on July 31, 2006, 03:05:50 PM
thanks
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on July 31, 2006, 04:40:48 PM
meets my expectations thus far.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on July 31, 2006, 06:26:21 PM
That's a very not-nice trailer. Although, I thought Gangs Of New York (at first) had an extremely not-nice trailer, and I love that movie. So, grain of salt and all that...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on July 31, 2006, 07:53:27 PM
Same with The Aviator trailer. The Aviator is one of my favourites, but when I saw a trailer for it on another DVD recently, I felt, this is not the movie I love.

But I'm still excited for The Departed. Every time Jack comes back it's always an event for me, and Dicaprio is one of this generation's best actors and gets a lot of shit from people for some pretty lame reasons.

Already from the trailer you know it's going to have a good compilation of source music throughout the film, Scorsese is the master of that, even if he has used Gimmie Shelter to death.

I'm looking forward to this film very much.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on July 31, 2006, 09:56:04 PM
OK, the images in the trailer, not the trailer itself, make me excited about it.  Comfortably Numb doesn't work in the trailer but I know it'll work in the movie.  And Scorsese needs to not use Gimme Shelter ever again.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on August 05, 2006, 09:25:59 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.apple.com%2Fmoviesxml%2Fs%2Fwb%2Fposters%2Fthedeparted_l200608041643.jpg&hash=62f391a1619aafe3dbec1dbca81f11539923e128)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on August 05, 2006, 10:01:31 PM
Surprisingly tasteful.  I was half-expecting something like this:

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi35.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fd179%2Fpolkablues%2Fthedeparted_l200608041643.jpg&hash=3488181d06f59a283abc911ea42efef3facad9e1)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on August 05, 2006, 10:11:12 PM
i'm sure the non-teaser poster will look more similar to that, and if the dvd doesnt look EXACTLY like that it'll be a miracle.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: edison on August 05, 2006, 10:18:15 PM
wow, that only took you 30 minutes to put together....would have taken me all night
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on August 09, 2006, 12:51:25 PM
Seems like an evolved Mean Streets poster.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on August 11, 2006, 03:15:46 PM
Quote from: hackspaced on July 31, 2006, 09:56:04 PM
OK, the images in the trailer, not the trailer itself, make me excited about it.  Comfortably Numb doesn't work in the trailer but I know it'll work in the movie.

you crazy. the trailer rocked, as did the use of comfortably numb.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on August 16, 2006, 04:29:50 PM
The Departed One-Sheet Revealed
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures has provided ComingSoon.net with a first look at the new poster for director Martin Scorsese's The Departed, opening October 6 and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg.

The Departed is set in South Boston, where the state police force is waging war on organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Costello (Nicholson). While Billy is quickly gaining Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy – and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

http://www.comingsoon.net/cgi-bin/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Thriller/The_Departed&image=onesheet.jpg&img=&tt=

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.apple.com%2Fmoviesxml%2Fs%2Fwb%2Fposters%2Fthedeparted_l200608161553.jpg&hash=e86a98b8f673138922fbc010bda2d0ae2038f78c)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on August 16, 2006, 05:17:43 PM
that's absolutely horrible. the poster maker(s?) took steps to conjoin damon and nicholson at the cheek. and they foresaw the difficulty in reading the big title so they wrote a smaller one to go next to it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on August 16, 2006, 06:25:17 PM
Quote from: picolas on August 16, 2006, 05:17:43 PM
took steps to conjoin damon and nicholson at the cheek
"Cops or Criminals... When You're Facing A Loaded Gun... What's The Difference?"

STUCK ON YOU 2.

A Martin Scorsese Picture.

Rated: R.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on August 29, 2006, 12:01:36 AM
You Don't Know Jack
Nicholson's first collaboration with Scorsese helps him get in touch with his inner godfather.
Source: New York Magazine

Sometimes you don't say my main goal is to be original and breathtaking, because that puts too much pressure on you as an actor," growls Jack Nicholson, in an unusual bout of humility that he will quickly dispel. "But in this case, I felt that, in all honesty, that was what they hired me for."

Certainly, Nicholson couldn't squander the opportunity to appear in his first Martin Scorsese film on some chump part. In fact, he initially declined the role of a Boston-Irish gang boss in The Departed.

"I always give a fast no when it's no, and originally there wasn't a part there," Nicholson says. "I said, 'I'd love to work with you, Marty, I've always wanted to work with you—and Leo—but I just can't do something because I like the idea. I gotta have a part that I'm interested in.' "

So "the fellas," as Jack says—Scorsese and his boys DiCaprio and Matt Damon, who play an undercover cop and a gangster mole, respectively—made room for a meaty role for Jack. Nicholson and Scorsese began creating his part together, improvising new material until the end, as they attempted something fresh: an evil godfather who wasn't "another black-suited gangster whose power is silent," Nicholson says. "We wanted to take Marty's genre, the gangster thriller, and find a way to flat-out do it differently, and to push the envelope. And, well, we pushed it."

Jack, who's always thought his erotic appeal is underrated, first asked for sex scenes. "These kind of monsters, they don't usually have a sex life onscreen, so I wanted to bring that to the part." He chuckles. "I pushed that side pretty good. He's a mad, bad nut job, so he's evil sexually too. Fuck 'em, kill 'em, you know ... At the moment, it's a matter of discussion how far we went, as a matter of fact," he says proudly, noting that Scorsese's currently debating whether to edit down his brutal lovemaking.

Even worse, Jack's sadistic Irish Southie is so evil that he wears a Yankees hat on the streets of Boston. "First of all, they wanted me to wear a Red Sox hat," he grumbles, "but I said, all things being equal, I don't want to.

"My Yanks, they came before the ­Lakers, of course," says the Jersey native. "But Kristen [Dalton], my inamorata in the picture, she wore a Red Sox cap both to subtly indicate domestic conflict and to politically mollify the fans in Boston."

So Jack, six-time presenter of Best Picture, and Marty, six-time loser of Best Picture, have finally filmed an Oscar contender together. Jack says, "This could be the one for Marty," though he admits he doesn't know much about his competition this fall. He's too caught up in the pennant race: "I'd like to help A-Rod out, because they just won't shut up in the Stadium," he says. "But my man's Giambi. He's my kind of biker guy, and his game face—well, I wouldn't want to come between him and his goal, let's put it that way."

And with that, Nicholson releases a satisfied sigh. "My immediate work, the Yankees, moviemaking in general, sex, and so forth ... I'm always happy to talk about the great loves of my life."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 09, 2006, 01:02:28 AM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fffmedia.ign.com%2Ffilmforce%2Fimage%2Farticle%2F731%2F731829%2Fthe-departed-20060908024220177.jpg&hash=170c664e0fc9416c5b3c8aaaf7f2cd5cef769698)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 09, 2006, 02:31:29 PM
Leo's rising
The boyishness that made Leonardo DiCaprio a star is gone, replaced in two new films by the complexity of a lasting leading man.
Source: Los Angeles Times

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fmedia%2Fphoto%2F2006-09%2F25249842.jpg&hash=e92b58d1483b9358e387c3240e53d34d709acd44)

Leonardo DiCaprio is taller in person than he appears on-screen, which is rare in a movie star. Also broader, though not to say heavier or gym-rat pumped. But gone is the weedy boyishness that turned "Titanic" into a tweener smash, that followed him through "Catch Me if You Can" and made Howard Hughes' final mental and physical dwindling believable in "The Aviator." In his A-list requisite baseball cap and shades, DiCaprio could still pass for a hipster agent, but there is something unexpectedly substantial about him.

And that, unlike his height, is very much evident on-screen. In his two upcoming movies — Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," due out Oct. 6, and Ed Zwick's "The Blood Diamond," following on Dec. 15 — DiCaprio at long last leaves the "coming of age" sphere and enters the world of real men, taking on roles that are emotionally complicated, roles that establish him as the once and future leading man.

"The Departed," which burrows into the Boston underworld, is vintage Scorsese, rife with grit and gore and more expletives than "Snakes on a Plane." As a cop who infiltrates a mob run by Jack Nicholson, DiCaprio stands fully baptized into the Scorsese canon, smashing gangsters in the head with beer mugs, holding fellow officers at gunpoint and going mano a mano with Nicholson in all his maniacal glory while trying to decipher the code of true loyalty.

For "The Blood Diamond," he spent six months in Africa, trading a Boston accent for Afrikaans to play a South African gun runner-mercenary who navigates war-torn Sierra Leone, vicious diamond cartels and moral vexations in the person of a comely journalist (Jennifer Connelly) to "help" a tribal fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) recover a diamond of unparalleled value.

COMING INTO HIS OWN

DiCaprio has long been considered one of the finest actors of his generation, but with these two films he seems ready to accept the Big Star mantle that "Titanic" tried to thrust on him almost 10 years ago.

"There is always a moment in an actor's life, in a man's life, when he begins to own his size," says Zwick. "When you begin taking responsibility for your opportunities, admitting the depth of your ambition, coming into a stage of mastery. And that is what is happening here."

It couldn't happen at a better time. With actors such as Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise seemingly falling off the power lists every other week, Hollywood has found itself wondering if the male superstar isn't going the way of its female counterpart — dwindling to extinction.

"There really aren't a lot of actors who can open a movie, are there?" says Graham King, who as a producer of "The Departed" and "The Blood Diamond" admits a fair amount of bias. "I mean, there's Brad, there's Johnny and there's Leo. People are going to be amazed," he adds, speaking of DiCaprio's performances.

Talking to the man himself, however, there is no indication of some supernova about to burst. DiCaprio, 31, is still gun-shy over the explosion of fame that followed "Titanic" and does little press. "I really feel the most important part of being an actor is to keep his personal life to himself," he says. "The less I know about an actor's daily activities, the less baggage I bring to his performance."

Although he does arrive for an interview and photo shoot at the Hotel Bel-Air with a stylist and Armani in tow, when he finally sits down to talk, he seems much more like the low-key local guy he professes to be than a star with $20-million-per status and a long-standing personal relationship with Scorsese.

"The Departed" is the third film the two have done together — after "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" — and the first contemporary story. Based on the highly regarded Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," William Monahan's script hit both their desks around the same time two years ago. "We both read it and said, 'We've got to do this film. Immediately,' " says DiCaprio. "Usually, you have to tinker with the story or the script — like 'The Aviator' took 10 years. But this was like, 'Let's do this, yes.' We got other people involved, and there it is."

Of course, those "other people" include Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin and, last but certainly not least, Nicholson. "OK," DiCaprio admits with a laugh, "scheduling was a bit of an issue. And this is why I am not ready to be a director — this actor, that actor, the set, the lighting guy, the craft services. Trying to keep track of all that and keep the vision of the movie in your mind." He shakes his head. "Maybe someday. Not yet."

He had his hands full enough coping with the general anxiety that making a film generates and keeping up with Nicholson. "We all sort of rolled with it," he says. "With Nicholson you just have to play it the way he's playing it. More than any other acting experience I've had, Nicholson throws curveballs."

Not that he's complaining; the strain he and Damon felt walking into a scene with Nicholson helped them build their characters.

"His character is losing his mind, basically, seeing his power diminish, taking chances he normally wouldn't take," says DiCaprio of Nicholson's aging mob boss. "It helped us keep up the fear factor because Matt and I had to maintain that this is a very scary, dangerous man and you never know what you're going to get."

From Scorsese's perspective, DiCaprio more than held his own. "There is one scene he and Jack have where Leo has to prove he isn't a rat, only, of course, he is," the director says. "We shot it with double cameras, one on Leo, one on Jack and basically it is one long take. Watching the two of them together, playing off each other was one of the best things I have seen, ever."

A MATTER OF TRUST

Much has been made of Scorsese's attachment to DiCaprio, whom many critics see taking on the role Robert De Niro once had — a combination collaborator and male muse. DiCaprio will admit nothing of the kind, not even that he has become one of the director's go-to guys.

"I don't know that that's the case," he says. "There is a certain familiarity of working with people you've worked with before, and I trust Scorsese, which makes my job easier. Because I don't have to worry about everything all the time, I know that he is watching. One of the reasons I am such a Scorsese fan," he says, warming to what is clearly a favorite subject, "is that he has such respect for the people he puts up on-screen. He wants the characters to be as important as the construct of the film."

Scorsese, in turn, is just as complimentary. That people were surprised when he tapped an actor who seemed terminally youthful was something that never occurred to him.

"It's true that our relationship is different because there's a 30-year age difference," he says. "So our cultural references are different. Me, I don't even know what the modern world is anymore — they lock me on the set, then they take me to the editing room and lock me in there and sometimes I get to go to my house. But I always just looked at Leo as a terrific actor. I was not encumbered by anything else."

What may have begun as a teacher-student relationship evolved into something else. "I don't try to teach anything," says the director. "Leo is just incredibly receptive. I put something out there, and he takes it as far as he can go." As an example, he describes a scene in which DiCaprio's character must react to the violent death of another character. "It was a terrible day. We had weather problems, we had scheduling problems, and so the first take, the camera pans his face, OK, and then the second take, something clicks and what he found touched me. It was a very emotional moment. The second take. I'm ready to go four, six, eight takes, he gets it on the second take."

"Sometimes," Scorsese says, "you do pictures all these years, you get tired. You think, 'Why am I still doing this?' Then you get a moment like that."

For DiCaprio, who is in a very different career stage, moments like those are more promises than reaffirmation. He is seeing a wider range of roles than he did five years ago, he says, but asked if he is still having fun, he grimaces.

"Fun? No, that wouldn't be the word I'd use," he says. "There is a satisfaction when you see what you've done and it's good."

And if it's not?

"Well, what can I say? That is a bummer. Because while I don't want anyone to cry me a river or anything, making a movie is very hard work. But," he adds, "I'm not at a point in my life where fun is my priority.... My No. 1 priority is to do this thing that I've been wanting to do for as long as I can remember, to take advantage of the opportunities that I have right now."

In "The Blood Diamond," he found an intersection between passions — acting and activism. A longtime environmentalist, DiCaprio was drawn to the political backdrop of the story as much as he was to the character and the suspense. He was deeply affected by the months he spent in Mozambique and South Africa, where the exuberance of the human spirit provides a stark contrast with the coldness of the corporate soul. "Every problem in the world comes down to economics," he says. "In Africa you see what happens to a country when a corporation has an interest in a natural resource, like diamonds, how there has to be a social conscience at work as well."

While following the lines of a classic treasure adventure film, "The Blood Diamond" examines not only the impact of a bloody civil war but, more disturbingly, the use of child soldiers in such a war. Hounsou's character's son has been kidnapped by the Royal Air Force and forced to learn the bloody lessons of combat; his father's search for him gives the film a poignancy and a horror that puts it as much in the category of "Hotel Rwanda" as in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."

DiCaprio spent nearly a month in Africa just preparing for the role, learning the various dialects, the accents, how to handle the weapons. Then the shoot began and went on for five more months.

"It was difficult circumstances," says Zwick. "We were in challenging places — Mozambique is not Toronto. It isn't even Romania."

DiCaprio shrugs off the physical difficulty of the location work. "This is where being a movie star really does help," he says with a grin. "I mean, you've got your stylist with her Evian spritz and hand fan. You all get to go to the tent and have a nice lunch ..."

For him, the stress was what the stress always is — finding the character and taking it as far as it can go. "It's like all your senses are heightened and you're thinking about everything all the time: Is the accent right, is my body doing the right thing, am I saying the lines the way I want them to sound?"

He pauses and shrugs as if he thinks he has let himself get a bit carried away with the whole actor thing.

"See, again, that is why I can't imagine being a director. They have all that times 10. And it's true when you meet them in the real world, they are completely different than when they are on the set.

"But then," he adds, with a sidelong glance at the ground, "I guess, so am I."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on September 11, 2006, 11:12:05 AM
Miami Herald critic Rene Rodriguez has seen Martin Scorsese's The Departed here in Toronto, and he's calling it "class-A pulp...grave, resonant, psychologically complex and acted to the skies.

And that's not all: "Anyone who's been waiting for Scorsese to return to form after the Oscar-baiting turgidness of The Aviator and Gangs of New York won't be disappointed," he's written. "This is Scorsese's best and most invigorating work since the underrated Casino, if not GoodFellas, as well as his most sheerly entertaining."

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on September 11, 2006, 11:24:40 AM
The expectations with Martin Scorsese continue to dip. I remember years ago when the hope was he that he would return to form with a Raging Bull - Taxi Driver style film. Now everyone understands he won't. Is the best they can hope for is a Goodfellas - Casino styling? Are those two films really different than Gangs of New York and The Aviator? I don't think so. The filmmaking is true to form in each film but the subject and storytelling is more fun in the former films.

I will say Casino was a peak with his new style though.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on September 11, 2006, 11:33:09 AM
i dont think anyone is concerned with the style of his films.  his style has never lacked, the return to form is just having a script and film deserving of his talents. 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on September 11, 2006, 12:32:24 PM
I would say that his style gradually evolved from what you see in Taxi Driver to Good Fellas, in the sense he managed to blend his personal way of seeing things and puting them on camera with his many influences. And most of his films before Good Fellas were highly personal endeavours which were in part originated by his desire to make them, as opposed to Cape Fear or Age of Innocence, which are films that fell on his way, and in those he tries (succesfully for me) to apply his now secure style on different stories and genres.

I agree about Casino. I think of all his films, that's the one that better shows pretty much everything he's capable of doing on a movie in terms of techinique and handling of actors and performances. And is a territory in which he obviously feels more comfortable.

For better or worse, his style has now reach a halt, I mean that's his style and you can tell when you're watching a Scorsese movie, wether is Gangs or The Aviator or Kundun.

Expectations about his films are always exasperating for me. He can't be Scorsese in the 80's anymore, he can't be the guy from taxi driver. He's older now, he has a different life. He lives in movies now, more than before from what I can tell. His films have become more and more about being movies than about recreating some gritty documentary fell reality. He seems happy and content. He's not a tortured artist anymore, but his passion is just as strong. And he still is the best american director around, not to mention the most influential.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 12, 2006, 08:28:36 PM
Scorsese tackles southies, sex toys
Source: Los Angeles Times

Critics and moviegoers alike are eager to see Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," a remake of the popular 2002 Hong Kong cops-and-gangsters drama "Infernal Affairs," written by Siu Fai Mak and Felix Chong. Transplanted to Boston, the coiled plot follows two young cops — one undercover with the mob (Leonardo DiCaprio), one working for the mob from inside the force (Matt Damon) — and their relationships with Costello, a Mafia-kingpin father figure played by Jack Nicholson.

The screenplay, by William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven"), is steeped in Boston's geography and history, its class grudges and casual racism. The dialogue churns with the authentic crudity of blue-collar cops and criminals beating their way to different types of justice, though some of the regional patois comes off a little insular to non-native ears ("southie," "staties," "three-decker"; Monahan even slips in a "numbas" just to make sure no one misses the Beantown dropped-"r" lilt).

The story has the kind of cold elegance, spasms of brutal violence and split loyalties that are so ripe for Scorsese's psychologically precise touch. But the script I have is only the backbone of the story, because the director apparently encouraged and used a significant amount of improv during filming.

This openness led to a scenario that has become infamous since last summer, when it was filmed. Nicholson brought some verisimilitude to a sex scene that he tweaked himself the day before shooting in which Costello cavorts with two prostitutes and finds a very original sexual use for cocaine. The studio has recently tested the film both with and without the scene. Amazingly, this integral plot development has remained in Scorsese's cut despite the fact that scores rise when audiences see the film without the sex-toy shenanigans. Even more amazingly, the studio thus far is leaving the final decision up to the director (which must be giving Alan Horn, who tries to purge smoking from Warner Bros. movies, the night shivers). However it plays out, this is what DVD audio commentaries were made for.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on September 17, 2006, 01:35:29 PM
I love it when people start talking about expectations dipping and a lack of return to form. Especially after his last two films were up for Best Picture. I really don't understand how some of you come to your conclusions.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on September 17, 2006, 04:44:25 PM
Quote from: Derek on September 17, 2006, 01:35:29 PM
Especially after his last two films were up for Best Picture. I really don't understand how some of you come to your conclusions.

Oscar noms notwithstanding, would you argue that "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" are truly up there with movies like "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull"?  Or even "Goodfellas" and "Casino"?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on September 17, 2006, 07:36:26 PM
I certainly would, they may not have "messages" of movies such as those, but that has no impact on their quality.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on September 17, 2006, 07:37:44 PM
watch them again.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on September 18, 2006, 08:23:02 AM
Quote from: modage on September 17, 2006, 07:37:44 PM
watch rent them again.
fixed
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on September 18, 2006, 09:24:56 AM
Derek: The Anti-GT
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on September 18, 2006, 12:10:11 PM
Quote from: hackspaced on September 18, 2006, 09:24:56 AM
Derek: The Anti-GT

Actually, I almost agree with his original comment. Scorsese's last two films are almost as good as anything he has done before. That just means in my book that almost everything Scorsese has done before wasn't very exceptional.

I'll exclude Last Temptation of Christ and Raging Bull though.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 21, 2006, 01:17:40 AM
THE DEPARTED Press Conference with Vera Farmiga, Matt Damon, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Graham King, and William Monahan.
Source: BlackFim

When the Chinese film, "Infernal Affairs", came out a few years ago, the film was met with critical acclaim. Here was a gangster film that featured a great deal of substance and violence but kept the story moving and good enough to spawn two sequels. Of course, an American version was bound to happen, and with Martin Scorsese attached as the director, only good things can come out of this. With "Goodfellas", "Casino", and "Gangs of New York" to his credit, can he wrong? We think not. Using his current muse of the moment, Leonardo DiCaprio, and setting the film in Boston, Scorsese brought Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg, two Boston locals, to add real flavor to "The Departed". With Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen, you have one hell of a male lineup. At a recent press conference in New York City to promote the film, Vera Farmiga, Matt Damon, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Producer Graham King, and ScreenwriterWilliam Monahan spoke about the process of coming together and working on this film.

Martin, my question's for you. Why have your films become more Irish in recent years and will you return to Italian-centric cinema?

Scorsese: It's an interesting question. I've always felt a close affinity with the Irish. Particularly coming out of the same area of New York City. Although by the time the Italians had moved in, by the 1920's, 1930's, most of the Irish had moved out of that neighborhood that it came from. And it goes back to Gangs of New York, stories about the way Irish helped create New York and America, the city itself, and don't forget I do have a very strong love for Hollywood cinema and some of the greatest filmmakers to come out of Hollywood, films by Irishman John Ford, and others. You talk about a Ford film and you talk about the family structure and although "How Green Was My Valley" was about Welsh miners, but still, it was directed by an Irishman. It has that warmth that we felt and we felt very close to the culture, we think, the family structure, of the, uh, the Irish and the Italians felt that. Yes, there was some differences when they first moved in the same neighborhood, but suddenly, Irish literature is very important to me and the poetry of the Irish is something that's extraordinary and the Irish sense of Catholicism is a very interesting contrast to the Italian sense of Catholicism and that's very interesting to me. So that's my personal reasons. And besides, the script is written by William Monahan.

Martin, why did Hong Kong translate into Irish Boston? And for Matt and Leo, can you each talk about why you picked the character you did?

Damon: We actually did flip a coin. That was how we decided. No, in terms of the roles, the second part first, I think Leo and I both thought they were these incredible roles, you know, speaking for Leo, I think we would have been happy to play either one and we did it this way and we're happy that that's the way it turned out because I can't imagine playing the other one now but, you know, it's really rare in a film of this budget to have characters this interesting. Generally the bigger the budget, the less interesting the characters become and actually all of us had great things to play so that's a real credit to Bill Monahan and his script to be able to have that much to do when you go to work everyday was really great. And then we also heard the director had done a good movie here or there, so...

DiCaprio: I agree with Matt 100%, you know, these characters are two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways. They come from different backgrounds but they could have easily made choices the other character made, but depending on the circumstances. It just sort of happened that way. I don't know. I suppose Marty and I got the script first and Matt was the next guy onboard and it was ultimately Marty's decision at the end of the day.

Damon: I wanted to playVera's role.

Farmiga: I wanted to play Matt's role.

DiCaprio: And I wanted to play Jack's role.

Scorsese: I didn't think of it as Hong Kong. I just thought of it as how Bill put together the script. Really. I liked the idea. You know, Hong Kong cinema, once I saw John Woo's The Killer, you can't go near that, you can't even begin, as far as my skills as a filmmaker, you can't, that's taking our film and their culture and mix everything up together, that was not 1998, 1997, 1998. Then I saw another Hong Kong film I saw in the '80s called King Hu. King Hu and The Touch of Zen and things like that, I saw and I said, it's a whole other thing going on here, we do what we do, and if we influence their culture at all, it has come out through John Woo and Tsui Hark. I mean, the Hong Kong cinema of Wong-Kar Wai and Stanley Kwan, all of this is something that you can't, you have to appreciate as a filmmaker because you say, okay, we see new ways of making narrative film, however, no matter even if I had a moment where I said to myself, gee, maybe I can make a film like John Woo, the minute I get to design the shot or I get behind the camera with the cinematographer who happens to be Arthur C. Miller in this case, well, many times I said, "my god I've done this shot five times already in two other movies", you know, so, but that's what I do, that's how it came out, but really what it comes down to is what I was responding to was how Bill Monahan put down a way of life, a way of thinking, an attitude, a cultural look at the world, really, a very, very enclosed society, and that's what I responded to, I think. Taking from the Hong Kong trilogy, Andrew Lau's film, you know, that's the device. And it's the plot. That idea. The concept of the two informers and being totally whether I like it or not drawn to stories that have to do with trust and betrayal, I found that I kept being drawn back to the script and to the project, so. As I say, it became something else.

Martin, I was wondering how the script developed on the shoot and if you had a lot of changes for Jack's character?

Scorsese: It evolved and it evolved over a long process, a very long process. Ever since I've been making films, I've loved talking about how the process has got to be the way they are, between the writers, myself, and the actors, but I've found over the years that it gets misunderstood, maybe, and so it could be harmful to Bill or the people involved if you don't really, you have to be there. It's the old phrase, "You really had to be there." It's a collaborative process, there's no doubt, but the basis is what Bill did. And he continued to do when it was called upon and when he was called upon to evolve a character, it was usually with the actors and myself, and that's how that worked and Nicholson worked in a different way, but that again is kind of a private process. It's again, you'd have to be a part of that situation. We developed it as a character that was a little different than what Bill had put in there but basically we had decided that the date, the age, and the power of this man and the appearance of his total coming apart with such power, so much power and yet he's falling apart and there's the danger of that when we went in that direction, supplemented by Bill, and whoever else had an idea. This is the way I work. This is my process. And the other actors can talk, but we all worked together.

Mr. DiCaprio, can you talk about your influences for developing your character's violence?

DiCaprio: I guess by watching Martin Scorsese movies, right? You know, well, it's not really familiar to me, that form of immediate violence, but that's what you do as an actor, if you can't draw upon anything in your real life, you go meet people that have done these sorts of things and part of the process for me was going to Boston. I had never spent any time there. Sort of learning about the Boston subculture, meeting some of the real people who were around during the late '80s, sort of the whitey era, we may call it, but I really wanted to meet some guys from south Boston. I met a guy in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time with him, told me a lot of stories about the streets there and Boston's a really interesting place because everyone knows each other's business. It's like a little microcosm there and everyone waves to each other on the street and they all have overlapping stories, but for me, we shot a lot of it in New York. We should have shot some of it in Boston, it was very important to meet some of the real characters and get to know them and hear some stories. You can read books and I read a few books, but to be able to penetrate some of these guys, their minds, and really get deep into what they were thinking was important.

Matt, can you discuss going on a drug bust with police? And Leo, please discuss anything that stands out from your adventures.

DiCaprio: Matt actually went on a, what was it, raiding a crackhouse? Was it? We had a great technical advisor named Tom Duffy who was there throughout the entire filmmaking process who knew the entire history of Boston and knew what the streets were like and the police gave us unbelievable advice. And he was there constantly, but Matt went on those raids.

Damon: Yeah, it was like, have you ever seen the movie "The Hard Way" with Michael J. Fox? That was me. Hey guys, can I get a gun? They're like, "absolutely not, shut up." I love sitting next to Marty who'll reference 40 of the greatest films ever made and I'll say, have any of you guys seen The Hard Way? As Leo said, Tom Duffy was a huge resource for us and for me Leo got connected to a bunch of people who were around Whitey Bulger, but Duff was able to get me around a bunch of police. And it was really fascinating. And you know, for me, I had a real advantage because I'm from Boston, so I didn't have to learn an accent or do anything like that, I got to get straight to investigating this sort of subculture of state police and you know, what I knew of the state police was from the times that I got pulled over for speeding on the Pike. And so to get in there and really see what these guys do was great and any time you get access like that, it's really the most amazing part of this job of acting because it's your own time and it's months ahead of time and nobody's, there's no production around you, you don't have to, you know, once you get on a film set, the clock is ticking as Graham King can tell you, every minute costs a lot of money, but with research you can go at your own pace so, I spent a lot of time with these guys just sucking it in, not really having to have a goal but just sitting there and spending time, you know, meals and you just start to pick stuff up and most of that stuff ends up, for instance, this raid on the crackhouse. I mean, I'm sure I was in no real danger, they brought twice as many cops as they usually do with one of those raids and I was in the back of the line so I had my bullet-proof vest on standing there going, "well, what am I doing here?" And I didn't go in until they cleared the house, but I got to see them do it, and so I told Marty and Bill, this is a good way to establish Colin rising up because it follows this kind of progression into, he keeps getting promoted and so one of the ways of showing that was showing the extremely aggressive and violent world that he's in, hitting a house and what happens and how they do it. And the guys that are in the shot with me are the guys who were really in the house with me that night when it happened. Marty's really insistent on, you know in all of his film's there an authenticity that you just can't fake and it's because he uses a lot of real people and because his actors have access to these real people and get as much understanding of the people that they're playing. I mean, ultimately it's a giant magic trick. We're just trying to be believable. And if you're taken out of the movie at all, then we haven't done our job right. So there's all of this legwork that goes into beforehand just so when we show up hopefully the process is really smooth and the result is believable.

Scorsese and Moynihan, I found the last shot of the film to be amusing. Where did it come from and what did you intend by it?

Scorsese: Can I just ask a question first? Because I was wondering what you meant by it as well. Not really. I've worked on it a lot, that last shot. It's an interesting thing, when I got to the end of the script, and I didn't know Bill or who even owned the script, or who were the producers or the studio, I just knew the script. I took a long time reading it too, about three and a half hours, and that was time to get to that plot point. There's some plot issues. But it had to do with the way the characters were interacting and the dialogue that Bill had in there. The attitude that was in there and the stance against the world that they had, particularly not only the main characters but the parts played by Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin, at the end when I saw the shoot-out in the elevator at the end and what happened, and then as Colin goes home at the end and what happens to him there, I was pretty stunned by it, it was pretty truthful, I thought it was pretty strong. And then Bill had written the phrase, saying, as written, and then a strange thing happens, comma, a rat comes out and starts to eat the croissants. And I said, "that's really strange, that's interesting, and then the rat comes out" and it's like a comment from a little bit from I don't know what you would call it, it really isn't meant to be literal, but it's a comment from the filmmakers on the subject matter. However when you try to this is the nature of filmmaking, and then when you try to interpret, and then a strange thing happens, on film, one runs into difficulty because the rat comes in from the left, no, no, suddenly, it all looks like, no it looks too literal, why isn't it poetic like he wrote it? Why can't? And it took me a while to finally, we took a while on that shot, ultimately it's the nature of, it's, well, without giving out the story, it's what's in the beginning of the frame and then as the rat is revealed, it's the image of the statehouse itself, the gold dome, the sense of, for me, well, a throwback of the old gangster genre films at the end of Scarface, "the world is yours", which is a shot, Tony Montana is shot in the street, there's a shot, a shot of a sign in the movie that says the world is yours, globe, I think the end of Little Caesar is the same way, so for me, or the end of "White Heat", on the top of the world, well the top of the world to him was that Beacon Hill and in a sense the gold dome of the statehouse was it near it, represents that, but it also represents that for me as the film developed a sense of paranoia and betrayal and one person never knowing who the other person is or what the other person is doing or if you can believe anybody and it kind of reflects the world know, the America that we know now, post September 11th. And so all those elements are in there, but first on an entertainment level as a reference back to the old gangster genre.

Damon: I was also going to say that it's also like the end of The Hard Way. Times Square and they're running around. A lot of neon.

Monahan: Well, what I was thinking at first was that after such an intense bloody ending, we could go out with a little bit of a joke on the simplest level. There's also the idea of the rat behind the wall of Colin's supposedly perfect world. And it was made to work. It worked beautifully, I think.

Are the three actors here familiar with the Hong Kong film or the names Tony Leung and Andrew Lau?

DiCaprio: Yeah, I mean we all watched it. And we all enjoyed the film but I think we had to separate ourselves from it to a certain extent. Certainly, the construct and the skeleton of the story is pretty much, well, it's very similar in this version, but it's dealing with an entirely different underworld. It's dealing with Irish-Americans in Boston and we watched it very early on but we also had to forget a lot of those elements because we knew that we had to invent an entirely different film.

Damon: Yeah, I just echo what Leo said. I loved the Hong Kong film. I thought it was fantastic. And I loved those Hong Kong actors. But it's such a different culture, Boston is different even from any city here in America so, it's a very specific, with the structure was used from the Hong Kong version and then, but the world that Bill built around it was very specific to Boston.

Farmiga: For me, I didn't see the film and I only saw it after my work was complete. I hear that it's a compilation of three female characters, which would have been altogether confusing for me, and I think Madeline was going to be used in an entirely different way in this script to really illustrate the differences and the similarities of these two characters, so I just read from the script.

Could Matt and Leo talk about working opposite Jack Nicholson in this film?

Damon: We have a lot of Jack stories. The first day I worked with him, he had been working with Leo for about a week, and so I had the week off and I came back, and it's Sunday night and I'm looking over the script and I get a phonecall. Hi, Matt? Marty. Hi. The director. I love that he always says Marty the Director. I said, "Yeah, I know who you are." He said, "Well, a funny thing has happened, Jack had some ideas for your scene tomorrow." We were shooting a scene in a movie theatre. And he goes, "Ok, I'll just get to it. Jack's going to wear a dildo."And so I thought, uh, ok, so I'll see you at seven? So we went in the next day and rehearsed it, you know, and Jack's idea was like, "Here's the deal, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna sit there, in the overcoat, and I'm gonna pull out the big dildo and we're gonna laugh."And I thought, ok, that's a really good way to get into the scene, you know, they have to meet there and so, and Jack really brought this incredible new element, this new layer to that character. Kind of obscene. No, really, but I mean in a way that felt authentic. It felt, like these guys really would sublimate sex into violence and violence into sex, and it really is how a lot of those things did occur. I don't know how much research he did or how much he just intuited or what his process was exactly, but I found him really committed to making the thing as believable and pushing the envelope as much as he could. He really did. I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that I'm sure didn't make the final version because as he said, I want to keep giving too much in all of these scenes and then let Marty figure out, the level that's right for his film and that was just really impressive just to see how much he was thinking about it, how much work he was putting it into it, and how obscene he was willing to be in order to be again believable. I said to Martin as this was happening, I'd shot for about a month, but I'd spent months in all the police stuff and Vera and I hadn't worked together yet except for one quick scene when we first meet. And I said, if he's introducing this sexual element into this, then it's fair game in the script and we have to reference it from Colin's standpoint. So what would the effect be on Colin from this figure whose this loomed over in his entire life and who knows what's happened between them and so we got into all these conversations and then with Vera we started rehearsing this stuff and basically what we came down to what I said to Marty was that okay we're in this macho world, and everyone's beating each other up. And everyone's knocking each other over the head with glasses and pushing each other through walls and Jack's, his sexual dynamo, I want to lose every fight I'm in and I don't want my dick to work. I want to take an aggressive run in the other direction.

Scorsese: Because you can see it in the final touches as Jack's leaving the mark on Matt's shoulder and you can see it on the expression in his face. He sort of recoils from us. That's interesting so we started following that up.

Damon: And then that scene with Alec Baldin where he says, we're at the golf course, where he says, "a woman sees a ring on a guy's finger and she knows he's got a certain amount of money and his cock works", and so we just thought the line, "you know, my cock works", and he looks at me and he goes, "all the time", and then Alec goes, that's good. So we just started to talk about that and it really did seem to thematically fit with what Jack was doing and it became and it just kind of deepened the whole thing. Yeah, it was the obscene phone call too. I mean, Bill always had that. Bill had him threatening me while she was watching me, but the language that Jack and Jack really said, "look if we're gonna do this, let's really do this."And the way he talks to me about her while she's right there, it's really obscene, there's no other, and so, you know, and real, by the way, and real, and again that's with Martin that's the root of all of it. That authenticity.

DiCaprio: Well, as far as Jack was concerned, we kind of expected the unexpected. You know. We knew that if he was going to come, to have Jack Nicholson join up with Martin Scorsese and play a gangster is something that I think a lot of movie fans have been waiting for. For me, there were a number of different scenes where I had no idea what was going to happen. One scene in particular, the prop guy sort of, we did the scene one way, and I remember Jack speaking to Marty because he said he didn't feel that he was intimidating enough, it was one of the table scenes, yeah, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life as far as being an actor is concerned. I remember coming into the scene one way and then I came in the next day and the prop guy told me, "well, he's got a, be careful he's got a fire extinguisher, a gun, some matches, and a bottle of whiskey." Ok. So, you know, some things are in the film that he did that day and some things aren't. But for me, as an actor, it wasn't necessarily, I'm afraid, you know, we're all professional actors and we're all playing roles, but for me playing this character of this guy that has to relay to the audience this constant 24 hour panic attack that I'm going through for my life, surrounded by people that would literally blow my head off if I gave them any indication of who I was, coupled with the fact that I'm sitting across the table from a homicidal maniac that will maybe light me on fire. But it gives you I don't want to say as an actor a sense of fear, but as a character a whole new dynamic. And it completely altered and shifted the scene in a completely different direction and I think we all knew that if he came on board that he would have to sort of grab the reins with this character and let him be freeform and we all were completely sort of ready for that every day that we walked up on the set. You know, he had a short run, he filmed his scenes and then he left, but those were some of the most intense moments of the film for me certainly and as a human being as a person, there were some memories that I will never forget.

DiCaprio, what is it about Scorsese as a director and a person that attracts you to his films?

DiCaprio: Well, I'm a fan of his work, number one. I remember, well, truth is I suppose for me anyway that it all started wanting to work with him doing This Boy's Life with Robert DeNiro and getting sort of familiar with Robert DeNiro's work and obviously that means Martin Scorsese's work as well. So I became a fan of his work at a very early age. If you asked me who I wanted to work with starting out in the business, it would have been this guy right here, and I got fortunate enough to work with him on Gangs of New York in 2000. And I think just from there, we, I don't have an exciting term for it other than we have a good time working together and we have similar tastes as far as the films we like. He certainly has broadened my spectrum as far as films that are out there in the history of cinema and the importance of cinema. And it really brought me to different levels as an actor. I look at him as a mentor.

Marty, Vera has a unique position in this cast of men. What drew you to her? And then I want all of you to talk about that dynamic.

Scorsese: Ellen Lewis, our casting director, mentioned Vera to me and then I saw a clip of a film she did called Down to the Bone, and I said I can't tell anything from a clip because often these clips are sent you it looks like the images from the guys around 1968-1969 when they landed on the moon. The reception was better there. Somehow I said, I can't see their faces and I said I really should see the whole film and I took it it looked like an interesting film so I had a very good experience watching that film. And then I heard about the process of how they worked on that film or that series of films that they're working on up there in upstate New York and it really reminded me of the early days of Estelle Gettys working in New York, 1958, 1959, 1960, making independent working, rewriting, revising, whatever, with actors, with the people, with the real people behind it, and I thought this was interesting for a person to pursue and then you gotta put yourself on tape. Right? You put yourself on tape during the earlier scenes with Colin and I liked that and the next thing we do is we come in and meet and that, I think you read with Leo and I was sold. I like Vera's attitude. I wanted someone to come in and enrich the part with Bill, with the actors, whatever, and again that's part of the process. It comes just as Matt announcing stuff, just giving you an idea of how you get from there to there, that was just one day. But it's just one day. So each day on a good day there were five or six of those things happening. And so this also, you know, the worlds that I depict in these films that Bill wrote, it's male-driven, the action is male-driven, so usually the female characters are the dangers and I don't know if it's not, but I feel ok, so, and I've taken it down the line to the very, very last minute of working on this film so that I could get it right within the circumstances and everything we tried for the past year, the female characters always seem to be adjuncts in a way to the main plotlines and developing the characters in the picture with Bill and the actors, we wanted someone like Vera who was able to come in and tell them what to do or Bill or any of you guys.

Damon: Well yeah, I think Marty's right about a male-driven film and where the female lead is often doing things that, you know, it's like when you're a young character actor and you have to do things that make no sense so that the lead of the film can look better, but if you hire a great actor or a great actress to take a role, they can make everything work and in our rehearsing it, it really made sense. I mean our relationship got a lot deeper and it made a lot more sense thematically because now you've got a guy who's got sexual issues with this woman who, of course, she's a shrink, of course he's gonna go to her and of course he's gonna be with her because if he's got issues in his neighborhood, I mean, he's, everyone's going to know about it and so he seeks her out and she of course would stay with him and tough it out because of what she does. Her first instinct is to try to help him, I mean, granted, a lot of these scenes would then happen off camera, but our relationship works and makes sense because it makes sense why, and then it makes sense why she would be susceptible to Billy's attentions because she is unfulfilled in certain ways. And so now the film is going in all these new directions, so we felt like we caught a lucky break when Jack introduced this element because it really gave us a lot to play with and a lot to work on and it was real.

Farmiga: It truly was a collaborative process. I entered into this being prepared to meet megawatts of talent and you expect there to be a certain chasm between you and there wasn't. These guys were so nurturing and encouraging and inventive. We spent a lot of time the four of us, Bill, Marty, Matt and I, and the process working with Marty is he really brings you to bring your own tumults and your own idiosyncrasies and it's a real workshopping and there was a point where we decided well, do we want to make her more unbalanced in the film or do we want her as duplicitous as the rest of them? And I had met with a woman by the name of Debra Glasner who is a police psychiatrist of the LAPD, who happens to be a woman, and she's a cop psychologist and I gave her the script and she looked at and goes, oh, dear, no, she's doing everything wrong. No way would she sleep with a client. And that's the moment that my character became really interesting to me. And we started it from there. Talking about whether this is a woman who is good at her job. But it was a true collaboration, I mean we had a lot to do with improvising and discarding and bringing things back.

Matt and Leo, how did you come to appear in this film? Did you discuss the similarities and differences of your roles? How did Brad Pitt get involved?

Damon: Brad, Leo, and I were in a bathhouse together. I think the moment these things are born, it's an important, I have to say what happened. No, Brad came to me because his company had access and I first heard about it through Brad. And it's like the dream of all dreams. "Hey, did you hear that Martin Scorsese is directing a movie about Boston?" For me, that was it, really? So and then I got a copy of the script and loved it and when I came back to New York, I met with Marty. But I think I had already agreed to do it. Most of these things are contingent on a meeting, on both sides, well we should meet and discuss the films. I wasn't even trying to be cool about it, "I'm in, so if he needs to meet with me, I'll go meet him wherever he wants." So it was a really easy yes for me.

DiCaprio: Well, no, I never had an initial conversation with Brad and I had received the script and it was really, you know, Bill Monahan's work here, this tightly-woven, highly complex ensemble piece, this gangster thriller, it's very, very rare I must say in this business where a script lands on your lap ready to go. And this was one of those rare occurrences. There was a certain amount of work, character development, taking things out, changing dialogue, but to have the construct of the story there and really complex characters there, duplicitous characters, information, disinformation, plot twists, you know, all leading to a satisfying ending is something that you hardly ever get to in this business. So I know I got the script around when Marty got the script and we just talked to each other and it was one of those things that we really didn't need to discuss. He really wanted to do it. I really wanted to do it. And for a lack of a better term, the rest is history.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on September 21, 2006, 12:45:21 PM
Quote from: modage on September 17, 2006, 07:37:44 PM
watch them again.


Well then, what do they lack?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on September 21, 2006, 12:50:31 PM
its not like a formula.  good actors + good script = classic film.  they just are not as good, so they lack the ability to age as well as the other films.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on September 22, 2006, 08:16:19 AM
Quote from: Derek on September 21, 2006, 12:45:21 PM
Quote from: modage on September 17, 2006, 07:37:44 PM
watch them again.


Well then, what do they lack?

To put it simply: balls.

All of Scorsese's early films had some grit to them, everything up to Goodfellas.  Goodfellas is that turning point, it's almost like his Marnie.  Some people think it's the last of the great ones, some (not as many in my experience) think it was where he lost his edge.  It's glossier than something like Mean Streets or Taxi Driver or After Hours but I don't think that's a problem and I still rank it among his best.  Cape Fear and Age of Innocence I can take or leave.  Casino is probably the most visually arresting film of his but as much as I enjoy it, it doesn't hit me as much as Goodfellas.  That being said, I think that was his last film with a trace of edge to it because everything since then has been too glossy and slick.  With the exception of Bringing Out the Dead, everything he's made sicne Casino has felt like an Oscar push on some level.  His passion for film is still evident on screen but he's not as unbridled as he used to be. 

I happen to think that Gangs of New York and The Aviator were decent films in general.  But as far as Scorsese films go, they're neutered.  The Departed seems to promise that it will be a return to some kind of gritty form.  I think GT's right that the best we can hope for is a return to Goodfellas/Casino form but I don't think that's a bad thing. 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on September 22, 2006, 11:50:27 AM
First of all, the age thing is a non-starter. His most recent films have not had the distance of 20 or 30 years grace period in which to "age well" as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull have had.  If discussing his most recent effort, tell me which aspect (writing, cinematography, acting, etc...) was not at the top of its game.

Secondly, balls alone does not a good movie make. Since when was entertaining not enough?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on September 22, 2006, 01:37:14 PM
You wanted an answer as to what Gangs and Aviator lack that the others have, I gave you one. 

Scorsese is a master filmmaker, no one is really disputing that.  But sometimes even master filmmakers make films that - regardless of quality acting, cinematography, etc. - people will like less than other films by the same filmmaker.  It happens all the time.  I'm clearly not saying that balls alone is what makes a movie great but the young, impetuous Scorsese was a more interesting filmmaker than the Scorsese of late.  Call it what you will: youthful energy, cocaine, whatever.  There was a flair that his earlier films had that his films of the last 10 years don't.  That doesn't make them necessarily bad films, just not as good as the great ones.

But if you're looking for a more tangible difference from film to film, modage gave you a satisfactory answer which got you going in the first place:

Quote from: modage on September 11, 2006, 11:33:09 AM
i dont think anyone is concerned with the style of his films. his style has never lacked, the return to form is just having a script and film deserving of his talents.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on September 22, 2006, 06:00:15 PM
Anyhow, I'm not going to convince you to see my point, and I'm sure I'm in the minority here.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 29, 2006, 12:09:44 AM
Interview : Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon & Leonardo DiCaprio
Source: Moviehole

Its either because he's sick of pasta, or maybe he's simply discovered Guinness, but one thing's for sure, director Martin Scorsese, known for his Italian-centric pieces, definitely seems to be more interested in making Irish films at the moment.

"I've always felt a close affinity with the Irish", says Scorsese, whose 2004 hit Gangs of New York and latest film, The Departed are concerned with the Irish. "Particularly coming out of the same area of New York City - although by the time the Italians had moved in, by the 1920's and 1930's, most of the Irish had moved out of that neighborhood that I came from. And it goes back to Gangs of New York; stories about the way Irish helped create New York and America, the city itself.... I'm very interested in all that".

The New York-born director is also quick to point out that some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers are Irishmen - John Ford for instance "How Green Was My Valley was about Welsh miners, and it was directed by an Irishman. He made films with good family structure – films that demonstrated the warmth and closeness of the Irish.

"Irish literature is very important to me - the poetry in particular. I'm also intrigued by the Irish sense of Catholicism – it's a very interesting contrast to the Italian sense of Catholicism", Scorsese says. "So there you have it. They're my personal reasons [for doing films about the Irish]."

Not that his new thriller The Departed is an Irish film at its root. The movie is, in fact, a remake of a Hong Kong thriller called Infernal Affairs – which has not only gone on to spawn a couple of successful sequels, but evoked much critical acclaim - which tells of a mole in the police department and an undercover cop whose objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

"I didn't think of it [the story] as Hong Kong – I just like the idea. Hong Kong Cinema is something you can't duplicate anyway – you couldn't go near John Woo's The Killer, for example. My skills as a filmmaker just can't compete with that. What I liked was the underlying story – the way of life, the way of thinking, an attitude, and a cultural look at the world in a very enclosed society. The original film, by Andrew Lau, is great – the plot, the idea, the concept of the two informers. The underlying story of trust and betrayal keep me coming back to his one", he says. "The elements remained the same [as the other film], but, well, ours became something else".

Matt Damon and Leonard DiCaprio play mirrored characters in the film. Damon is the Irish-American crook hiding out in the police force, and DiCaprio is the Irish-American copper that goes undercover with the mob.

"We actually flipped a coin to see who plays what role", says Damon, whose hits include The Bourne Identity and Ocean's Eleven. "I think we would have been happy to play either one [though]. We're happy that that's the way it turned out though because now, after all is said and done, I can't imagine playing the other one.

DiCaprio, now on his third film with Scorsese, adds, "These characters are two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways. They come from different backgrounds but they could have easily made choices the other character made, but depending on the circumstances."

The star of hits like Titanic and Romeo + Juliet says his character is quite a violent fellow – and it was interesting to play against type for a change.

"It's not really familiar to me, that form of immediate violence, but that's what you do as an actor – you adapt", he says. "And if you can't draw upon anything in your real life, you go meet people that have done these sorts of things. Part of the process for me was going to Boston [and meeting these types]. I had never spent any time in Boston before. I learnt about the Boston subculture, met some of the real people who were around during the late '80s, sort of the whitey era, we may call it, and most notably, met some guys from south Boston".

DiCaprio become engrossed with the history of Boston and its inhabitants – and wished he could've spent just a little more time there.

"Boston's a really interesting place because everyone knows each other's business. It's like a little microcosm there and everyone waves to each other on the street and they all have overlapping stories. We shot a lot of it [the film] in New York – I think we should have shot some of it in Boston, because I would've gotten to know more of the real characters and get to know them and hear some stories. You can read books and I read a few books, but to be able to you know, penetrate, some of these guys, you have to get inside their minds, and really get deep into what they were thinking was important."

Damon did a lot of research into his role too – in what he likes to call the 'Michael J.Fox' approach.

"Have you ever seen the movie The Hard Way with Michael J. Fox?" he asks, referring to the 1991 action/comedy about a spoilt-brat actor who tags along with a police officer to research a role. "That was me. 'Hey guys, can I get a gun?' They're like 'absolutely not, shut up.'

DiCaprio had met a lot of contacts, says Damon, so he got to meet some real-life folks through him.

"It was really fascinating", he says, "And you know, for me, I had a real advantage because I'm from Boston, so I didn't have to learn an accent or do anything like that, I got to get straight to investigating this sort of subculture of state police and what I knew of the state police was from the times that I got pulled over for speeding on the Pike. And so to get in there and really see what these guys do was great and any time you get access like that, it's really the most amazing thing. You don't have to do all this research, but if you do, it makes it a lot easier on you when you step onto the set. "

Damon was also on the scene for a real-life raid on a crack house.

"I'm sure I was in no real danger - they brought twice as many cops as they usually do with one of those raids and I was in the back of the line so I had my bullet-proof vest on standing there going, 'Well, what am I doing here'? And I didn't go in until they cleared the house - but I got to see them do it. I told Marty and Bill [Monahan, the scribe], 'You know, that this would be a good way to establish Colin [my character] rising up?'. So we put it in. The guys who are in that shot with me are the guys who were really in the house with me that night when it happened."

Scorsese is pretty insistent on his actors looking as bonafide in the parts as possible, says Damon – so he was never going to slack off.

"In all of his film's there an authenticity that you just can't fake and it's because his actors have access to these real people and get as much understanding of the people that they're playing. Ultimately it's a giant magic trick, we're just trying to be believable, but if you're taken out of the movie at all, then we haven't done our job right – and researched well"

Both actors also watched the original film, Infernal Affairs, but didn't examine it too closely – after all, this was to be a completely different beast.

"Yeah, we all watched it. And we all enjoyed the film, but I think we had to separate ourselves from it to a certain extent", says DiCaprio, who previously worked with Scorsese on Gangs of New York and The Aviator. "Certainly, the construct and the skeleton of the story is pretty much the same in this version, but it's dealing with an entirely different underworld. It's dealing with Irish-Americans in Boston and we watched it very early on but we also had to forget a lot of those elements because we knew that we had to invent an entirely different film."

"I loved the Hong Kong film", gushes Damon. "I thought it was fantastic. And I loved those Hong Kong actors. But, you know, it's about such a different culture, Boston is different even from any city here in America so although the structure was used from the Hong Kong version we then built that world around it that was very specific to Boston."

Jack Nicholson plays gangland chief Frank Costello in the film. Costello is a character that "evolved" over the process, says Scorsese.

"It evolved and it evolved over a long process", he says, "a very long process. The character was a little different on paper – we had decided the date, the age, and the power of this man, but when Jack came onboard we collaborated on making the role his."

The younger actors – who also include Mark Wahlberg and rising newcomer Vera Farmiga– loved working with the screen veteran.

"We have a lot of Jack stories", says Damon. "The first day I worked with him, he had been working with Leo for about a week, and so I had the week off and I came back, and it's Sunday night and I'm looking over the script and I get a phone call. 'Hi, Matt? Marty'. 'Jack had some ideas for your scene tomorrow'. We were shooting a scene in a movie theatre. And he goes 'ok, I'll just get to it - Jack's going to wear a dildo'. And so I thought, uh, ok, so I'll see you at seven? So we went in the next day and rehearsed it, you know, and Jack's idea was like, 'Here's the deal, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna sit there, in the overcoat, and I'm gonna pull out the big dildo and we're gonna laugh'. And I thought, ok, you know, that's a really good way to get into the scene. Obscene sure, but Jack really brought this incredible new element, this new layer, to that character. In a way that felt authentic. It felt, like, you know, these guys really would sublimate sex into violence and violence into sex, and it really is how a lot of those things did occur.

"I don't know how much research he did or how much he just intuited or what his process was exactly, but I found him really committed to making the thing as believable and pushing the envelope as much as he could."

"And then that scene with [co-star] Alec Baldwin where he says, 'We're at the golf course', where he says 'A woman sees a ring on a guy's finger and she knows he's got a certain amount of money and his cock works'", laughs DiCaprio. "It really did seem to thematically fit with what Jack was doing."

Both Damon and DiCaprio say its not only a pleasure to work with Nicholson, but also Scorsese, whose worked they've both admired for many years.

"I'd been wanting to work with him doing This Boy's Life with Robert DeNiro and getting sort of familiar with Robert DeNiro's work and obviously that means Martin Scorsese's work as well. So I became a fan of his work at a very early age", says DiCaprio. "If you asked me who I wanted to work with starting out in the business, it would have Scorsese, and I got fortunate enough to work with him on Gangs of New York in 2000. And I think we have a good time working together and we have similar tastes as far as the films we like. He certainly has broadened my spectrum as far as films that are out there in the history of cinema and the importance of cinema. And it really brought me to different levels as an actor. I look at him as a mentor."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on September 29, 2006, 10:59:19 AM
The Mastery of Martin Scorsese
Source: ComingSoon

Martin Scorsese is a name that's likely to elicit a number of different responses depending who you ask, but what it usually comes down to is that he's one of the greatest filmmakers born and bred in the United States. Sure there are others, but few of them really have been able to capture the American experience the same way that Scorsese has, nor do they have such a vast library of film classics spanning their careers. This may partially be the reason why there was such outrage among Scorsese's fans when he was once again snubbed for an Oscar two years back.

With The Departed, Scorsese gets another chance, as he returns to the crime genre of Goodfellas and Casino, this time focusing on the cops of Boston and their neverending fight against organized crime in the form of Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello. In the middle of it all are an undercover cop played by Leonardo DiCaprio—his third time working with Scorsese--and Costello's mole in the police force, played by Matt Damon. It would seem like the perfect Scorsese premise even if you didn't know about its Hong Kong roots as the hit crime trilogy Infernal Affairs. Yes, Scorsese is back in remake territory after the success of his 1991 remake of Cape Fear with Robert De Niro, and this time he's making it personal.

Unfortunately, ComingSoon.net only had a chance to ask one question of the great man, amidst a throng of national and international online, radio and print press at a New York press conference, so we went with this one:

ComingSoon.net: The most obvious question is why do another remake at this time in your career, and did you watch the original movie or did you try to avoid it?
Scorsese: Yeah, I'm aware of all the work in the Hong Kong cinema. I felt it was OK because what they do, I cannot do, and I thought I had to find my own way and I think Bill's script was the way. I didn't think of it as Hong Kong. I just thought of it as how Bill put together the script really. I think the microcosm that he described, the people the way he described him, the way they behaved, the language they used, that all added up. The story of trust and betrayal only set in the context of the Irish Catholic world of Boston. The incestuous nature of the world that depicts, and then developing the script and the story along and you know the incestuous nature of both Matt's and Leo's characters, then you add Jack's character and all these characters are connected in this sort of incestuous way and I thought that I just felt comfortable in that world. I admire and respect their work so much in Hong Kong. All of Chinese cinema really, Beijing and Taiwan, that I know I can't go there, so I know I had to find my own way to go, and I realized that I hope as my next film is another remake of an Asian film. I'm only making Asian remakes anymore. (laughter) Once I saw John Woo's "The Killer," you can't go near that, you can't even begin. That's taking our film and their culture and mix everything up together, it's a whole other thing going on here. We do what we do, and if we influence their culture at all, it has come out through John Woo and Ringo Lam, the Hong Kong cinema of Wong-Kar Wai and Stanley Kwan. All of this is something that you have to appreciate as a filmmaker because we see new ways of making narrative film. Even if I had a moment where I said to myself, "Gee, maybe I can make a film like John Woo," the minute I get to design the shot or I get behind the camera with the cinematographer, I say, "My god, I've done this shot five times already in two other movies!" But that's what I do, but really what it comes down to was how Bill Monahan put down a way of life, a way of thinking, an attitude, a cultural look at the world, really, a very enclosed society, and that's what I responded to. Taking from the Hong Kong trilogy, Andrew Lau's film, you know, that's the device, and it's the plot, that idea. The concept of the two informers and being totally, whether I like it or not, drawn to stories that have to do with trust and betrayal. I found that I kept being drawn back to the script and to the project, so as I say, it became something else.

CS: Cops are a new world for you, so did you see a lot of similarities between gangsters and the police?
Scorsese: I think there's no doubt that there are similarities. The old cliché of "catch a thief, see a thief." To catch someone in the underworld, to play against it, to try to get them, and make apprehensions somehow, in any event, I think it was Bill's depiction of that world that made it very clear to me, in terms of for me to try again to work within a genre that dealt with gangsters, Bill's depiction of gangsters. I felt comfortable certainly with the street scenes with guys in the street and guys in bars and that sort of thing, and even more comfortable with the doctor scenes. But with the police scenes, I did feel a little uncomfortable with the way that played out. I mean Mark Wahlberg's attitude was very clear, Alec Baldwin picked up on it beautifully and counterbalanced; it was almost like an Abbott and Costello routine between Wahlberg and Baldwin. I didn't have to say anything to them, they just did it. But this is really depicted by Bill and from Matt's placement and Duffy was great to hang around and I did sometimes get a little nervous but aside from that it did have an official feel about it that I was guilty for something and I was worried that I was gonna find out there were cops all around me, and they were gonna take me in so I was nervous a couple of times but they made me feel comfortable.

CS: This and "Gangs of New York" have taken you into territory of Irish gangs. Do you see yourself returning to Italian-centric cinema anytime soon?
Scorsese: It's an interesting question. I've always felt a close affinity with the Irish, particularly coming out of the same area of New York City. Although by the time the Italians had moved in, by the 1920's or 1930's, most of the Irish had moved out of that neighborhood that it came from. It goes back to "Gangs of New York," stories about the way Irish helped create New York and America, the city itself, and don't forget I do have a very strong love for Hollywood cinema and some of the greatest filmmakers to come out of Hollywood were by Irishman like John Ford and others. You talk about a Ford film and you talk about the family structure and although "How Green Was My Valley" was about Welsh miners, still, it was directed by an Irishman. It has that warmth that we felt, and we felt very close to the culture and family structure of the Irish and the Italians felt that. Yes, there were some differences, when they first moved into the same neighborhood, but Irish literature is very important to me. The poetry of the Irish is something that's extraordinary and the Irish sense of Catholicism is a very interesting contrast to the Italian sense of Catholicism and that's very interesting to me. So that's my personal reasons, and besides, the script is written by William Monahan.

CS: How did the script develop or change while shooting, especially in terms of Jack's character?
Scorsese: It evolved and it evolved over a very long process. Ever since I've been making films, I've loved talking about how the process has got to be the way they are, between the writers, myself, and the actors, but I've found over the years that it gets misunderstood, maybe, so it could be harmful to Bill or the people involved if you don't really... you have to be there. It's the old phrase. You really had to be there. It's a collaborative process, there's no doubt, but the basis is what Bill did, and he continued to do when he was called upon to evolve a character, it was usually with the actors and myself. Nicholson worked in a different way, but that again is kind of a private process. We developed it as a character that was a little different than what Bill had put in there, but basically we had decided that the date, the age, and the power of this man and the appearance of his total coming apart with such power, so much power and yet he's falling apart and there's the danger of that when we went in that direction, supplemented by Bill, and whoever else had an idea. This is the way I work. This is my process. And the other actors can talk, but we all worked together.

CS: The movie really only has one woman, that being Vera Farmiga's character. How did you find her for the role?
Scorsese: Our casting director mentioned Vera to me and then I saw a clip of a film she did called "Down to the Bone." I said that I can't tell anything from a clip because often these clips are sent to you, it looks like the images from the guys around 1968-1969 when they landed on the moon. The reception was better there. I said that I really should see the whole film and it looked like an interesting film. I had a very good experience watching that film. Then I heard about the process of how they worked on that film or that series of films that they're working on up there in upstate New York, and it really reminded me of the early days of [working in New York, 1958, 1959, 1960, making independents--working, rewriting, revising, whatever, with actors, with the real people behind it, and I thought this was interesting for a person to pursue. Then you gotta get yourself on tape during the earlier scenes with Colin and I liked that, and the next thing we do is we come in and meet and you read with Leo and I was sold. I like Vera's attitude. I wanted someone to come in and enrich the part with Bill, with the actors, whatever, and again that's part of the process.

CS: Was Jack's sex scene deliberately cut down or were there things left out of the final cut?
Scorsese: As for the graphic sex and nudity and profanity that's in the picture, it's got a lot in it, there's no doubt. What you see in the film is the result of a lot of work during filming and we previewed the film three times. Ultimate, I decided what is implied, what's implicit, is better than explicit in the bedroom scene or wherever they are at that point. You know, in the first cuts, it was more explicit. Since my early films like "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," or "Mean Streets," the subject naturally to discuss how far you can go in a film and how far you can't, but ultimately the implied is better the hallucinatory effect of the scene is what I wanted. The opera, the slow motion of Jack's face, all of these elements come together, we decided the reality is better. We did it more explicit in the porno theater. Frank C. looks like he's come from three or four days and nights of whatever he was doing, and now he was going to go talk to him about business. He's out of his mind, he's creepy and his whole life is dependant on him, Matt's character. So is Leo's. And the man is losing his mind. He doesn't care if he's caught. He's got all the drugs in the world, he's got all the women in the world, he's got all the money in the world. He doesn't need it. He doesn't care. We thought it would be better to use "the phallus" in the porno theatre. Jack and I were talking about it, he said, "You know I have it with me," and I said, "Of course, you want to take it with you and use it in the porno scene, it's up to you. Let me see what you wanna do with it in the porno theatre."

CS: Can you talk a bit about the violence in your movies?
Scorsese: Violence in my own films, I really don't know what to say. I've said many times, I can't defend it. I don't know if I approach it differently. I approach it the way I thought I experienced anyway. Sometimes people are more impressionable than others [when they were younger]; me I was very affected by it. I can tell you, more than the physical violence, I was affected by the emotional violence around me and it's part of who and what I am. Somehow, it channels itself into the films, but I don't see it. In this film, the violence is almost absurdity, but that's just the absurdity of being alive. Other films I don't really know. I was talking about the great Hong Kong films: John Woo, Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau... The films that these are based on. Of course, that's a separate style and it comes from elements of American cinema in there, but there's also another culture in there, and that's wonderful. I can't go near that. This is very generalized, but there seems to be a lot of violence in video games that are films, and that violence honestly makes the violence look like the violence that is in a game. I thought if you want to experience violence, you should experience violence powerfully and real.

CS: Can you also talk about the music? It plays as big a part in "The Departed" as it does in your earlier movies, and you even have a bit of Stones in there again.
Scorsese: I worked out with Howard Shore that in a way all the characters are sort of entwined in a web, almost as if they tried to get away from each other, they're tied together almost like in a dance of death in a way. Or like a tango. So we came up with this idea of a tango, a very dangerous and lethal tango, which ultimately does everyone in the story and the idea of different themes of fate and the sense of how the tango sounds, then I wanted to play on guitars. I love guitars. I think of great guitar scores, like the wonderful film by Irving Lerner called "Murder by Contract" with Vince Edwards. It has a great guitar score, and of course the famous zither score in "The Third Man." Howard and I had sort of worked it out, acoustic guitars and electric guitars different strings, whether it was pedal steel guitars, all sorts of different things. When the sound kicked into electric, it was very strong. We have a piece of music played on acoustic guitar and it was quite nice, and then Howard said "I have another version of it" and he sent it in and he played the same piece but on electric guitar. It's the same piece but the electric guitar gave it an edge a slight edge, so at that moment I said, "Use the electric." So that's how it all developed, but it started with this idea of the tango, something that they're all entwined with, and of course, the references to movies like "The Third Man" you can't avoid. Even the shot of him walking away from Leo at the funeral. All those sorts of references to betrayal that you can't avoid. I like them a lot. The [Rolling Stones] song "Let It Loose," we tried many different songs in the back of that bar where Jack interrogates Leo but I tried many different songs there but that's the one that had the right particular feel for that scene.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 01, 2006, 09:56:50 AM
on Ebert & Roeper (with Kevin Smith sitting in again for Ebert) Roeper said The Departed was the best film he's seen so far this year.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SiliasRuby on October 01, 2006, 12:51:43 PM
and what did Kevin Smith Say?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 01, 2006, 01:09:11 PM
he loved it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on October 01, 2006, 03:50:55 PM
Not to say I don't think the Departed looks great, because I think it does, but I feel very uncomfortable taking filmgoing advice from a panel that consists of Richard Roeper and Kevin Smith.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 02, 2006, 01:24:23 AM
Quote from: polkablues on October 01, 2006, 03:50:55 PM
Not to say I don't think the Departed looks great, because I think it does, but I feel very uncomfortable taking filmgoing advice from a panel that consists of Richard Roeper and Kevin Smith.

I'll take Smith's reviews and recommendations, knowing he's a movielover, over guest host Aisha Tyler's.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on October 02, 2006, 01:30:15 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 02, 2006, 01:24:23 AMI'll take Smith's reviews and recommendations, knowing he's a movielover, over guest host Aisha Tyler's.
at least she recommended Infernal Affairs.  :ponder:
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 02, 2006, 10:42:48 PM
Nicholson Comes Unhinged, Freaks Out DiCaprio In 'The Departed'
'Unpredictable' Jack set the bar high on set of intense Martin Scorsese crime thriller.
Source: MTV   

After 30 years of friendship but surprisingly no prior collaborations, film icons Martin Scorsese and Jack Nicholson have finally teamed up for a cat-and-mouse crime thriller, "The Departed."

The film, which thrusts the audience into a gritty battle between Boston police and the Irish-American mob, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, a cop who goes undercover in an attempt to gather information about a crime ring run by volatile mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, an ambitious, corrupt officer who has infiltrated the elite Special Investigation Unit to help Costello stay a step ahead of the law. Things boil over when both sides discover they're being betrayed by a mole, and the two men must race to expose the other before being caught.

It's a fiery, tightly wound plot — and the film's set was unsurprisingly equally intense. "Jack Nicholson in character is so entirely unpredictable you almost expect the unexpected in a lot of ways," said DiCaprio.

How unpredictable?

While shooting one scene, "the prop guy sort of tipped me off that he had a gun and a fire extinguisher and a box of matches and whiskey under the table, and he had no idea what Jack was gonna do," DiCaprio recalled. "Nicholson ended up pulling a gun on my face and lighting the table on fire."

Nicholson also flaunts some eccentric bravado by handling a disembodied limb, eating an insect, appearing inexplicably covered in blood, and, of course, cavorting with women. Despite buzz about the controversial, Nicholson-engineered scene involving his character, two ladies, a pile of cocaine and a certain sex toy, the final cut of "The Departed" leaves much of that scenario to the imagination.
 
The film never shies away from exploring the stresses of living a double life, though. "It was one of the most compelling characters I've ever had to play," DiCaprio said of his third collaboration with the "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" director. Costigan desperately wants out of the mob, but dutifully remains undercover to bring Costello down. "It was difficult because I didn't know how much to convey to the audience about what I was going through. But at the same time, realizing I was in a room filled with killers, how much do you let on that you're petrified?"

Damon's Sullivan seems more at ease with his double identity. In the midst of the drama, he manages to smoothly handle an unsuspecting girlfriend and land a job promotion while continuing to tip off Costello. However, he noted, "All the violence in this film, a lot of graphic, brutal violence — it's also shown as coming with a price."

The character who generates the most fear and violence is clearly Costello, whose madness grows more apparent as the plot progresses. "He has all the power. But now, he starts taking risks, like putting himself on the front lines of drug deals," said Scorsese. "He knows he doesn't have to do that; it's just for the thrill of it at this point in his life. Costello has gotten too old, and he knows, ultimately, he is probably on his way out. It was interesting to watch Jack portray Costello starting to unravel." 
 
Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin also star in the film, along with up-and-comer Vera Farmiga ("The Manchurian Candidate"). The screenplay was adapted from a successful Hong Kong script by "Kingdom of Heaven" writer William Monahan, though the U.S. version's actors were quick to point out that the film isn't a straight-up remake of 2002's "Infernal Affairs," which was directed by Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak.

"It's a very kinda Boston sense of humor, very dark humor," Damon said of Monahan's dialogue. Wahlberg and Damon are both Beantown natives. "The characters are in so much danger for so many parts of the movie that to be able to break it up with a laugh every once in a while was a relief."

"I was a huge fan of ['Infernal Affairs'] after I watched it, but as good as that film was, it's hard to call any movie Martin Scorsese makes a remake," said DiCaprio. Damon agreed, "This movie is so unmistakably about Boston. I loved and appreciated the original film but this became about the subculture of the Boston police where I'm from, so we went off in our own direction."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on October 04, 2006, 04:15:29 AM
nidey-fav pahscent (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/departed/)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 04, 2006, 04:22:52 PM
The Gang's All Here
You lookin' at them? The Departed's Leo, Matt, Marty and Jack talk movies, rage and smoking
Source: Time

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.timeinc.net%2Ftime%2Fdaily%2F2006%2F0609%2Fdeaprted_0930.jpg&hash=45de423a8984385c7787da4427c053ed7e11b6a4)

The Departed -- A remake of the 2002 Hong Kong-- cinema dirty-cop classic Infernal Affairs--marks the third collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio but the first between Scorsese and his friend of 30 years, Jack Nicholson. And Matt Damon takes the role of the bad guy--a rarity for him. During The Departed's New York City premiere, all four sat down for the most obscenity-redacted conversation in the history of TIME.

JACK NICHOLSON: [To Damon] Well, you finally get to play a mean ol' son of a bitch! Welcome to the club.

MATT DAMON: I had to. It's where all the good roles are.

NICHOLSON: Well, that's right. You had to change things up, be a swine. [DiCaprio arrives] Leo, my boy.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO: Hey, guys. Great to see everybody.

TIME: If I can interrupt for ...

MARTIN SCORSESE: Try!

TIME: Well ...

SCORSESE: This is going to be a little interview or something, right? Because I get very nervous about interviews.

DAMON: I didn't know they gave Man of the Year to four people.

DICAPRIO: Just remember how great sarcasm translates into print.

SCORSESE: My first 10 years in the business, everything I said was one of those you-have-to-be-there things. Then I learned to be direct in print. Not sure it helped. Anyway, ask something.

TIME: Jack, you've known Martin for years. What surprised you the most about him as a director when you finally worked with him?

NICHOLSON: Here's what was good for me: I gave him a part, and he made it a performance. We've talked about movies forever, so getting moviemaking down to shorthand while we were working was a kick. I've actually known all these fellas a while--though we've rarely talked about anything but work. And we like one another too. Sarcasm is better than that answer, incidentally. [Laughter]

DAMON: My surprise, not to blow smoke, was how good a writer Jack is. [Nicholson rewrote some of his dialogue.]

NICHOLSON: I just thought my guy was written a little too classy.

SCORSESE: Jack has great ideas. Crazy ideas.

DAMON: Like the bar scene.

SCORSESE: It's when Jack's trying to figure out if Leo is a rat. And by the fourth take it was really nice, and Jack asked me, "What do you think I should do?" I said, "Anything you want. We've got a free day tomorrow."

NICHOLSON: All Marty had to say was "free day."

SCORSESE: So we shoot the scene, and all of a sudden you hear a thunk. And I'm thinking, I better say cut. And, thank God, I didn't. Jack picks up a gun and points it at Leo, and he didn't know at that point that there was a gun there. So what you see from Leo is real. I love that.

NICHOLSON: But the prop man told him, goddammit!

DICAPRIO: He said, "All I know is Jack has a handgun, a bottle of whiskey and a fire extinguisher."

TIME: Why a fire extinguisher?

NICHOLSON: I was going to set the table on fire with bourbon out of my mouth, but I forgot they didn't give me real bourbon.

DICAPRIO: [Laughing] It's hard to light Diet Coke.

NICHOLSON: That's the moment you see me get out of character. I'm f___ing furious with my lighter, trying to light colored water on fire. You ever try to light water on fire?

DAMON: Now you've heard stories, like At Close Range--Sean Penn asking for a gun with real bullets. But I've never heard of a guy asking for a fire extinguisher.

NICHOLSON: [To Scorsese, while lighting a cigarette] Hey, where's the f___ing gas mask today?

SCORSESE: I have compressed air on a set because of the smoke. I've been wearing it for years because of asthma. It's just compressed air, but it ties you to a tank. It's a pain when you want to talk to the actors.

DAMON: There's always smoke on a set.

TIME: It's not from smokers?

DAMON: No, they go outside most of the time.

TIME: Do you go outside?

NICHOLSON: No, son. No.

TIME: Each of you has a scene of uncontrollable violent rage in this movie. Is rage easier or more fun to play than other emotions?

NICHOLSON: What kind of a question is this? You got to be able to play anything. Playing your own grandmother pissing on the ground should be no more difficult than carrying the groceries up the driveway before you get shot. That's acting. That's the real answer to the question.

SCORSESE: But anger does fuel the picture.

DICAPRIO: That is true. It was a tension-filled set. Was it fun working with all these guys? No, it wasn't fun. You have the occasional joke to break the tension, but there's this intense energy every moment, people trying to pull their hair out trying to make the thing authentic.

TIME: Matt, you and Leo aren't in the same frame until the climax of the movie. When you finally shot that scene, was there immense pressure to make it really pop?

DAMON: We workshopped that one scene with Marty for a month.

SCORSESE: We kept it late in the schedule. It was about two days of shooting on the roof, and the energy of the two of them together, it's like--I can't explain. For some reason, this is a film that I made that I actually like to watch. Because when it builds to that sequence, it all comes together.

TIME: Are there films you've made that you won't watch?

SCORSESE: Most of them.

NICHOLSON: Once you're in it, it's an artifact as a viewing experience. It's uncomfortable.

TIME: So it's not just false modesty when actors and directors say they hate watching their movies?

DICAPRIO: It takes probably 10 years to detach yourself from the filmmaking experience.

DAMON: You remember every-thing. So you watch it, and it's impossible not to think about what you ate for lunch that day. That's not even getting into all your hopes for what it might have been.

TIME: Are there any of your own movies you have come back to?

NICHOLSON: On TV, if some-thing happens by.

DAMON: If Titanic is on, I cannot turn it off. [Much laughter. DiCaprio nods and smiles wryly.] I say that only half- joking. There are just those movies--GoodFellas is like that for me. You stop what you're doing, and you can't turn it off.

DICAPRIO: There's something about Marty's directing where if his films come on, I watch them every time. It's a rare thing, but you do find these details that you've never seen before. He's obsessive about authenticity and minutiae that you may skip the first time, and then--Oh, my God! Slicing the garlic meant something! They weren't just slicing garlic!

SCORSESE: Kubrick is really the killer. The other night, there it is again--The Shining. What could I do? I had to watch the whole goddam thing.

DICAPRIO: [To Nicholson] I wish you would have worked with Kubrick again, man.

NICHOLSON: Me too. I'm ashamed to admit it, but the first thought through my mind when I heard that he died was not, Oooh, Stanley, my dear friend. It was, F___. Not going to get to do another movie with him. I wouldn't have suspected that would have been my reaction, but it's true.

TIME: If you could have played any role in any other Scorsese movie, which would you pick?

SCORSESE: Interesting.

DICAPRIO: Taxi Driver. Travis Bickle. It's weird because you watch a certain film at a young age and it impacts you in a way you can't even describe. You're watching this maniac, and he's really insane, but you are so immersed in him that you forget you're watching a movie and you start to feel insane. And then there's the profound embarrassment I felt when he brought the girl to the porno theater, and--Oh no! What is he doing? I was with you! I know you've got problems, but I was with you!

DAMON: Leo's answer is good, but I'd probably go Jake LaMotta. Not that I look anything like Jake LaMotta ...

NICHOLSON: Well, the question depends on if it's a part you could play or a part you just want to play. I mean, I can't pick Jake LaMotta. I can't play that. But what's the movie with the crazy fan in it?

DAMON: King of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin. That's one of the greats.

NICHOLSON: Now that's a hard part. That scene with Jerry Lewis walking down the street. I remember in my early days in New York seeing Van Johnson walking down the street and I'd have the same feeling as Pupkin. So I'm not Jake LaMotta. But Rupert Pupkin? I could possibly do it.

DICAPRIO: Hey, guys, let's give a little cheers here. I mean, we're not going to see each other forever.

SCORSESE: O.K., just a dash.

DICAPRIO: [Pours wine.] A true honor working with all of you guys, seriously.

SCORSESE: O.K., eyes here. [Look each other in the eye.] Jack, the eyes.

NICHOLSON: Just like we're in the police force.

SCORSESE: Don't make me nervous.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Just Withnail on October 04, 2006, 06:30:18 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 04, 2006, 04:22:52 PM
The Gang's All Here, Jackin' Each Other Off

DAMON: My surprise, not to blow smoke, was how good a writer Jack is. [Nicholson rewrote some of his dialogue.]
--
DAMON: If Titanic is on, I cannot turn it off. [Much laughter. DiCaprio nods and smiles wryly.] I say that only half- joking. There are just those movies--GoodFellas is like that for me. You stop what you're doing, and you can't turn it off.

DICAPRIO: There's something about Marty's directing where if his films come on, I watch them every time. It's a rare thing, but you do find these details that you've never seen before. He's obsessive about authenticity and minutiae that you may skip the first time, and then--Oh, my God! Slicing the garlic meant something! They weren't just slicing garlic!

SCORSESE: Kubrick is really the killer. The other night, there it is again--The Shining. What could I do? I had to watch the whole goddam thing.
--
NICHOLSON: (...) what's the movie with the crazy fan in it?

DAMON: King of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin. That's one of the greats.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ono on October 04, 2006, 06:43:35 PM
I saw this last night.  It's ... not that good.  Scorsese on autopilot -- you can tell someone who knows how to make films made this.  It's promising for the first two thirds of the film.  It's very funny, very compelling.  And then just drifts off into laughable territory.  It's the script's fault, which is ironic, because the script is one of the best things about the first two thirds of the move.  Every scene pops, the film moves at breakneck speed, and I really admired how it juggled the device of having two moles play parallel to each other.  This was the twist on the generic cop drama that would make something like this worth pursuing.  It's what kept the film afloat for so long.  There are other memorable flashes of brilliance: dialogue, memorable shots, but nothing transcendental.

The performances are all great: Baldwin, Sheen, and Wahlberg all do an excellent job playing off each other -- especially Baldwin and Wahlberg who are delightfully over the top, having fun whenever they can.  Damon, DiCaprio, and Nicholson are all up to par: Damon's a great asshole, Nicholson is vintage Jack, and I'm sure people have noticed this before, but it's striking how much Nicholson and Dicaprio look alike.  Seems as if with that in mind, it might have been better if Damon and Dicaprio switched roles.  But then again, Damon knows "Boston" better, I guess.

Especially glaring was it felt like the cut I saw was incomplete (though it probably wasn't 'cause it premieres in three days).  It was overlong, and there's a plot point that is totally dropped (not to mention the fact that the point has to do with the token female character who was used well, but not to her full effect, especially given that the 2.5 hours the film lasted made it seem like more could've been done with her), and we're left to question two things: was it dropped on purpose, and if not, how could he be so careless?  The final scene/shot perhaps redeems a bit of this, but the audience I was with was still stuttering with incredulity over what's transpired, that I don't know of all too many of them picked up on the subtle (or not-so-subtle depending on where you're sitting) touch Scorsese added here.  Yeah, I got the message, but it was a bit too squeaky.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: I Love a Magician on October 04, 2006, 08:04:44 PM
I don't think this movie is going to make very much money.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: A Matter Of Chance on October 04, 2006, 09:15:13 PM
Quote from: onomabracadabra on October 04, 2006, 06:43:35 PM
Every scene pops, the film moves at breakneck speed, and I really admired how it juggled the device of having two moles play parallel to each other.  This was the twist on the generic cop drama that would make something like this worth pursuing.  It's what kept the film afloat for so long.  There are other memorable flashes of brilliance: dialogue, memorable shots, but nothing transcendental.

That's pretty much how I felt about the original - that and an awful soundtrack paired with a bizzarre showing of bagpipes at the end. So I'm not surprised.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 05, 2006, 02:09:25 PM
Quote from: I Love a Magician on October 04, 2006, 08:04:44 PM
I don't think this movie is going to make very much money.
i'm predicting the exact opposite.  care to bet on it?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Neil on October 05, 2006, 02:53:40 PM
I absolutely cannot wait to see this tomorrow.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 05, 2006, 08:33:53 PM
Quote from: onomabracadabra on October 04, 2006, 06:43:35 PM
I saw this last night.  It's ... not that good.  Scorsese on autopilot -- you can tell someone who knows how to make films made this.  It's promising for the first two thirds of the film.  It's very funny, very compelling.  And then just drifts off into laughable territory.  It's the script's fault, which is ironic, because the script is one of the best things about the first two thirds of the move.  Every scene pops, the film moves at breakneck speed, and I really admired how it juggled the device of having two moles play parallel to each other.  This was the twist on the generic cop drama that would make something like this worth pursuing.  It's what kept the film afloat for so long.  There are other memorable flashes of brilliance: dialogue, memorable shots, but nothing transcendental.

The performances are all great: Baldwin, Sheen, and Wahlberg all do an excellent job playing off each other -- especially Baldwin and Wahlberg who are delightfully over the top, having fun whenever they can.  Damon, DiCaprio, and Nicholson are all up to par: Damon's a great asshole, Nicholson is vintage Jack, and I'm sure people have noticed this before, but it's striking how much Nicholson and Dicaprio look alike.  Seems as if with that in mind, it might have been better if Damon and Dicaprio switched roles.  But then again, Damon knows "Boston" better, I guess.

Especially glaring was it felt like the cut I saw was incomplete (though it probably wasn't 'cause it premieres in three days).  It was overlong, and there's a plot point that is totally dropped (not to mention the fact that the point has to do with the token female character who was used well, but not to her full effect, especially given that the 2.5 hours the film lasted made it seem like more could've been done with her), and we're left to question two things: was it dropped on purpose, and if not, how could he be so careless?  The final scene/shot perhaps redeems a bit of this, but the audience I was with was still stuttering with incredulity over what's transpired, that I don't know of all too many of them picked up on the subtle (or not-so-subtle depending on where you're sitting) touch Scorsese added here.  Yeah, I got the message, but it was a bit too squeaky.

oh no, that sounds awfully close to the original.  I never thought the original was that great.  it was only great because (some sort of spoiler somehow) they effed up the most charismatic actor in the movie half way through, which was a great twist.  I had no attachment to the premise of a mole vs. mole--that just seemed like something inevitable in the cops and gangster genre, that one day the two subgenres would have to cross.  the original also had these light buddhist references in there (though the title suggested something heavier).  I was hoping the female characters would do more in this one and the last third of the film would be less of a stalemate.  I'm going to see this tomorrow because I know a few kids who were in it, and man, so even though it doesn't seem like you're wrong, I'm still hoping that I get my 10 bucks' worth.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: I Love a Magician on October 06, 2006, 01:39:45 AM
Quote from: pozer on October 05, 2006, 02:09:25 PM
Quote from: I Love a Magician on October 04, 2006, 08:04:44 PM
I don't think this movie is going to make very much money.
i'm predicting the exact opposite.  care to bet on it?

no i do not care to do that
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 06, 2006, 11:27:13 AM
don't listen to onocrombie, this movie is absolutely delicious.  i was suprised of how much jack was preasent - thought it was gonna be one of those 'trailers fooling you with his role actually being much smaller' sort of deals.  granted i saw it at the crowded wb premiere, but it was one of those audience applauding throughout movies.  characters were so well written and played the same... wish i could write more, but i'm out like seacrest for the weekend.       
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 06, 2006, 12:26:28 PM
Lau Gives `Departed' an 8 Out of 10

Andy Lau gives "The Departed" an Americanized version of one of his movies an eight out of 10.

The new Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson was inspired by the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs," which features Lau and Tony Leung.

"It's correct that he gave it eight on a scale of 10," Lau spokeswoman Alice Tam said, confirming remarks published Friday. She added that Lau dislikes the amount of foul language in the film and the fact that it has only one main female character.

"Infernal Affairs" is about a gangster who infiltrates the police (Lau) and a police officer who goes undercover in a gang (Leung). In the original, the two have separate love interests.

In "The Departed," the undercover gangster in the police (Damon) and the undercover policeman in the gang (DiCaprio) both get romantically involved with the police psychiatrist played by Vera Farmiga.

Lau thinks "the effect of combining the two female characters in the original into one isn't as good as in the original," according to Tam.

She also said the veteran Hong Kong actor contrasted his approach to his role with Damon's.

"He said he focused on his character's psychology, and that the character didn't look like a bad guy on the surface," Tam said, whereas Damon's portrayal showed his character as an obvious bad guy.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Astrostic on October 06, 2006, 04:25:48 PM
Andy Lau translates into an idiot.  Does he not understand the concept of a reinterpretation?

I saw this today and I loved it.  The half-full theatre that i was in (I saw it in Boston in a theatre that may or may not have made an appearance in the film) didn't seem to like it so much.  There were a couple of walkouts that happened about 15 minutes before the end (?) and there were yawnings and no cheers and hardly any audible laughter (other than my own) like another poster described at his screening.  I'll be seeing this again at least one more time, though.  Scorcese has a way of making me so giddy after watching a film of his.  And the most surprising thing for me was how original this film felt.  Granted I haven't seen Internal Affairs, but this feels like something that Scorsese came up with.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SiliasRuby on October 06, 2006, 05:46:15 PM
God, this fucking blew me away. I found myself Laughing out loud more than a couple of times. Loved every minute of it. Period. And just great writing.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 07, 2006, 12:01:11 AM
Yep, haven't been to a movie this great for a loooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggg time.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 07, 2006, 12:18:27 AM
LOVED it. 

despite having seen Infernal Affairs a year or two ago (and liking it) i remembered almost none of it so when i went into this i had no idea what was coming next.  it was smart, it was funny, and it didnt move like the typical A to B to C plot mechanics.  it felt like the story was really moved along by the characters through a great deal of this.  loved the way the title came up about 20 minutes into the film and the accompanying crazy music.  loved that damon was a complete bastard but you still felt sorry for him because like most of the characters in the film he was just trapped.  and any film that makes me think 'man i wish there were more mark wahlberg', THAT is an incredible achievement.  a lot of talk has been about scorsese's return to the gangster movie, but i really didnt see it as a gangster movie.  i think it was a cop film, and the first that scorsese has done.  on the grand scheme of things if goodfellas is an A+ this film is probably a B+ but really for films this year its an A. 

its my favorite movie so far this year.  its everything i want when i go to the movies.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: JG on October 07, 2006, 09:49:32 PM
mod, i anticipate a departed avatar. 

and goddamn if that wasn't the best closing line.   

i'm gonna see it again cos i don't think i'm as ga ga over it as you guys are, but yep, it was great alright.   the standout for me was sheen, but damon was ace. 

astro, what theater? 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 07, 2006, 09:53:20 PM
I thought it was awesome. I was into it all the way throughout. It had the most colorful dialogue outside a Mamet script. Top notch acting all around, and well defined characters, even the secondary ones. But the breakout I thought was Wahlberg.

It seemed like Scorsese laid back a bit from the usual camera shots/trickery and let the characters and dialogue play out. Brilliant move.  :yabbse-thumbup:  Because you could feel the tension between Nicholson and Dicaprio in the 'rat' scene at the bar, and the long silence between Dicaprio and Damon on the phone was superb.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: edison on October 07, 2006, 10:26:07 PM
was my post deleted? what the fuck?

never mind found the thread about what happened, that sucks
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on October 07, 2006, 11:55:24 PM
I saw it last night. The only show I could catch was the later one, which ran till about 1AM. I'm not really a night owl, so it was a very inconvenient time.  But honestly, it was 2 and half hours that flew by, never found my self looking at my watch, never took my eyes off the screen, it was just great. Oh, Mr. Scorsese, I love you. And, Jack Nicholson, oh man, so so great. Everyone in this movie, actually. Just superb.  :yabbse-thumbup:

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: w/o horse on October 08, 2006, 07:23:45 PM
Made me feel silly for having low expectations.  It blew away my genre expectations.  Blew them, away.  Like the good should do.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 08, 2006, 09:14:08 PM
(spoilers)

I saw it yesterday amongst a lot of townies.  the first hour was just filled with gasps and people whispering loudly to each other where each scene was shot.  then also a lot of irish pride whenever an irish reference was made.  I thought the film had a lot of similarities to the original, except they drew everything out whereas the originals was a bunch of old dudes playing cool.  it was good, and also the most plot-driven of a scorsese's picture that I've seen.  marky mark was like transported from huckabees, he was pretty cool.  didn't get the very end though.  the blood was good.  I really wasn't very moved by much of it, I enjoyed a lot of it because the craftsmanship and the performances were great, but as opposed to most of scorsese's movies, even the bad ones, I really didn't get the point of this.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Ghostboy on October 08, 2006, 09:27:23 PM
It was a lot of fun. I didn't love it as much as everyone else, but I think if I saw it again I'd like it more (I was really exhausted when I watched it). This one didn't have the emotional heft that Scorsese is usually so good at delivering - I've always admired how, in his best films, he's able to be completely entertaining even when he's dealing with heavy subject matter. This one was just entertaining, and the attempts at dramatic depth didn't quite come through as well as I think they could have. It came close (Damon's emotional collapse in the elevator was great) but the script too frequently mistakes shock value for narrative value. Not that it wasn't shocking at times (you know the scenes), but those moments didn't leave me shaken for more than a few seconds.

SPOILERS

I didn't really like the ending. It was pointless - it would have been far more satisfying to have Whalberg show up with that yellow envelope.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: AntiDumbFrogQuestion on October 08, 2006, 09:48:29 PM
AWESOME MOVIE.

so anyways

did anyone else get a sort of Wes Anderson vibe watching a little of the beginning of this movie?
Not saying that Scorsese is ripping anyone off, and it all could have been coincidence

but there were some Static shots with GREAT color and detail, and with a Nylon String guitar playing beneath it, I kind of got some "Rushmore" chills up my spine
(I dont know if that's actually what a Doctor would call them)

and considering Marty says Wes is "the next Marty", I wouldn't be surprised if this was perhaps a subconscious or subtely conscious homage to another cool filmmaker.

and then after I press "post" I'm gonna think everything I just said was a load of bullshit.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: JG on October 08, 2006, 11:08:08 PM
yeah, especially for leo's character, there just was no real emotional investment.  he wanted his "indentity back" but all the events leading up to that didn't really lead to me believing or caring about his desperation.  damon's character arc really works, everything about his character is brilliantly concieved.  also i liked how the biggest asshole in the movie seems to be the sole honorable one left at the end. 

now it becomes one of "those" reviews.  it was tough for me to really enjoy this like i enjoy most scorsese movies, cause of the setting.  everytime there was a reference to something i knew, it took me out of the movie.  dicaprio's character grew up on the north shore: crap i'm from there!  dicaprio's uncle jackie was a bookie from somerville:  holy crap, i grew up there.  they dumped his body on 128:  i drive that road all the time!  sheen meets dicaprio on the red line:  i always ride the red line!   and so on and so on.  i dunno, but it almost seemed like these forced attempts to seem authentic, maybe its just cause i'm from the region and every reference stuck out to me.   

plus i hated that theme that scorsese uses, the one that comes up during the title and the one that is used in all the commercials.  what is that the dropkick murphys?  a rare example where scorsese just uses the completely wrong music. 

SPOILERS

on to those last moments... i thought that ending was amazing, mostly cause of damon's "okay."  not only does it capture a region's lexicon and general mindset so perfectly in one word, but it just struck me as incredibly sad and fulfilling.  a moment of great understanding where damon's character has just reached this moment of quiet resignation and all he can say is "okay."  moments like these, including when they have that long silence on the phone, this is what makes scorsese the master.  as a whole, i felt these moments were missing from the movie. 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Weak2ndAct on October 08, 2006, 11:18:49 PM
I really enjoyed the flick, and having seen IA (and the sequels) a handful of times, I was still engaged all the way through.  The film-nerd in me really wanted more Scorsese show-off moments, but when he lets the camera roll at the service of the actors, he does get some magic.  It seems that Marty is rolling into Mike Nichols territory now (perfs/editing over style).  I felt some chunks lagged from time to time, and I wonder how much of a committed shot-list/design would have helped things.  Monahan's script kept things going though (I guess I'll have to watch the long Kingdom of Heaven now), and I appreciated the 'new' ending.  It's not the greatest thing ever, not the best of the year, but I had a good time.  

Loved the 'Third Man' wink at the end-- nice touch.  
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on October 09, 2006, 01:05:24 AM
Right after the movie ended, the guy next to me asked his girlfriend, all pissed and confused "So who was the informant?"
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on October 09, 2006, 08:52:34 AM
Quote from: JG on October 08, 2006, 11:08:08 PM
plus i hated that theme that scorsese uses, the one that comes up during the title and the one that is used in all the commercials.  what is that the dropkick murphys?  a rare example where scorsese just uses the completely wrong music. 

Yeah, that music felt like it was supposed to be in some Ed Burns Irish Scorsese ripoff but I think it would have worked if he didn't cut it off in such a jarring way.  It bugs me sometimes in films when the score gets cut off immediately and it's not playing from a radio or something.  It feels amateurish and almost comedic like a record scratch.  I can probably sit and think of as many examples in which it has worked but this isn't one of them.


Quote from: Lucid on October 09, 2006, 12:48:23 AM
The audience I saw it with was really into it, too: cheering, laughing, and one woman even let out a very loud shriek toward the end.

SPOILERS

The audience I was with was laughing at the wrong times, like when DiCaprio was killed.  It's like they were watching Scarface or some shit.  I'm sitting there in shock and half the theatre is laughing.  I'll chalk it up to nervous laughter but it seemed out of place.  And then the very end, some guy in the row in front of me yells out, "Yeah, Marky Mark!" when he shows up in Matt Damon's apartment.  That kind of pulled the punch for the ending for me but I still enjoyed the hell out of this.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: sickfins on October 09, 2006, 10:59:10 AM
spoilers!

Quote from: othersparrow on October 09, 2006, 08:52:34 AM
The audience I was with was laughing at the wrong times, like when DiCaprio was killed.  It's like they were watching Scarface or some shit.  I'm sitting there in shock and half the theatre is laughing.  I'll chalk it up to nervous laughter but it seemed out of place.  And then the very end, some guy in the row in front of me yells out, "Yeah, Marky Mark!" when he shows up in Matt Damon's apartment.  That kind of pulled the punch for the ending for me but I still enjoyed the hell out of this.

the person i saw it with laughed at everything in the movie and turned to me for a reaction at virtually everything.  every dramatic punch was ruined, but i could still see it was amazing.

"just kill me"
"i am killing you"
BAM

the exaggerated sound effects were amazing.  right before the successful ambush on costello, all the police are being super quiet and their normally smashy car doors are almost completely silent.  the cellphones sounded like they had knives or blocks of wood in them when they closed.

macguffin's right about wahlberg.  i forgot he was in the cast going in and he surprised the shit out of me.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 09, 2006, 11:23:27 AM
one time I went to see the planet of the apes and when mark whalberg first showed up someone in the audience (my friend) yelled "yeah, marky mark and the monkey bunch!"  and the entire theater laughed that time and every subsequent time marky mark hung out with the apes, it really made the movie much better.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 09, 2006, 11:41:00 AM
A history of violence
Martin Scorsese is still attracted to a world where morality doesn't exist, where it is impossible to sin - which may be why he's never won the Oscar he covets. Ed Pilkington was granted a rare audience with the king of American cinema
Source: The Guardian
 
For a director who commands such respect, it is surprising what a rough ride Martin Scorsese has had in recent years. But even with Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to his credit, the going has not been easy. There have been run-ins with the studios, such as Disney's decision to pull out of Gangs of New York because of its violence, and Paramount's surrender to the religious right in pulling out of The Last Temptation of Christ just weeks before the start of filming.

When he didn't have the studios on his back, he suffered the opposite problem: an uninterested public. Both New York, New York and The King of Comedy were box office casualties. And sod's law decrees that when he does make a successful film, The Colour of Money for instance, he's accused of selling out to the studios.

Nor have his peers offered him formal recognition. Despite the superhuman efforts he has poured into his most intimately conceived films - Gangs of New York took him 23 years to wrestle on to the screen - he has not won the Oscar for best director, an honour he has unashamedly coveted and for which he has been nominated five times (for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York and The Aviator). When Goodfellas lost to Dances with Wolves in 1990, that hurt.

The common thread in these disparate troubles is the dilemma of the movie director: how to combine commercial success with artistic integrity. Several of his 1970s films were both hugely popular and lauded for their art. More recently, he's ticked one or other box, seldom both.

So has Martin Scorsese come any closer to combining commerce and art with his new film, The Departed? Given the record of the past 30 years, he has reason to be nervous about its reception, and sure enough he is puffing on his asthma inhaler as our encounter begins. His body language is not good. He has pressed himself tightly into the corner of the sofa, both arms and legs crossed, in a textbook portrayal of Anxious Man.

As soon as the first question is asked, though, he relaxes, like someone coming up for air. He starts talking in a broad, slightly high-pitched New York accent and grows more and more animated. What's got him going is the acting of his current cinematic muse, Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Departed is Scorsese's third major film in a row with DiCaprio and the relationship between the two men has clearly grown into a central element of his work. For so long the world of Martin Scorsese revolved around Robert De Niro, from his first major feature, Mean Streets in 1973, to Cape Fear 18 years later. But the Scorsese noughties belong to DiCaprio. The baton has been passed, as Scorsese implicitly recognises when he talks about the intense experiences he has had with DiCaprio over the past seven years: "Having worked with Leo in Gangs of New York and the Aviator, I sense something about him. There's a great deal emotionally going on inside of him. For me it was interesting - I felt comfortable with the emotional process he was going through, and it reminded me very much of De Niro. It was a different frame of reference: I'm 30 years older, but he approached emotional subjects in a very similar way and he also thinks about things in life the way I do."

The Departed, the latest product of the Scorsese-DiCaprio Years, as they may come to be remembered, is a cop versus gangster movie set in contemporary Boston. DiCaprio plays an undercover police officer who has infiltrated one of the city's most notorious gangs. He gives an intense performance, thoroughly putting behind him the baby-faced Leo so beloved of teenaged girls and replacing it with a mature Leonardo capable of conveying layers of anger and darkness unthinkable in the younger man. In short, DiCaprio has grown up, and he has done so under Scorsese's tutelage.

"I didn't realise that at the time," Scorsese says, when I ask if he was aware of this coming of age. "There's no doubt that he was a boy when we did Gangs of New York, which is what I wanted. But when he did Howard Hughes in The Aviator, that changed everything."

By now Scorsese is flying. His hands are moving as excitedly as he is speaking. One second his fingers meet as if in prayer, the next he is open-armed and embracing the world. He is conducting the conversation as he might, well, direct a movie. And then there are his eyes, which have their own power, framed by two shockingly black eyebrows set behind his red and thick-rimmed glasses. Even in a blank hotel room you feel his force. He is a hurricane of energy, a breaker of levees.

So when did this transformation in DiCaprio take place? Scorsese's flurry of words is briefly halted, but after a pause he starts to talk again at bullet speed about the moment of metamorphosis. It was during the filming of a key scene in The Aviator, in which Hughes has locked himself into his movie screening room and is descending into madness. "By the time Leo got into that room where he had to face himself, naked, in that white leather chair, we had got into a whole other realm and I knew he could go further. Something happened that night."

On the other side of the locked door Cate Blanchett, playing Katharine Hepburn, is pleading with DiCaprio to let her in. They filmed take after take of the scene, Scorsese explains, but something just didn't feel right. "About the 12th take I said to Leo maybe you are thinking too much about yourself, think about her at this point. What do you want her to do? 'Cut her off, cut her dead,' I said. 'She shouldn't be part of that life.'"

The result was formative: Scorsese's intervention helped propel DiCaprio's acting to a new level. His part in the process was crucial, the mark of a great director, though he plays that down by implying that it happened almost by chance: "We just stumbled upon it. But it made him more aware of how to play other things too."

The anecdote is telling. Scorsese is known as an actors' director because he nurtures them and gives them space to grow. And this fluid style of directing is stamped over The Departed, despite its origins and evident commercial appeal.

The film is a remake of the cult 2003 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. Screenwriter William Monahan has transferred the storyline from Hong Kong to the ganglands of South Boston, or Southie as it's known to locals.

A cop (DiCaprio) infiltrates a notorious Southie gang in order to expose its ruthless leader (Jack Nicholson), while gang member (Matt Damon) is sent by the same ruthless leader to infiltrate the cops. Two moles, negative images of one another. Their paths collide and a get-the-other-mole-before-he-gets-you struggle to the death ensues. In the process everyone is compromised, good and evil converge, darkness reigns.

'Good and bad become very blurred," Scorsese says. "That is something I know I'm attracted to. It's a world where morality doesn't exist, good doesn't exist, so you can't even sin any more as there's nothing to sin against. There's no redemption of any kind."

The script follows the Hong Kong original quite faithfully, and yet the final product is quintessential Scorsese. The Catholic elements of the morality tale are accentuated by him, as befits a man who came close to entering the priesthood in his teens but chose instead to take up film studies at New York University. Sexuality and male virility - also favoured Scorsese themes - are teased out through the role of the woman therapist (Vera Farmiga) who loves both moles, and through Jack Nicholson's improvised use of an enormous prosthetic penis.

Movie addicts will find their cravings richly satisfied by Scorsese's allusions to past greats. Watch out for the letter X that he scatters through the film in a homage to the 1932 gangster movie Scarface (producer: Howard Hughes) or the cocaine scene with Jack Nicholson that nods its head to the 1983 film of the same name. Like Scarface, violence is integral to The Departed, another of Scorsese's calling cards. By my count, the film depicts at least 10 executions, one garrotting and the graphic splattering of a body that has fallen from a great height.

Being Scorsese, there's a Catholic take on the violence, too: "It's about the reality of being a witness to violence. Let's say you have a close friend who you have known for 25 years. Even if you are not in the underworld, if they are hit by a car they are dead, gone, finished, over. Death comes in a flash, and that's the truth of it, the person's gone in less than 24 frames of film."

But what marks The Departed out as core Scorsese above anything else is the anger. Not that of an angry young man, though, which is best seen in Mean Streets, Taxi Driver or Raging Bull. Instead it's a more reflective, public anger with the current state of the world, which he reveals in our conversation quite unexpectedly.

You could view The Departed as a commentary on America today, in which good and evil have become so intertwined they are now inseparable and mutually self-perpetuating: a US president commits an act of violence on a foreign country in the name of good against evil, thus unleashing dark forces which can only be controlled through yet more acts of violence. When I suggest that to him, he leaps on the thought with alacrity. He says his feelings about this were crucial to his decision to make the film in the first place - they sustained him even when he had (here we go again) difficulties getting the movie off the ground.

"There were a lot of big names getting involved, a lot of different schedules to marry, a lot of pitfalls we could have fallen into. And yet I stayed with the film," he says. "Because I guess there's an anger, for want of a better word, about the state of affairs. An anger that hopefully doesn't eat at yourself but a desire to express what I feel about post-September 11 despair. My emotional response is this movie. It became clearer and clearer as we did it, more frightening. It came from a very strong state of conviction about the emotional, psychological state that I am in now about the world and about the way our leaders are behaving."

So all the elements are there. The Departed will surely be no box-office flop, but neither can it be dismissed as a studio sell-out. In it, Scorsese comes closer to achieving that elusive compromise between art and popular appeal than he has in years, arguably since Goodfellas.

There's just one bit of unfinished business remaining. Without it Martin Scorsese cannot lay his ghosts to rest. Come on Academy, give him his blasted Oscar.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 09, 2006, 02:23:12 PM
Quote from: Ed Pilkington on October 09, 2006, 11:41:00 AM
There's just one bit of unfinished business remaining. Without it Martin Scorsese cannot lay his ghosts to rest. Come on Academy, give him his blasted Oscar.
i can honestly see it happening with this one.  of course it's going to happen with a film less deserving of his others, but the performance level alone makes the chance more reasonable.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on October 09, 2006, 02:50:19 PM
Quote from: pozer on October 09, 2006, 02:23:12 PM
Quote from: Ed Pilkington on October 09, 2006, 11:41:00 AM
There's just one bit of unfinished business remaining. Without it Martin Scorsese cannot lay his ghosts to rest. Come on Academy, give him his blasted Oscar.
i can honestly see it happening with this one.  of course it's going to happen with a film less deserving of his others, but the performance level alone makes the chance more reasonable.

After this year, I don't see how an Oscar could possibly mean anything to Scorsese anymore.  He's in better company now.  But yeah, it looks like this is his year, especially considering 3/4 of the Academy acted in the movie.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on October 09, 2006, 08:38:19 PM
As far as Oscars are concerned, I can honestly see Jack winning #4 for this. If any living actor on the face of the earth deserves it, it's Jack. Not only does he have a helluva lot of fun with the role, but it was something that was at the same time uniquely Jack Nicholson but brings something new to a character, even after several decades of roles. I thought his was the most interesting character in the film because he lacks the vulnerabilities that the others have so obviously stamped right on their foreheads. He was likely in a similar place emotionally as Damon's or Dicaprio's characters when he was younger but had the benefit of staying alive, so in a way, he's corrupted, jaded, repressive, and well, borderline insane all at the same time. And he does it all with the Jack Nicholson trademark charm, and once again, Scorsese has been able to collaborate with an actor to create a villain that you can't help but love, hear out, and understand (maybe even agree with to an extent). So, yeah, I think he'll join the likes of Max Cady and Bill the butcher in infamy. Anyone else think his "What's the difference?" line is already beginning to be another classic bit of dialogue? They may have pushed it a bit too much in the trailer, but I can see that line being quoted a lot in the future.

Anyway, if Jack doesn't win the Oscar, he's at least a definite lock for the supporting actor nomination as far as I'm concerned. I'd love to see Scorsese get the director nod, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he should win for it, and unless he makes his best movie ever sometime soon, I think the best we can hope for is an honorary award, like Hitchcock's or Altman's.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 09, 2006, 08:48:03 PM
unfortunately i think the film is probably too popcorn (fun/awesome) for the oscars.   most likely they'll be looking at more serious minded crap.  i hope i'm wrong.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on October 09, 2006, 10:38:03 PM
Quote from: modage on October 09, 2006, 08:48:03 PM
unfortunately i think the film is probably too popcorn (fun/awesome) for the oscars.   most likely they'll be looking at more serious minded crap.  i hope i'm wrong.

No, you're right.  Jack Nicholson will get a supporting nod with no win.  That will be all.  I guess it's possible that Scorsese will get nominated without the picture being nominated, just because of everyone always saying that they oughta give him one.  But he will not win.  Same with the screenplay.

I always feel like I'm gonna get shot after I see a Martin Scorsese movie with guns.  Very on edge.  I liked this, but it did feel very popcorn to me most of the time.  I wouldn't say anything like "Scorsese back in form," since directing-wise, it was the same quality as Gangs and Aviator.  It just had a screenplay that he could work better with.  I think there was room to go deeper into some of the themes and I think some of the on-the-surface references (i.e. "You're not a cop," with DiCaprio, Whalberg and Sheen in the office at the beginning, "You're a cop," with the two gansters to DiCaprio later on, and there was more in there somewhere) could have been lessened.  But I had a lot of fun.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 09, 2006, 11:47:52 PM
I loved it. Ever since I saw the original in 2003 and I heard that somebody bought the remake rights I was waiting for it, and it was everything I would have want it to be. The acting was excellent, especially Jack and Damon. It was cool to see Leo beat the shit out of some people too.

I love the way Scorsese adapted the film and he took all the ingredients that make the original good and added his own touch to make it great. I think the dialogue, the music, everything went very well.

The ending in the original is different though. Well, the DVD has two endings. The original one, and one that is more politically correct. I dont want to give it away in case somebody wants to see it (which I recommend). But part of it is because the Wahlberg-Sheen character are actually one guy in the original, so it makes that a little different. Also, the shrink and the guys girlfriend in the original are two different women.

I hope it gets nominated. Its very early in the 'Oscar season' to predict if Marty could get his Oscar, but I hope he does. This is not his best film, but they should just fucking give it to him already.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 09, 2006, 11:49:55 PM
nicholson was pretty fun in it, but how was he any better than any other good fun sadistic villains out there?  I know denzel won an oscar for having just as much fun, but I didn't think that was the year's best performance.  neither was this, it was a hell of a spectacle, but what more did it do than fuel the imagination and the testerone of dudes?

I saw Match Point a few hours after coming out of The Departed.  Matchpoint felt very much like a remake of Woody's own Crimes and Misdemeanors.  Like Infernal Affairs, Crimes and Misdemeanors had an essentially out-of-tone (there must be a better term for it), heavy-handed ending that attempted to moralize and articulate the entire movie.  However, I found the endings in both originals to be much more satisfying than the remakes.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on October 09, 2006, 11:56:43 PM
best film of 2006.. even the best film of 2007. oh, and this is scorsese's year.

Quote from: Weak2ndAct on October 08, 2006, 11:18:49 PMLoved the 'Third Man' wink at the end-- nice touch.

totally.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on October 10, 2006, 10:34:49 AM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 09, 2006, 10:38:03 PM
Quote from: modage on October 09, 2006, 08:48:03 PM
unfortunately i think the film is probably too popcorn (fun/awesome) for the oscars.   most likely they'll be looking at more serious minded crap.  i hope i'm wrong.

No, you're right.  Jack Nicholson will get a supporting nod with no win.  That will be all.  I guess it's possible that Scorsese will get nominated without the picture being nominated, just because of everyone always saying that they oughta give him one.  But he will not win.  Same with the screenplay.

Oscar nod predictions for The Departed:

Best Director
Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Best Actor (Jack Nicholson)
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing

Jack will get a lead nomination because he's Jack but he will not win.  Leo will.  Scorsese will win because Clint Eastwood already has two.  Screenplay, Editing, and Wahlberg will lose.

It's really sad that we can predict the Oscars with some degree of confidence a full six months ahead of time, and before all the films have been released.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 10, 2006, 11:09:31 AM
Leo wont win. I dont think he will be nominated, althought it would be great. I think Damon stands out more than Leo here too. At least from the "Academy" point of view (kinda like Ledger-Gyllenhall last year)

If he didnt get it after The Aviator, he will have to wait until the next movie where he is the only main character to get it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 10, 2006, 05:18:27 PM
I like how Scorsese isn't ashamed of violence, especially in this. Sometimes he presents it matter-of-factly, and others, such as Leo kicking the shit out of the two goons, he actually ups the music and has fun with it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on October 10, 2006, 05:33:01 PM
Quote from: othersparrow on October 10, 2006, 10:34:49 AM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 09, 2006, 10:38:03 PM
Quote from: modage on October 09, 2006, 08:48:03 PM
unfortunately i think the film is probably too popcorn (fun/awesome) for the oscars.   most likely they'll be looking at more serious minded crap.  i hope i'm wrong.

No, you're right.  Jack Nicholson will get a supporting nod with no win.  That will be all.  I guess it's possible that Scorsese will get nominated without the picture being nominated, just because of everyone always saying that they oughta give him one.  But he will not win.  Same with the screenplay.

Oscar nod predictions for The Departed:

Best Director
Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Best Actor (Jack Nicholson)
Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing

Jack will get a lead nomination because he's Jack but he will not win.  Leo will.  Scorsese will win because Clint Eastwood already has two.  Screenplay, Editing, and Wahlberg will lose.

It's really sad that we can predict the Oscars with some degree of confidence a full six months ahead of time, and before all the films have been released.

Well it wouldn't be sad if you were wrong and some great unexpected movies come out later this year that deservedly win instead.

Quote from: Derek on October 10, 2006, 05:18:27 PM
I like how Scorsese isn't ashamed of violence, especially in this. Sometimes he presents it matter-of-factly, and others, such as Leo kicking the shit out of the two goons, he actually ups the music and has fun with it.

Yeah, I laughed pretty hard at, "She fell funny."

Though I would say that the blood and brains, when they fly out, do look digital for some of the shots.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
people seem to be going bananas for this movie.  i don't know if its a regional thing, but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.   non movie lovers around here are eating it up:  "sickest movie ever!;" "SICK!" "Nicholson was crazy in that movie!" etc.  (its also high school, but every adult i've talked to thats seen it is also glowing about)

I expect it to do well at the box office next week based on a good word of mouth.   
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: analogzombie on October 11, 2006, 01:42:13 AM
I thought it was better (i.e. more enjoyable) than Gangs of New York and The Aviator. Still I agree with Christopher Doyle's assesment of the current state of US mainstream film given that Scorsese feels the need to remake an Asian Actioner in an effort to continue his Oscar pandering.

And Matt Damon?? Why Matt Damon?!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: theyarelegion on October 11, 2006, 04:29:18 AM
Quote from: analogzombie on October 11, 2006, 01:42:13 AM
Still I agree with Christopher Doyle's assesment of the current state of US mainstream film given that Scorsese feels the need to remake an Asian Actioner in an effort to continue his Oscar pandering.

GreenCine Thelma Schoonmaker interview:

It's a reimagining of Infernal Affairs?

Marty read a wonderful script by Bill Monahan, a Boston Irish-American. He said, "This is great, the dialogue is fantastic and it's really interesting." He's always been fascinated by the corruption of police departments. Then he found out that it was based on or inspired by Infernal Affairs, and it's a real problem because neither of us have seen the movie and we're not going to see it until this is finished. It's all about character and I think it's different. People tell us it's different. I don't know!

http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 11, 2006, 08:32:04 AM
Quote from: analogzombie on October 11, 2006, 01:42:13 AM
Still I agree with Christopher Doyle's assesment of the current state of US mainstream film given that Scorsese feels the need to remake an Asian Actioner in an effort to continue his Oscar pandering.
i really dont see what part of this film is oscar pandering.  its not an oscar type film at all except it has a huge name cast.  if its up for ANY nominations it'd be a miracle.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on October 11, 2006, 08:40:32 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love. this generation's Scarface

Quote from: modage on October 11, 2006, 08:32:04 AM
Quote from: analogzombie on October 11, 2006, 01:42:13 AM
Still I agree with Christopher Doyle's assesment of the current state of US mainstream film given that Scorsese feels the need to remake an Asian Actioner in an effort to continue his Oscar pandering.
i really dont see what part of this film is oscar pandering.

I think it's like what Kyra Sedgwick said to Campbell Scott in Singles:  "I think that A) you have an act; and B) not having an act is your act."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 11, 2006, 10:26:23 AM
Quote from: modage on October 11, 2006, 08:32:04 AM
Quote from: analogzombie on October 11, 2006, 01:42:13 AM
Still I agree with Christopher Doyle's assesment of the current state of US mainstream film given that Scorsese feels the need to remake an Asian Actioner in an effort to continue his Oscar pandering.
i really dont see what part of this film is oscar pandering.  its not an oscar type film at all except it has a huge name cast.  if its up for ANY nominations it'd be a miracle.

Depends on how weak this year is for good films. The Oscars have been able to bend their focus a little bit in order to reward talent. I have not seen the Departed, but I do think any Scorsese movie these days is viable for atleast a directorial nomination. Scorsese is in the same boat as Paul Newman. The academy wanted to award Newman after 7 or so nominations, but he was always losing to stronger talent. Like in '82 when his masterful performance in The Verdict was topped by Ben Kingsley's Gandhi. Newman had to eventually win for a minor effort in a movie like The Color of Money. If its a weak year, I can see the academy rationalize almost any Scorsese film in order to finally reward him.

I won't comment on any other potentials until seeing the movie.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 11, 2006, 10:48:35 AM
wow, it's been a while since xixax overrates something like this.
The Departed is this year's "Lost in Translation."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 11, 2006, 12:09:53 PM
Quote from: pete on October 11, 2006, 10:48:35 AM
wow, it's been a while since xixax overrates something like this.
The Departed is this year's "Lost in Translation."
or this years "The New World".  if, you know, The New World had been any good.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on October 11, 2006, 01:11:40 PM
Quote from: modage on October 11, 2006, 12:09:53 PM
or this years "The New World".  if, you know, The New World had been any good.

Wait!  Mod, you didn't like New World!!!?????!!!!!!?????!!!!!????

and how is remake an asian action film Oscar Pandering?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Sunrise on October 11, 2006, 01:48:28 PM
Quote from: modage on October 11, 2006, 12:09:53 PM
Quote from: pete on October 11, 2006, 10:48:35 AM
wow, it's been a while since xixax overrates something like this.
The Departed is this year's "Lost in Translation."
or this years "The New World". if, you know, The New World had been any good.

I might as well throw in the towel. Not only am I an asshole, but I also think those three films are all brilliant. I guess I'm swimming upstream...they are all apparently quite overrated. That's disappointing.

The Departed is the best film I've seen in 2006. I think DiCaprio's performance deserves a little more respect for its understated effectiveness and conflict. It doesn't appear to stand out next to Nicholson's over-the-top bravado, but DiCaprio's Billy Costigan is arguably his finest work. Also, I don't hold Wahlberg in high regard, but his Sgt. Dignam was pitch perfect.

Virtually the only thing I didn't like was the rat-shot at the end. The point had already been made.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 11, 2006, 04:13:59 PM
Exclusive Profile: MARTIN SCORSESE UNDERSTANDS THE IRISH & ENCOURAGES JACK NICHOLSON TO BE DANGEROUS IN THE DEPARTED
The Academy Award nominated director speaks of a love of Hong Kong cinema, and some of his Irish filmmaker heroes.  
Source: iF Magazine

It's a universally accepted belief that anything Martin Scorsese makes is worth watching, and his new film THE DEPARTED is no exception. THE DEPARTED is a remake of the Hong Kong thriller INFERNAL AFFAIRS. Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan have reset the locale to Boston. Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen), who runs a highly specialized and secretive undercover unit, plucks Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) from the State Police trainees and asks him to infiltrate the organization of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy's true identity is known only by Queenan and Queenan's second-in-command Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). What we know but they don't is that the informant is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a high-ranking officer who's on the task force to find the traitor. His actual boss, Costello, is pressuring Colin to find out if there's a cop planted in Costello's ranks, while Billy is trying to figure out who Costello's man is in the State Police. 

Scorese has always had a connection to the Irish population of the Eastern Seaboard, showcased first in GANGS OF NEW YORK, and now with THE DEPARTED.

"I think that I've always felt a close affinity with the Irish particularly coming out of the same area in New York," says the director. "Although, by the time the Italians had moved in, by the 1920's, early '30's most of the Irish had moved out of that neighborhood that I came from. That goes back to GANGS OF NEW YORK and stories about how the Irish helped create New York and America, the city itself, and don't forget that I do have a very strong love for Hollywood cinema and some of the greatest filmmakers to come out of Hollywood, the films I grew up on were by Irishmen – John Ford, Ralph Walsh and others."

Surprisingly enough Scorsese didn't see the original film INFERNAL AFFAIRS, that THE DEPARTED is based on, as a Hong Kong cinema flick. And, although he is fan of that genre of cinema, he would never have done his remake in the Hong Kong style.

"I didn't think of [INFERNAL AFFAIRS] as Hong Kong," Scorsese explains. "I just reacted to what Bill [Monahan] put together in the script really. I liked the idea. Hong Kong cinema – once I saw John Woo's THE KILLER, you can't go near that. You can't even begin to. I mean, as far as myself as a filmmaker, that's taken. Our film has taken their culture and mixed everything together, and that was in 1988, '87 or '88. I remember another Hong Kong film that I had in the '70's by King Hu called A TOUCH OF ZEN, pictures like that I saw that kind of thing. There is a whole other thing going on there."

For the director it was more about a culture and way of life that he wanted to put onto film, he says, "But really I was responding to the way Monahan put, I guess, a way of life, a way of thinking, an attitude, a cultural look at the world really, a very, very closed society – that's what I responded to, I think."

What does an Academy Award winning director like Scorsese look for in a project, other than interesting elements that will draw him and an audience into the story; it seems it's all about trust.

"Being totally, whether I like it or not, drawn to stories that have to do with trust and betrayal," he explains. "I found that I kept being drawn back to the script and to the project. So, as I say, it became something else."

Of course, bringing someone like Jack Nicholson into the project had to create some new evolution in the script and in the work that was being done with the film. Scorsese is a director who has no problem changing a film by working with the actors and finding their characters through different input in their performances.

"It [Nicholson's character] evolved and it evolved over a long process, a very long process," says Scorsese. "I mean, since I've been making films I've enjoyed talking about the process of how the pictures got to be the way that they are between the writers, myself and the actors, but I've found over the years is that it gets misunderstood maybe."

Scorsese concluded by stating just how much of a contribution Nicholson made to the picture with his character, and how much of special working relationship he has with the actor.

"Nicholson and I worked in a different way, but that again is something that is kind of a private situation," he explains. "One would have to be a part of that process. It's something that as we developed it as a character that was a little different from what Bill had originally put in there, but basically we because we had decided at a certain point that the danger, the power of this man and the appearance of his slowly coming apart with such power – he has such power and yet he's falling apart, he's losing his mind. So it was the danger of that."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on October 11, 2006, 10:34:57 PM
this was great.

let's talk about some SOUND man! fins is right-- everytime a cell phone rang i got chills. and i loved how songs would abruptly stop and start again.

and i agree w/ macman. walberg was the standout performance. him and baldwin had the funniest lines too.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on October 11, 2006, 10:38:54 PM
Quote from: Article on October 11, 2006, 04:13:59 PM
What does an Academy Award winning director like Scorsese
:?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: hedwig on October 11, 2006, 11:05:24 PM
Quote from: ©brad on October 11, 2006, 10:34:57 PM
and i loved how songs would abruptly stop and start again.
:?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Garam on October 12, 2006, 06:17:13 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love.

Um, Goodfellas? Raging Bull too, but not to the same extent.

I liked this, but the Irishisms seemed a little overdone. Dropkick murphys, James Joyce reference, Jack singing an Irish ditty. When Jack took his jacket off at the climax between him and Damon, revealing a t-shirt that had 'IRISH' blazened across it, I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing too loud.

Though I did laugh loud at the rat shot at the end. So did the rest of the people in the cinema.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on October 12, 2006, 07:39:29 AM
Quote from: Garam on October 12, 2006, 06:17:13 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love.

Um, Goodfellas? Raging Bull too, but not to the same extent.

also add casino and taxi driver to the asshole list. gangs of new york to some extent. in fact, scorsese makes a lot of asshole-friendly movies.  :shock:
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 12, 2006, 10:53:28 AM
Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 12, 2006, 10:00:07 AM
i rate that cocksucker.

note for everyone: the first half of that sentence is an australian expression. the second part is not.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on October 12, 2006, 01:14:01 PM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 12, 2006, 10:53:28 AM
Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 12, 2006, 10:00:07 AM
i rate that cocksucker.

note for everyone: the first half of that sentence is an australian expression.

Does it mean "raped"?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 12, 2006, 07:00:23 PM
Scorsese made a competent thriller with this, nothing more.

SPOILERS.....The film isn't very well written. At the beginning, the stories intersect at lightning quick pace. Murder and jokes go at insane speeds and convene only to confuse the character points. Damon hits on a girl, they go out and enjoy themselves. Then next scene of them together is that they already are developing problems and she doesn't know what to do? Then look at DiCaprio. His character turns proves himself to be a brutal mob runner and then the focus shifts entirely by focusing on his difficulty to cope? No scenes tie together these character changes. We just know DiCaprio had a "history" of changing identity before he went out on assignment. The film needed better focus and sharpness.

Then the film isn't very funny. Some scenes are funny, but most beat along to a track of just capturing obnoxiousness. The characters are all mainly belligerant. Boondock Saints showed you can base a film off the idea that it is funny. It isn't. There is no insight, no point to most of it. Nicholson holds up to his legacy of being able to meander with any speech in a scene. The one really funny scene was of the two guys standing outside the bar trying to identify potential cops. It was sharp, undercutting of their behavior and was for a point. Anyone who wants to watch a deft crime thriller with great writing only has to go back to see L.A. Confidential. Plus, the writing is full of cultural references that are only realistic in Hollywood affairs. Would a tough guy in Boston really reference Joyce just because he's Irish? Doubtful. The adaquate writing of Goodfellas and Casino didn't try to tie the characters to past Italian figures.

The ending is nothing important. It turns into a guessing game of who will survive and who won't. Its because there is little emotional history to any of the characters. They are acting on beefs and the turning point of the next plot twist only. Scorsese is said to be a master of handling violence. He is only an amateur. The last time he gave violence any meaning or poignancy was in The Last Temptation of Christ. Since then he's been doing his fill and has been labeled by Hollywood of being able to film violence well. Yes, he works with composition well when handling violence, but so did the likes of Sam Peckinpah. The difference is that Peckinpah fought for his films to transform the ease and cool of violence into meaning. Peckinpah only gave in with The Getaway. Scorsese has been nonexistent in challenging cool violent films for nearly the last 20 years.

The acting is non-existent. Nicholson plays Nicholson and just lets its fly. When he played the Joker, he was playing with an extreme, but he was trying to create a cultural monster who stood up as larger than life. The comparison is with Brad Pitt playing Achilles in Troy. No actor could have personified greatness in bodily physique like Pitt and no actor could have encompassed madness the way Nicholson was able to do with the Joker. In the Departed, there is no greater identity. Jack is just playing tough and enjoying himself. Then there are the others. Damon is still too plain face to be succeptible to any feeling of greater emotion. He looks serious and talks with conviction. There is just nothing distinguishable in anything he does. He always looks too good. The last film I forgot I was watching a Matt Damon starring performance is Good Will Hunting. Then there is DiCaprio. As much as he tries, he's not very good. When he tries to convey depression, he relies on physical gestures too much. Its just trying too hard. DiCaprio just did not have the pedigree to embody to a low life in Boston. Not only does he not look the part, but he has no clue how to inhabit the part. He actually should have tried to have gone further in recreating his look.

But, Scorsese directs with energy and its always fun. He has a dictionary of camera shots to use and he always knows how to use them. The criticism sometimes is that a director only has a style to rely on. Scorsese's good enough that its sometimes all he needs to be able to entertain the viewer. This is just another film though in the end.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: w/o horse on October 12, 2006, 07:29:15 PM
I agree with your destination The Gold Trumpet, because the film is little more than "When is everyone going to die" and the finesse of it all is great at distracting this point.

But man.  I read what you wrote, and I don't agree with how you got there at all.  It's like your narrow on in these obvious or ostensible faults and make them explode like I hear people talk about art films in a negligible way.  Like, "Man, I hated that movie, it was quiet."  You watched a mainstream Scorsese film and couldn't accept its most basic value.  That's all you needed to say.  You don't think you made stretches in everything you said?

QuoteThe characters are all mainly belligerant. Boondock Saints showed you can base a film off the idea that it is funny. It isn't.
It was sharp, undercutting of their behavior and was for a point. Anyone who wants to watch a deft crime thriller with great writing only has to go back to see L.A. Confidential. Plus, the writing is full of cultural references that are only realistic in Hollywood affairs.
The last time he gave violence any meaning or poignancy was in The Last Temptation of Christ. Since then he's been doing his fill and has been labeled by Hollywood of being able to film violence well.

When you take it to these drastic measures I think you're being sensational and don't know how to make your simple point.  You didn't like it because Scorsese didn't make an extra effort, I get it.  Picking it apart little by little, I don't see what that does.

That's me though, I don't know.  Like I said, I see where you're headed, but fuck, you make movies sound viciously boring.

QuoteScorsese's good enough that its sometimes all he needs to be able to entertain the viewer. This is just another film though in the end.

Films, those things.  I love them.

And I'll be goddamned if someone is going to say Goodfellas said less about violence because Christ didn't take Mexican mushrooms and watch a girl transform into a lizard.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 12, 2006, 08:09:45 PM
I thought the film was overrated, but man, gold trumpet went pretty far.  the analysis of leo gesturizing was wrong, amongst quite a few statements.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 12, 2006, 08:12:26 PM
Another, "wow, are you serious? Who are you?" Its just my opinion, nothing more. I do try to explain myself though.

As for Goodfellas, well made yes, but nothing quite special. It indicts the Mafia but no more than any other general mob movie does. The story and acting talent make it good entertainment.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 12, 2006, 08:24:33 PM
write just one review that does not cite 10 other non-related films/directors.  thank you.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 12, 2006, 10:25:46 PM
Quote from: modage on October 12, 2006, 08:24:33 PM
write just one review that does not cite 10 other non-related films/directors.  thank you.

Haha, try to lessen the frequency of your posts and actually say something. Your race to have the most posts is making you dull.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 12, 2006, 10:43:49 PM
if you slid in a positive review for something every couple months, it might make it less dull to read through all your negative ones.  thanks!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 12, 2006, 11:07:29 PM
I try to, but I can't help the fact most movies suck. I actually was optimistic about The Departed.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 12, 2006, 11:55:58 PM
then as a fun exercise, write a positive review of a film that someone else also likes, from whatever year -- just a review a great film that someone else thinks is great and that you agree with. a classic or whatever. and write a really good positive review. i just don't know if you're capable of that anymore. i'd like to see what you sound like when you love a movie.

so just pick a movie you love, maybe one that hasn't been spoken about in a while, and tell us why it's so great.. in the actual thread of course.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 13, 2006, 11:34:07 AM
gt is that guy who sends his steak back three times.  the first time because it's too rare, the second time because it's over cooked,  and the third time - because by that time - he's completely lost his taste.  the food is fine, gt.  it's all in your head. 

this is why you get spit in your movies.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on October 13, 2006, 11:08:16 PM
first movie i've enjoyed in a while.

didn't have the usual camera moves i expect from MS.

what is the Third Man nod you're referring to?

(i actually watched that on TCM the other day)

sounded like a lot of Stones or Jagger cuts.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cine on October 13, 2006, 11:20:23 PM
Quote from: bigideas on October 13, 2006, 11:08:16 PMwhat is the Third Man nod you're referring to?

the last shot at the funeral where farmiga walks passed damon and ignores him.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Chest Rockwell on October 14, 2006, 07:24:29 PM
admin edit: SPOILER ALERT

I caught that when I saw it today. Good stuff, I like when I notice allusions.

Anyway, this movie was very engaging; I had sweaty palms the entire two-and-a-half hours. Everything seemed to be at the top of their game: the writing, the photography, the performances, the editing, the sound/music. A nearly perfect stylish thriller. Moreover I found some interesting ideas to be had in it that I'm thinking about: communication without seeing or even hearing (cell phones/texting), especially that moment when Sullivan calls Costigan's phone and neither speaks but so much is still conveyed; the concept of "family," whereas both protagonists had none but found it in Costello in two very different ways (of course, Costigan's relationship with Costello is probably not meant to evoke the same feeling), and in Madolyn, and Costigan in Queenan; the sheer proclivity of headshots and bloodspatters; the idea of what a rat is...etc. Very good, in my opinion; will no doubt make it to my end of the year list.

Another question about the end: were those french bagels (croissants?) that fell out of Sullivan's bag after Dignum shot him?

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 11:52:51 AM
Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 15, 2006, 07:44:53 AM
the cops laugh too much at baldwins jokes 'i'm telling you, it sounds fake'. :yabbse-wink:

It should sound fake; they're kissing ass.



GT, your posts are confusing and depressing. If you don't have anything nice to say.....
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 02:11:41 PM
Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 15, 2006, 07:44:53 AM
if you actually watch the movie there's plenty of stuff that leads to costigans break-down under the bridge. when he's in madolyns office the scene flashes between scenes of him sitting in his dead mothers house trying to deal with all the shit he's going through. the whole scene with madolyn (in her office) is about him losing his shit. do you need a blow by blow report on his downward spiral? one thing i've learnt from being a fan of malick is that sometimes (not always true for mtv type movies) a single cut can mean more than 5 min's of exposition, malick taught me to pay attention to cuts and what they mean. so if you watch that scene in madolyns office the cuts with give you all the exposition you want, it's all there.

The scene in Madolyn's office shouldn't be the scene to introduce his problems. His story was already ongoing for long enough. The film had already identified a tone to his character. The film then changed the tone of his character completely (beginning with that scene). It should have invested more into DiCaprio's emotional history before that scene. It wouldn't have changed the film much either, just had a better base in which to tell his story. Structurally, as reflective to its genre, it would have been better crafted.

Mallick is the wrong guy to introduce into this argument. That argument can make some sense for his movies, but not this one. His films are very loose fitting and align themselves to no genre. The Departed, by everyone's admission, is a genre work. The structural problems become key because the film has to move with a tone and momentum that can get the most out of the story. When a filmmaker does use loose handling to genre works some people can rationalize they are experimenting but usually they are just not doing a very good job at all. The very best genre films in the last 30 years, from Chinatown and LA Confidential, find ways modernize their story but are still deftly handled in good structured storytelling.


Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 15, 2006, 07:44:53 AM
another thing i disagree with GT on is the two guys outside the bar trying to identify potential cops. it isn't sharp and doesn't serve a decent point. the entire purpose of that scene is for the one line they speak as costigan walks out of the bar, they say 'you're a cop'. its meant to scare the audience cos everyone knows costello is looking for the rat and the audience doesn't want costellos crew to figure that out. it's a stupid device (if i remember correctly, taken from the original) that should have been left out.

It doesn't scare the audience. The audience already knows they are joking. The question is how serious DiCaprio takes them (he only does for a second anyways - but that was expected). The point the scene does serve is it adaquately mocks them and their insecurities. Gangsters suspicious of everyone being cops is already an established fact so the scene is actually funny because it undercuts a truth. All the other scenes that do try to be funny have no resemblance to undercutting anything. They usually are just flagrant. 

Quote from: flagpolespecial on October 15, 2006, 07:44:53 AM
GT on scorseses violence. i'll admit some of the violence in this picture isn't as good as some of the stuff in martys other movies (think of the hammer to the hand in casino) the shoe on costigans broken arm is unconvincing. the scene where costigan grabs the hat rack and starts jabbing the guy in the face is missing something. but besides those instances, the violence in the departed was fine. and in no way could be called amatuerish, especially considering how important box office is on this picture (i assume certain things had to be toned down to get and MA15+ rating (R in america??)) i thought things like mr frenchs death were actually pretty enjoyable. (maybe we'll see an under-rated cut on dvd)

You misread me. You're looking for cool and graphic to your violence and I'm looking for realistic and meaningful. When Sam Peckinpah wrote violent characters, he wrote them by describing their insecurities and problems first. So when they were violent it was because of their problems. It made the violence meaningful. Scorsese has rarely done this type of storytelling. His best example is Raging Bull. LaMotta's insecurities drive him. I wouldn't consider any of Scorsese's films in the 90s as adherring to this philosophy either.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 03:50:53 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 02:11:41 PM
The scene in Madolyn's office shouldn't be the scene to introduce his problems.

It was a necessary scene. All we knew before that is that he was a pissed off individual from a messed up family. He recognizes she's messed too and can make a connection. She is the only person who he lets inside, which informs his character from that point on.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 03:55:29 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 02:11:41 PM
You misread me. You're looking for cool and graphic to your violence and I'm looking for realistic and meaningful. When Sam Peckinpah wrote violent characters, he wrote them by describing their insecurities and problems first. So when they were violent it was because of their problems. It made the violence meaningful. Scorsese has rarely done this type of storytelling. His best example is Raging Bull. LaMotta's insecurities drive him. I wouldn't consider any of Scorsese's films in the 90s as adherring to this philosophy either.

Violence is violence. Doesn't have to be MEANINGFUL. That violence doesn't make sense is often more powerful than some carefully contrived motivation behind it.

Get a new playbook.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 04:18:17 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 03:55:29 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 02:11:41 PM 
You misread me. You're looking for cool and graphic to your violence and I'm looking for realistic and meaningful. When Sam Peckinpah wrote violent characters, he wrote them by describing their insecurities and problems first. So when they were violent it was because of their problems. It made the violence meaningful. Scorsese has rarely done this type of storytelling. His best example is Raging Bull. LaMotta's insecurities drive him. I wouldn't consider any of Scorsese's films in the 90s as adherring to this philosophy either.

Violence is violence. Doesn't have to be MEANINGFUL. That violence doesn't make sense is often more powerful than some carefully contrived motivation behind it.

In the application of The Departed, you're mostly right. My original comment was about Martin Scorsese in general and his lack of ambition to take on serious violent films. The Departed and Casino don't give weight to the idea he is a master of violence. They are just entertainment and retain little identity of what he accomplished in Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ. Even Taxi Driver follows in the vein of those two films. His career from 1990 on has seen him accept a standard Hollywood identity only.

You're first comment is just off. It has nothing to do with what I said.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 04:36:02 PM
My first comment wasn't off. You contradicted yourself within two sentences. In one, you say DiCapro's story has gone on long enough and then you come back with the statement there hasn't be enough time with him to invest emotionally until that point.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 04:50:25 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 04:36:02 PM
My first comment wasn't off. You contradicted yourself within two sentences. In one, you say DiCapro's story has gone on long enough and then you come back with the statement there hasn't be enough time with him to invest emotionally until that point.

Haha, I guess you didn't.

OK, spending time with a character does not gurantee emotional attachment. Giving the character an emotional base does. Did the scene with the pyschriatrist introduce his emotional trauma? Yes. Was it too late in his story? Yes. I know those two answers conflict, but c'mon, its not hard.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: A Matter Of Chance on October 15, 2006, 05:26:12 PM
*ADMIN EDIT FOR SPOILERS*


I've been wading through this thread, and I just want to point out something that's been overlooked. The degree of involvement we have with either of the two main 'rats' is totally debatable - but it's also completely eclipsed by the empathy we have for Captain Queenan when he dies. I, personally, think that's what holds the film together. The 'where's the rat?' routine can only last for so long, and once Queenan falls off that building, the audience's desire for revenge should drive the film to a close. I don't know about you guys, but I've seen this twice, and both times when Scorsese cuts to Martin Sheen falling off the building, everybody gasped and I heard 'oh my gods' all around.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 05:45:14 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 04:50:25 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 04:36:02 PM
My first comment wasn't off. You contradicted yourself within two sentences. In one, you say DiCapro's story has gone on long enough and then you come back with the statement there hasn't be enough time with him to invest emotionally until that point.

Haha, I guess you didn't.

OK, spending time with a character does not gurantee emotional attachment. Giving the character an emotional base does. Did the scene with the pyschriatrist introduce his emotional trauma? Yes. Was it too late in his story? Yes. I know those two answers conflict, but c'mon, its not hard.


Not to beat a dead horse, but I'd disagree. It showed his trauma after he'd been a mole for a while and started to crack. You need time for that to happen.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 05:52:52 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 05:45:14 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 04:50:25 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 04:36:02 PM
My first comment wasn't off. You contradicted yourself within two sentences. In one, you say DiCapro's story has gone on long enough and then you come back with the statement there hasn't be enough time with him to invest emotionally until that point.

Haha, I guess you didn't.

OK, spending time with a character does not gurantee emotional attachment. Giving the character an emotional base does. Did the scene with the pyschriatrist introduce his emotional trauma? Yes. Was it too late in his story? Yes. I know those two answers conflict, but c'mon, its not hard.


Not to beat a dead horse, but I'd disagree. It showed his trauma after he'd been a mole for a while and started to crack. You need time for that to happen.

There should have been development instead of just a revelation.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on October 15, 2006, 06:19:44 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 05:52:52 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 05:45:14 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 15, 2006, 04:50:25 PM
Quote from: Derek on October 15, 2006, 04:36:02 PM
My first comment wasn't off. You contradicted yourself within two sentences. In one, you say DiCapro's story has gone on long enough and then you come back with the statement there hasn't be enough time with him to invest emotionally until that point.

Haha, I guess you didn't.

OK, spending time with a character does not gurantee emotional attachment. Giving the character an emotional base does. Did the scene with the pyschriatrist introduce his emotional trauma? Yes. Was it too late in his story? Yes. I know those two answers conflict, but c'mon, its not hard.


Not to beat a dead horse, but I'd disagree. It showed his trauma after he'd been a mole for a while and started to crack. You need time for that to happen.

There should have been development instead of just a revelation.


F*** that, good movie!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 16, 2006, 06:48:45 PM
I was just looking up some songs from the movie and downloading... if anybody gives a shit, the song at the beginning is by Dropkick Murphys - I'm shipping up to Boston. Great song!

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on October 16, 2006, 11:11:47 PM
Yeah I DL'd it too. I don't see why they haven't released a soundtrack album. There's some good tracks to be found. Splice it up with some of the film's dialogue and you got a hit. If Capote can release a CD Soundtrack, so can The Departed.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: hedwig on October 16, 2006, 11:17:06 PM
Quote from: Derek237 on October 16, 2006, 11:11:47 PM
Yeah I DL'd it too. I don't see why they haven't released a soundtrack album. There's some good tracks to be found. Splice it up with some of the film's dialogue and you got a hit. If Capote can release a CD Soundtrack, so can The Departed.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec1.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB000J3FBVG.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V39258851_.jpg&hash=59bde5744d574cba19c620d92beaa62c9c4427a9)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on October 18, 2006, 09:40:08 PM
Must've sprung up over night.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: soixante on October 19, 2006, 01:39:52 PM
My initial reaction after one viewing -- somewhat disappointed.  The scenes with the female therapist were boring, and seemingly endless.  I don't buy Di Caprio as a hard-ass (the scene in which he beats up two guys in a corner store was laughable).  High-concept thrillers just aren't Scorsese's forte -- as Cape Fear demonstrated.  When you strip this film of its stylistic flourishes, it reminded me of a late 80's Touchstone high concept action film.

On the other hand, Damon did a good job of playing a cipher.  The opening ten minutes were great, showing Damon making his way up and through the ranks of the police.  I enjoyed Nicholson's over the top showboating.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 19, 2006, 03:27:18 PM
Quote from: Hedwig on October 16, 2006, 11:17:06 PM
Quote from: Derek237 on October 16, 2006, 11:11:47 PM
Yeah I DL'd it too. I don't see why they haven't released a soundtrack album. There's some good tracks to be found. Splice it up with some of the film's dialogue and you got a hit. If Capote can release a CD Soundtrack, so can The Departed.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fec1.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB000J3FBVG.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V39258851_.jpg&hash=59bde5744d574cba19c620d92beaa62c9c4427a9)

Release date: November 7, 2006

Track Listing
1. Let It Loose - The Rolling Stones 
2. Comfortably Numb - Rogers Waters feat. Van Morrison & The Band 
3. Sail On, Sailor - The Beach Boys 
4. Sweet Dreams - Roy Buchanan 
5. One Way Out - The Allman Brothers Band 
6. Baby Blue - Badfinger 
7. I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys 
8. Nobody But Me - The Human Beinz 
9. Tweedle Dee - LaVern Baker 
10. Sweet Dreams (Of You) - Patsy Cline 
11. The Departed Tango - Howard Shore Featuring Marc Ribot (dobro) and 
12. Beacon Hill - Howard Shore Performed by Sharon Isbin
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: ©brad on October 19, 2006, 04:02:00 PM
sweet!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on October 19, 2006, 05:31:29 PM
I could have sworn that I heard Mick Jagger more than once.

Too, I was under the impression that the Stones didn't allow people to include their songs on soundtracks since the great RS songs in Wes Anderson films are never included.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on October 19, 2006, 05:42:48 PM
Quote from: bigideas on October 19, 2006, 05:31:29 PM
I could have sworn that I heard Mick Jagger more than once.

Too, I was under the impression that the Stones didn't allow people to include their songs on soundtracks since the great RS songs in Wes Anderson films are never included.

I'm guessing "Gimme Shelter" was too pricey to go on the cd.  Too bad.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on October 19, 2006, 05:59:42 PM
Quote from: polkablues on October 19, 2006, 05:42:48 PM
Quote from: bigideas on October 19, 2006, 05:31:29 PM
I could have sworn that I heard Mick Jagger more than once.

Too, I was under the impression that the Stones didn't allow people to include their songs on soundtracks since the great RS songs in Wes Anderson films are never included.

I'm guessing "Gimme Shelter" was too pricey to go on the cd.  Too bad.

It doesn't make sense to me. A song like "I Am Waiting" wasn't a single or anything, yet it wasn't included on the Rushmore soundtrack. It actually benefited the Stones by me because I started buying the albums with the songs on them.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on October 20, 2006, 01:39:39 AM
Quote from: bigideas on October 19, 2006, 05:59:42 PM
It doesn't make sense to me.

Quote from: bigideas on October 19, 2006, 05:59:42 PMIt actually benefited the Stones by me because I started buying the albums with the songs on them.





ps. the whole movie was my favourite part
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on October 20, 2006, 08:13:26 AM
i think you can include the stones on your sntks,  its probably just expensive as shit.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 20, 2006, 12:41:12 PM
Quote from: modage on October 20, 2006, 08:13:26 AM
i think you can include the stones on your sntks,  its probably just expensive as shit.

No, it's that they are extremely protective of their material and very rarely lease them out. I think the whole Verve lawsuit had to do with it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on October 20, 2006, 01:30:42 PM
Also, it's a little pointless to put a song like Gimme Shelter on a soundtrack.  Everyone's heard that song and probably has like four or five copies of it from different sources so soundtracks often limit themselves to shit that not everyone will already own.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 20, 2006, 02:13:44 PM
touché
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 21, 2006, 02:02:20 PM
OH I SEE SO THE ROLLING STONES AREN'T AFTER THE CASH!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on October 21, 2006, 10:17:36 PM
Quote from: RegularKarate on October 20, 2006, 01:30:42 PM
Also, it's a little pointless to put a song like Gimme Shelter on a soundtrack.  Everyone's heard that song and probably has like four or five copies of it from different sources so soundtracks often limit themselves to shit that not everyone will already own.

I feel all songs featured in a film should be included on the soundtrack.
It's not absurd to think that one of the millions of people who watched this film heard that song for the first time and enjoyed it.

If I ever do get the chance to make films that will be part of the music negotiations - if they're not allowed on the soundtrack then there are millions of other songs to choose from.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 21, 2006, 11:41:26 PM
Soundtrack sales are not such a big business... in some cases they become a hit, like it happened with Garden State for example... but usually they dont make much money. The licensing for using a song during a movie or a trailer and having it on the soundtrack is also completely different. Maybe in some cases its worth it for them to feature a song during the film but the Label does not authorize that song to be sold. It's a different department, different everything... so as absurd as it may seem one thing usually has nothing to do with the other.

Also in some cases the Label and the Studio are owned by different companies and we are talking about a MAJOR Label and a MAJOR artist and a MAJOR Studio. I think that may be the case here, as the movie is owned by Warner Bros. and the soundtrack release by Warner Music, and the rights for all the music for the Rolling Stones is owned by EMI. Its understandable that EMI has a number of selected songs in the archive that they dont license for sale, many of them probably by the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

And there can be another million reasons...  :)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: pete on October 21, 2006, 11:58:21 PM
yeah my buddies didn't make much from the little miss sunshine soundtrack at all, and they did almost all of it!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: RegularKarate on October 22, 2006, 01:43:35 AM
Quote from: bigideas on October 21, 2006, 10:17:36 PM
I feel all songs featured in a film should be included on the soundtrack.

If I ever do get the chance to make films that will be part of the music negotiations - if they're not allowed on the soundtrack then there are millions of other songs to choose from.

Those are ridiculous expectations... name a film that doesn't have an overpriced, over-hyped double disc soundtrack that has every last song on the soundtrack.

Quote from: bigideas on October 21, 2006, 10:17:36 PMIt's not absurd to think that one of the millions of people who watched this film heard that song for the first time and enjoyed it.

But it IS absurd to put that song on it just for that one person, sacrificing another song that the majority of America probably HASN'T heard.

Quote from: pete on October 21, 2006, 11:58:21 PM
yeah my buddies didn't make much from the little miss sunshine soundtrack at all, and they did almost all of it!

whoah, Pete, are you friends wiith DeVotchKa?!
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pas on October 22, 2006, 11:21:19 AM
I thought it wasn't bad but quite long. I have seen few worst casting in my life. Jack Nicholson as Jack Nicholson is getting old. Matt Damon and Leo DiCaprio are not manly enough to play this.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 22, 2006, 11:45:56 AM
i can't bring myself to review this properly cos i havn't read the whole thread. only enough to know pete's right about this being overrated. so i'll give a quick summary..

worked
establishing the basic premise and trying to make leo/damon multi-dimentional characters

failed
as a scorsese film, this is about as scorsese as my balzac. and let me tell you, my balzac is no scorsese.
the love story / the psychiatrist chick <--- WORTHLESS
anything beyond the basic premise, ok so you can't trust ppl, criminals and cops are the same, so what?
the violence, am i supposed to care? i stopped being impressed by that when i demoted Clork

winner
whalberg, i guess. even though his character made no more sense than any other.

this was a competent cop drama, nothing more. i don't need it to be Casino but it wasn't even Cape Fear, at least that had some brazen style to speak of. the final shot here was laughable and only confirmed that this said absolutely nothing at all. there were nice parts, but why the hell would i need to see this again? if scorsese doesn't want his movies to be watched more than once, he should change his name.

bringing out the dead - good, underrated
gangs of new york - mediocre, rated fine
the aviator - great, underrated
the departed - mediocre, overrated

i only placed Silence in my top ten of the decade (so far) cos he seems to have been thinking about it for more than a month. so with any luck he'll end up making something we're sposed to think about for more than an hour.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 25, 2006, 01:23:14 AM
Back on the Mean Streets
See how Nicholson and DiCaprio, ''Gimme Shelter,'' and Hong Kong movies factored into ''The Departed,'' Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated return to gritty gangster tales by Chris Nashawaty

After big-canvas forays into the troubled mind of Howard Hughes and the ethnic clashes of 19th-century New York, Martin Scorsese's latest film, The Departed, is a visit back to the dark margins of contemporary gangsters, violence, and betrayal. Except this time around, he has a new partner in crime — Jack Nicholson. Combined, the two men have made more than 80 films, and have earned 19 Oscar nominations. And yet, as strange as it seems, they've never worked together. In their new cat-and-mouse thriller, Nicholson plays a sadistic Boston Irish Mob boss, with Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio as a pair of rookie cops whose loyalties aren't what they seem, and relative newcomer Vera Farmiga as the woman caught between them. In other words, The Departed is signature Scorsese — a return to, and a riff on, the films that built his legend. We sat down with the 63-year-old director to talk about Nicholson, superhero movies, the Rolling Stones, and why even he has a hard time getting movies made these days.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why has it taken so long for you and Jack Nicholson to work together?
MARTIN SCORSESE: I know, 40 years! I first met Jack when I was shooting The Last Waltz, and he came on the set. I remember him complimenting me on Taxi Driver: ''You guys really took it to the limit on that.'' I'd meet him now and then in Europe and Hollywood, but we never actually sat down and looked each other in the eye and said let's work together.

Didn't he initially turn you down for The Departed?
Yes, but Jack works a certain way. Even when he was declining the role, he was talking about certain things he would do with the character. You have to decipher him. So we decided to jack up his character and then he said, ''Okay, I'm interested.'' His character is a man with power who has all the drugs in the world, all the money in the world, all the women in the world, he can do anything, mutilate people. He's like God. And he's still not fulfilled.

Did he add dialogue of his own?
Yes, so did Matt. But that's what I've always done. There's a big scene at the beginning of Mean Streets with Keitel and De Niro in the back room of the bar. De Niro makes up this whole speech — it's really a bravura performance — and it's all improvised. That scene made the picture. Taxi Driver was a very tight script and one scene was improvised: De Niro in the mirror.

The opening of this film is very GoodFellas — Nicholson's sinister voice-over and the Rolling Stones' ''Gimme Shelter.'' Right away, you know you're in Martyland...
That's the way the script was written by William Monahan. The narration at the opening by Jack, it takes us right into it. I thought, Yeah, I've kind of done it before, but the interesting thing here is the voice-over doesn't come back after the beginning. It puts you into the world and it leaves you there.

What about ''Gimme Shelter''? You've used it before in GoodFellas and Casino. What is it with you and that song?
I guess I'm repeating myself. [Laughs] The riff at the beginning of ''Gimme Shelter'' is dangerous. You know something's going to happen. Also, there is no shelter in this film. Nobody has shelter. When I was thinking of the music for this film, I was sitting in a traffic jam on 57th Street. And I saw a beat-up car with a guy behind the wheel with long hair screaming along to ''Gimme Shelter,'' slamming his fists on the steering wheel, and I went, ''That's it!''

You've made three films in a row with Leo. Is he your new De Niro?
Bob and I are the same age. We had the same points of reference. We're from the same worlds. That's something that I can never really share with Leo. But there's something in Leo — I can direct him in a way that he accepts. We agree on a lot of things. His sensitivity is so strong. Matt and Leo didn't know which character they wanted to play in this film. But I knew. Matt has this cocky attitude, a bravado. And Leo, his face is a battlefield of moral conflicts. The pain that comes across through his eyes...he's like Montgomery Clift or Paul Newman.

You've directed 10 actresses to Oscar nominations, but most people still think of you as a man's director...
A lot of the films I make deal with worlds that are male dominated. But that doesn't mean that the women's roles aren't important — Cathy Moriarty in Raging Bull, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in The Color of Money, Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Cate Blanchett in The Aviator. I've tried to create female characters in that world as layered and complex as possible. For this film, I saw Vera Farmiga in a film called Down to the Bone, and she was fearless and interesting and intelligent.

Was there any resistance from the studio because she wasn't a big name?
Well, I pointed out to them that they had a lot of big names in the film already. [Laughs]

This is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Are you a big follower of Asian cinema?
I saw a movie in the mid-'70s from Hong Kong called A Touch of Zen, directed by King Hu. That was a whole new genre and style. Then as the years went on I heard about John Woo and saw The Killer. And when I saw that, I thought I might as well pack it up! Don't even think of making an action film after that!

Is it hard for you to get films made in Hollywood?
Very hard. The question is how close to a personal film can I make in the Hollywood system today — and this is as close as I can get. I don't know if there's room for me and the kind of picture I'd like to make anymore. I may have to do them independently because I like to take risks, and how can you do that when a picture costs $200 million? There's a lot of money involved and you have a responsibility to the studio.

Do you think you'd ever be interested in making a superhero movie or a franchise movie?
[Kind of winces] I don't know. I don't know how to do it. I don't know what they would be hiring me for.

What are you doing next?
I've got a project based on a book by a great Japanese author named Endo called Silence. It takes place in 17th-century Japan and it's about Jesuit missionaries and what they go through. It's about faith. I'm hoping we can find a way to shoot it inexpensively, but not too quickly. I like a lot of days to shoot.

Eighteen years ago, your film The Last Temptation of Christ was boycotted by Christian groups. Could you relate to Mel Gibson and the Passion of the Christ controversy?
Well, I think he generated controversy and criticism for just the opposite reasons I did. I think a lot of people who went to see his film are not people who would be interested in seeing mine. In a way his film is like medieval fresco painting that goes through the Passion of Jesus, and going to the film becomes almost part of a religious act. Like walking the stations of the cross. Whereas, in Last Temptation, we were trying to open up discussion about faith and about Jesus and the concept of who's considered good and bad. Is Judas the worst one or the best one? We're not saying that's the gospel, all we were saying was let's talk about it.

When Peter O'Toole received an honorary Oscar in 2003, he said at the time that he'd still like to win one competitively. How do you feel about being nominated for Best Director five times and never winning?
I think too much has been written about it. It's a matter of timing, and a lot of the pictures I've made are nasty and tough. It's natural that some people would react against that. There have been a lot of people who received Oscars when their other films were better and the Academy was catching up. But that's something I have no control over. The important thing for me was getting pictures like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull made. To be honest, I've gotten away with a lot within the Hollywood system.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 25, 2006, 02:05:35 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 25, 2006, 01:23:14 AM
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in The Color of Money,
whatever that means.

Quote from: MacGuffin on October 25, 2006, 01:23:14 AM
What are you doing next?
I've got a project based on a book by a great Japanese author named Endo called Silence. It takes place in 17th-century Japan and it's about Jesuit missionaries and what they go through. It's about faith. I'm hoping we can find a way to shoot it inexpensively, but not too quickly. I like a lot of days to shoot.

yes, please, take your time and forget about the money. his focus on a new approach to his next film is an unspoken acknowledgement that he wants to rediscover himself. i'll accept the departed as a necessary money-making mediocrity if it has put his mind and pocket at ease long enough to make something meaningful again. not that he was struggling to begin with, but the departed wasn't a personal film, and that's what he is clearly yearning to make next.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Myxo on October 29, 2006, 07:24:10 AM
I just got back from seeing this and..

Quote from: Pubrick on October 22, 2006, 11:45:56 AMthe love story / the psychiatrist chick <--- WORTHLESS

..yeah, what the hell? I really don't understand the purpose of her character in this film. At no point does she move the plot forward (ok, maybe the tape playback) as a device. Her relationship with Damon and the whole psycho-babble, impotency, "I'm pregnant" crap seemed pretty trivial as part of this script. If Scorsese is gonna include a love story as a subplot for his villain, at least do it right. Connect a few more dots for us. See: Amy Brenneman in Heat.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on October 29, 2006, 01:56:02 PM
i have read that that part was a combination of 3 different women in the original, but i have not seen it to eleborate.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Weak2ndAct on October 29, 2006, 01:59:12 PM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love. this generation's Scarface the new Boondock Saints
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pozer on October 29, 2006, 02:57:07 PM
stop it
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 29, 2006, 04:34:20 PM
Quote from: bigideas on October 29, 2006, 01:56:02 PM
i have read that that part was a combination of 3 different women in the original, but i have not seen it to eleborate.

2 different women. the bad guys girlfriend and the good guys shrink.

but the original is a trilogy and the ending is different. SPOILERS... the bad guys girlfriend, who was totally clueless and unaware of the 'mole' finds out about it with the tape and confronts him. there is also a scene in the original at the beginning where the good guy and the bad guy are together and they talk without knowing who they are that also leads to that scene when she finds out.   then, only the good guy dies and the other one doesnt (in the original), so the only person at the end who knows who the good guy was is the shrink. so it makes sense for her to be there at the sequel, whic is infernal affiairs 3 (inf. affairs 2 is prequel).

but its true in this one the girl almost made no sense...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on October 29, 2006, 04:51:12 PM
Yeah but come on, she had a nice ass.  The movie benefitted from that.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on October 29, 2006, 06:06:45 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 29, 2006, 04:51:12 PM
Yeah but come on, she had a nice ass.  The movie benefitted from that.

Exactly. It was necessary also because of that. Nicoholson, Di Caprio, Damon, Whalberg, Sheen... and only one girl and not even a big actress... it had to be done somehow.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on October 29, 2006, 06:56:57 PM
yeah, she had a (PACINO IN HEAT FACE) greeeat ass!!! and she was pretty good too, her scenes were fine, i fell inlove with her, at least...

the film was a tight, superb piece of work...it's so fucking good, and it's amazing how every actor shines (which is something that also happened in the aviator). di caprio is the standout for me.

and i loved the way cell phones were intgrated into the story.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on October 29, 2006, 09:24:46 PM
Quote from: Myxo on October 29, 2006, 07:24:10 AMI really don't understand the purpose of her character in this film.

It was all for the benefit of seeing that awesome, delicious-looking cake.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on October 29, 2006, 09:26:22 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 29, 2006, 09:24:46 PM
Quote from: Myxo on October 29, 2006, 07:24:10 AMI really don't understand the purpose of her character in this film.

It was all for the benefit of seeing that awesome, delicious-looking cake.

By cake, of course, you mean ass.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on October 29, 2006, 09:34:23 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 29, 2006, 04:51:12 PM
Yeah but come on, she had a nice ass.  The movie benefitted from that.
hardly. when you hav such high calibre of male "hotness" on the same movie, her looks were pedestrian at best and her performance was completely dull. she's a nobody on and off the screen.

Quote from: Alexandro on October 29, 2006, 06:56:57 PM
and i loved the way cell phones were intgrated into the story.
haha come on now we're really clutching at straws if that's something to find exceptional.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on October 30, 2006, 12:28:39 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 29, 2006, 09:34:23 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 29, 2006, 04:51:12 PM
Yeah but come on, she had a nice ass.  The movie benefitted from that.
hardly. when you hav such high calibre of male "hotness" on the same movie, her looks were pedestrian at best and her performance was completely dull. she's a nobody on and off the screen.
Fine, then when you get your inevitable erection during the movie, then she's there so that you can convince yourself that it's because of the female.

But anyway, I wasn't talking about her looks in comparison to the men's.  I was talking about her ass.  (You can watch Running Scared for a clearer example of what I'm talking about)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: I Love a Magician on October 30, 2006, 01:00:19 AM
her ass looks good pantless but in pants it appears flat and all to uninviting
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: grand theft sparrow on October 30, 2006, 08:36:43 AM
Quote from: Weak2ndAct on October 29, 2006, 01:59:12 PM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 10, 2006, 11:23:00 PM
Quote from: JG on October 10, 2006, 05:56:23 PM
but facebook accounts, myspace accounts, all have been altered to include "The Departed" under favorite movies.
finally, scorsese made a movie assholes love. this generation's Scarface the new Boondock Saints
Alright, you just took it too far.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gamblour. on October 31, 2006, 11:41:09 AM
Yeah, her acting is pretty decent.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on November 01, 2006, 04:45:57 AM
Quote from: Pubrick on October 29, 2006, 09:34:23 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on October 29, 2006, 04:51:12 PM
Yeah but come on, she had a nice ass.  The movie benefitted from that.
hardly. when you hav such high calibre of male "hotness" on the same movie, her looks were pedestrian at best and her performance was completely dull. she's a nobody on and off the screen.

Quote from: Alexandro on October 29, 2006, 06:56:57 PM
and i loved the way cell phones were intgrated into the story.
haha come on now we're really clutching at straws if that's something to find exceptional.
"well, pardon me all over the place" -- cape fear

and both her ass and her acting were above decent.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: SoNowThen on November 18, 2006, 01:09:59 AM
Being a pretty big (documented) Marty fan... I thought my comments might be worthwhile here. Haven't read any responses to this, except those directly above my own post. So I'll get this out of the way first: if the discussion is on the women who played the shrink, she was quite attractive and delivered a very good performance.

Anyway, it's too bad Scorsese had to make this movie. It has nothing to it, really. There is no point, aside from some moments of slightly exhilerating camera/sound/editing explosions, ever watching this again. Forget saying the chick's looks were pedestrian... this MOVIE was pedestrian. Now I'm not saying it was crap -- far from it. Just, as far as flashy Hollywood movies with cool actors and gunfights go, why do we need more of them, and why do we need one of the world's greatest living directors wasting his time making them? I guess it comes down, like so much else, to cash. I thought most of the performances were interesting, and so at least Marty toppled the extreme HACKness of this screenwriter's shit-hack disease and allowed for some really nice acting to be had... really, I was worried beforehand that the too-coolness of the cast was gonna fuck it up, but that wasn't the case at all. Fine, fine, everybody's fine... but that just isn't good enough. I expect more out of MS. Not more from this film, I think he did pretty much all he could with the set-up... just why why why why why why why why do this movie in the first place?

I'm gonna go cry myself to sleep now...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on November 18, 2006, 02:24:23 AM
that's pretty much what i said.

the chick personified the film. attractive if you really have nothing else to look at, but not even worth remembering her name.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on December 19, 2006, 07:33:44 PM
Title: The Departed
Released: 13th February 2007
SRP: $28.98 & $34.99

Further Details:
Warner Home Video has announced The Departed which stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. The Martin Scorsese directed film will be available to own in single ($28.98) and double-disc ($34.99) editions from the 13th February. Each will include a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, and English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. The only extra on the single-disc will be the theatrical trailer. The two-disc special edition will include that, along with nine additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese, a Story of the Boston Mob featurette, and a Creating Criminal Cultures featurette.

GIANT FUCKING FACE ARTWORK & OTHERWISE HERE: http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-departed.html

Film Geeks,
We hate you! 

Sincerely,
WB


ok, this is what i'm talking about.  2 discs where the only extras are deleted scenes, two featurettes and a trailer?  they couldnt have just had one version and thrown that all on 1 disc?  those scenes had better be like an hour of film.  no commentary, no documentary and it will probably never cost less than $20. you wont be able to get it from a video store or something cause they'll only have the 1 disc version, when best buy has big sales on buy 2 get 1 free stuff it will incl. the 1 disc version. uugh, Warner Bros i'm going to kick you in the balls.  thanks! 
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on December 20, 2006, 03:21:29 AM
the special edition cover makes no sense.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Fernando on December 20, 2006, 09:00:45 AM
Quote from: modage on December 19, 2006, 07:33:44 PM
GIANT FUCKING FACE ARTWORK & OTHERWISE HERE: http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-departed.html

Quote from: polkablues on August 05, 2006, 10:01:31 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi35.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fd179%2Fpolkablues%2Fthedeparted_l200608041643.jpg&hash=3488181d06f59a283abc911ea42efef3facad9e1)

Quote from: modage on August 05, 2006, 10:11:12 PM
i'm sure the non-teaser poster will look more similar to that, and if the dvd doesnt look EXACTLY like that it'll be a miracle.

Haha, I love that in polka's poster Leo is happy.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 05, 2007, 12:18:12 PM
Michael Ballhaus, 'The Departed'
Source: Variety

Awards: Nominated for three Oscars, three BAFTA awards and one ASC award; slated to receive the ASC Intl. Achievement Award in February.

Tools: Arri studio cameras with Zeiss BP series lenses, Arri Ultra-Primes, Arri Master Primes and Angenieux Optima zooms; Kodak Vision 5217, 5218 and 5229 stock; and the Mo-Sys Remote Digital Head system.

Aesthetic: Ballhaus deliberately focused on "using a different style" from his previous collaborations with Martin Scorsese. "We tried to find different angles and colors for different scenes, with lighting that reflected noirish looks from movies that Marty showed us," says Ballhaus. "I especially tried to find different colors for scenes. For instance, all scenes in (Matt Damon's) office, I tried to keep on the cool side, a little bluish. Scenes with the romantic love interest, I did with different stock, softer and warmer. And then, for scenes with Jack Nicholson's character, we stayed more neutral, with different shades of darkness, since he plays a very dark character."

Visual references: "Marty gave me a couple movies to look at from the late 1940s, particularly 'T-Men' (1947) and 'Raw Deal' (1948), both shot by (film noir cinematographer) John Alton. They were a nice guideline for what he had in mind -- how to accomplish the darkness and mood of those films."

Challenges: "Probably the most difficult scene to shoot was toward the end of the movie, where the Costello gang is trapped by police in an old abandoned shipyard and they have a shoot-out. Marty and I had never really done a big cops-and-robbers shoot-out before, so it was fun, but hard to shoot. The location was huge, about the length of four football fields and 100 feet high. And because it was a big action scene, we used four or five cameras and very specialized light. Such places are normally dimly lit, so it starts off dark and then, when the police come in and the shoot-out starts, it lights up and gets very complicated."

What's next: Since lensing "The Departed," the 71-year-old Ballhaus says he has been pondering retirement.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 10, 2007, 12:32:18 PM
http://www.the-editing-room.com/?script=departed
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on January 13, 2007, 08:05:45 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 10, 2007, 12:32:18 PM
http://www.the-editing-room.com/?script=departed


so, di caprio is not a good actor, marty will do anything to win an oscar, nicholson only knows how to play nicholson and other easy targets /critcism cliches sorrounding the departed...besides not being very original this parody is not very funny either, or any of the other ones i've read...amazing some people actually can even make money of trashing others like this.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on January 14, 2007, 12:46:39 AM
Quote from: picolas on December 20, 2006, 03:21:29 AM
the special edition cover makes no sense.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: polkablues on January 14, 2007, 01:06:46 AM
Quote from: Fernando on December 20, 2006, 09:00:45 AM
Quote from: polkablues on August 05, 2006, 10:01:31 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi35.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fd179%2Fpolkablues%2Fthedeparted_l200608041643.jpg&hash=3488181d06f59a283abc911ea42efef3facad9e1)
Haha, I love that in polka's poster Leo is happy.

And I'm amazed at how prescient my placement of Vera Farmiga was in terms of her place in the story.

But now, in hindsight, I would make Marky Mark smaller and put Alec Baldwin in there next to him.  And maybe a little upside-down Martin Sheen coming down from the top.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 17, 2007, 09:55:09 AM
China blocks entry to Scorsese's "Departed"

China's movie censor will not approve Golden Globe-honored film "The Departed" for domestic cinematic release due to its mention of a Chinese plan to buy military equipment, government sources said on Wednesday.

Martin Scorsese was named best film director at the Golden Globes on Monday for "The Departed," a crime thriller many think might earn him first Oscar either for best directing or for best film.

"There is no chance 'The Departed' will be shown in mainland cinemas because the U.S. side declined to change a plot line describing how Beijing wanted to buy advanced military computer hardware," said one source.

"That part of the plot is definitely unnecessary," added the source, who asked not to be identified as he does not have permission to speak to the foreign media.

"The regulators just cannot understand why the movie wanted to involve China. They can talk about Iran or Iraq or whatever, but there's no reason to get China in," added the source, who is close to the country's movie regulator.

Another government source, who also asked for anonymity, confirmed the decision.

An executive in Hong Kong at Media Asia, which has the distribution rights for "The Departed" in the mainland, said that the film did not pass the Chinese censor, but declined further comment.

The ruling is likely to have little impact on stopping Chinese people seeing the movie, as pirated versions can already be bought on DVD off the street in China.

"The Departed," a cops versus criminals saga starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, is a Hollywood remake of hit Hong Kong movie "Infernal Affairs."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on January 17, 2007, 09:59:32 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 17, 2007, 09:55:09 AM
"The regulators just cannot understand why the movie wanted to involve China. They can talk about Iran or Iraq or whatever, but there's no reason to get China in," added the source,

hahaha, what the fuck china, if you want to play with the big kids you're gonna have to grow some balls.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 18, 2007, 10:15:24 AM
DiCaprio says it's a joke Scorsese has no Oscars

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio said on Thursday that director Martin Scorsese deserved to win an Oscar for his new movie, "The Departed," adding it was a "joke" the veteran director still had not been awarded for any of his works.

"It would be wonderful if this film was rewarded, I think it very much deserves it," said DiCaprio, who stars in the crime thriller that won a Golden Globe award for best film this week.

"And I certainly think the man to my left does. It's quite long overdue, almost a practical joke at this point that that hasn't happened," he said, referring to Scorsese who was also attending a news conference ahead of the film's opening in Japan this weekend.

Despite being regarded by many as a master of cinema, Scorsese has never received an Academy Award for a single film, including for such revered works as "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver."

In addition to the Golden Globes, the Broadcast Film Critics Association named Scorsese the best director and "The Departed" the best film, raising expectations that he might finally win an Oscar either for best picture or best director.

The director said he did not have any expectations about an Academy Award.

"I learned a long time ago that, with "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," that you can't make a film to get the golden statue. And if you try it doesn't work."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on January 18, 2007, 11:40:54 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 18, 2007, 10:15:24 AM
the crime thriller that won a Golden Globe award for best film this week.
invalidated.

Quote from: MacGuffin on January 18, 2007, 10:15:24 AM
"I learned a long time ago that, with "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," that you can't make a film to get the golden statue. And if you try it doesn't work."
unless you're haggis, eastwood, minghella that one time..
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: matt35mm on January 18, 2007, 01:03:37 PM
I think Scorsese will win this time, and I've never bothered to make that prediction before.

The Academy is there for one purpose: to suck as much cock as possible.  (I can only wish that that were literal, as Brokeback would've then won last year... but alas, I only mean that the Academy's purpose is to whore itself on an even lower level)  This year, there's so much cock on Scorsese's side.  I don't really think that The Departed was all that great (it was fine, which is more than good enough for the sake of this award), but there's no other director that the Academy would be interested in giving an Oscar to.

It's POSSIBLE that Clint might win, if they nominate him for Letters, but even then it'd just seem odd to give him another Oscar so soon and for a movie that wasn't as loved as the movies that he did win Oscars for.  If Clint is nominated twice, then he's out of the game.  There were better directed movies than the current contenders, but they're not "in the game."

That leaves, who... Condon and Inarritu?  I don't see them winning Best Director.

Oh fuck it, I don't want to do anymore Oscar speculating.  How lame of me.  I do, however, want to post this so I can quote it if Scorsese does win.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on January 18, 2007, 03:21:36 PM
Scorsese will win and considering the movie, he should not show up for the award show. It was the least that Paul Newman could do when he finally won for In the Color of Money. That film was a fluff performance from a master and so is The Departed for Scorsese.

I use to watch The Hustler repeatedly to just be in awe of Newman's performance. The scene where he describes the thrill of winning was as nuanced and perfect as well thought out acting could get. His effort in In the Color of Money was a deflated tire. Not only was he relaxing the character to show his age, but he was relaxing the character of any thoughtful ideas. Newman had done too many star roles beforehand, I think.

Scorsese still has talent, but this was a sale on his part to get closer to his dream project, Silence. Nothing more. Anything that has anything to do with the mafia is given great lip service from everyone as being very personal for Scorsese, but Scorsese himself could offer very little personal in himself when he was describing why he was attracted to this project. He's been playing compliments to old Hollywood directors who were able to move from project to project which makes me think he no longer has the power he once had and he knows it.

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Xx on January 18, 2007, 05:19:00 PM
...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on January 18, 2007, 07:34:35 PM
While I agree with you on The Aviator, I would hate to think that if Scorsese does indeed win for the Departed, that people would consider it a sympathy vote.

For nearly 40 years, Scorsese has given us relevant and brilliant movies, The Departed among them. Apart from Spielberg, I can't think of another who has done the same in that era.

If he didn't deserve an Oscar this year, I would hate for him to get it because of overlooked opportunities. But when has that stopped the Academy Awards?

This is Marty's year. He deserves it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: A Matter Of Chance on January 19, 2007, 10:34:43 AM
I don't know. I'd like to say I think that could save it for a lifetime achievement award, but I don't think I'd like to see any of the others who will probably be nominated take it.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 19, 2007, 12:47:54 PM
Scorsese planning Departed trilogy
Source: Moviehole

Robert De Niro might still win his muse back – from Leo - after all.

According to MTV [see below], the Raging Bull is in talks with director Martin Scorsese – his director on such classics as "Raging Bull", "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver" - to join the cast of an upcoming sequel to "The Departed".

"Infernal Affairs", the film that the Golden Globe Award Winning film was based on, spawned two sequels, so it's not at all surprising to hear that Scorsese is considering following up his version. And after the mint the first film has made at the box office, Warner Bros won't be flipping the thumbs upside down to the idea either. Any sequel would wanna be damn good though... they've a lot to live up to; and Scorsese's definitely a man who puts dignity right up there with Guinness beer.

Did you know that De Niro was actually offered the role that Martin Sheen ended up playing in the film? True. Bob couldn't do it because of his commitments to "The Good Shepherd".

Mark Wahlberg, who will also return for the sequel, said Scorsese also has an idea for a prequel. The actor tells the aforesaid site that it would be a way to "bring back the rest of the guys." (By 'the rest of the guys', he means the original – now 'Departed' characters – played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen).

Lets see how this one pans out, I'm not totally convinced that this is an idea of Scorsese's and not some crazy apparition that came to someone (like, ah, Mark Wahlberg) in a dream.


Departed Trilogy
Martin Scorsese considers prequel, sequel to cop drama
Source: MTV

When you hear the words "prequel" and "sequel," the last name you might imagine is fiercely original filmmaker Martin Scorsese. But now, following his Golden Globe victory and unprecedented box-office success, the legendary director is reportedly considering bringing back "The Departed." "We really didn't know what to expect [when we made it]," star Mark Wahlberg said. "I'm fascinated with that [gangster] world, but I'm from that world. I didn't really think that the rest of the world would respond like it did." Revealing Scorsese's purported plans, Wahlberg added: "We may do another one, because it's based on a Hong Kong film ['Infernal Affairs'], and there is a trilogy. So we may do a sequel with a new cast, and a prequel and bring back the rest of the guys." Either movie would mark the first time Scorsese revisited one of his own films, and Wahlberg said the director is already lining up assistance from some old friends. "They're talking to Robert De Niro and a couple of other people," he said. "Anybody who is anybody wants to work with Marty."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Mikey B on January 19, 2007, 12:59:08 PM
Well, that sounds promising. Could be bullshit or it could be a fucking dream of a movie.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Kal on January 19, 2007, 01:31:10 PM
In the original trilogy, Infernal Affairs 2 is the prequel that tells the story of how each became good and bad guys. It also stresses more the rivarily between the bad guy (in this case Jack Nicholson) and the chief of police (in the original there is one, but here it can be Martin Sheen or even maybe Baldwin). That prequel was very good in my opinion.

The 3rd one, which is a sequel, wasnt that good. But the main difference is that --- SPOILER --- the bad guy played by matt damon is alive at the end of the original infernal affairs. which makes him alive in the sequel and the plot is around him erasing all the evidence that he was ever a bad guy and at the same time with some people that know trying to get him.

would be interesting to see what Scorsese has planned...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 02:53:16 PM
I think it's a bad idea for him. It's an open opprtunity for some big disaster. Critics panning it, audiences not being too satisfied...I don't think so...but hey, he's been aple to pull off some strange choices before, so who knows...?

About the oscar. If he doesn't deserve it then I dont know who does. The Departed is as great as it is because of the way it is directed. Good screenplay, but it's his vision what makes it so rewarding as pulp entertainment with class.

The Departed is very elegantly composed. Every choice was efective, including the last shot, which is ther precisely to remind everyone that you're watching a fun crime movie. I don't see what's so bad about that. I have inmense respecto for every filmmaker who can shake the "im an ateur" attitude and make a brilliant commercial movie. That's what I admire so much about Linklater too. Others have tried. Oliver Stone have tried and he has made crap every time he does. It's not so easy to be so flexible. To say Marty is repeating himself is stupid. I agree, The Aviator is a far superior film, and it was a far superior film that year, and he should have won for that. But this going to be another classic.

Nicholson. Is he just playing Jack? Is that even true? No self respecting actor "plays himself". It's not true. And you just watch him in his few last films. Anger Management, Something's Gotta Give, About Schmidt and The Departed, all of them except Schmidt of being "jack playing himself" performances. Just watch them, is not true. Those are different characters and he pays them all different. He's never been a chamaleonlike De Niro, but of course he does his job in a fantastic way. That's why we all admire him so much and that's why he's considered one of the best actors in the world. In any case, acting is not about becomeing someone else but about play make believe and do it as best as possible, and in that regard, he has few oponents even at this point. But hey, some people will keep repeating this bullshit no matter what...
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on January 19, 2007, 04:23:34 PM
The only good thing that can come in doing sequels is that Marty actually may have a box office hit. The Departed has a good chance to become a hit on DVD and that could draw interest for a sequel and thus people will go to see it with huge interest. Basically what The Bourne Identity did for Supremacy.

But, I don't care about De Niro joining the sequels at all. He was already lined up to do Sheen's role in The Departed and that role had no meat at all and I'm not sure what role could be really quality.

Quote from: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 02:53:16 PM
Oliver Stone have tried and he has made crap every time he does. It's not so easy to be so flexible. To say Marty is repeating himself is stupid.

When did he try? The only instance I know of is U-Turn and that hardly was a commercial film. He was purposely making a B-movie that played counter to expectations of easy going entertainment. Dialing up films like The Honeymoon Killers and Shock Corridor as influence is not playing into the hands of the mainstream. Marty is flexible, but he is only one among some filmmakers who like making mainstream films as well. When Sam Peckinpah made The Getaway, he did it kicking and screaming. I doubt Stanley Kubrick would have been easy going to do so as well when he had power to pick his projects. The likelihood is that many directors are professionals and many have to look for work to keep going and do projects like these.

Quote from: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 02:53:16 PM
Nicholson. Is he just playing Jack? Is that even true? No self respecting actor "plays himself". It's not true. And you just watch him in his few last films. Anger Management, Something's Gotta Give, About Schmidt and The Departed, all of them except Schmidt of being "jack playing himself" performances.

He's not playing 'himself', per say, but he is definitely playing up to his persona. Nicholson has become notorious over the years for playing characters who are named "Jack" and have the hallmarks of all his antics. Good actors who want to be huge stars play personality roles. They always do. McQueen dominated action films of the 60s and 70s and built a credibility for playing a certain type of role as Tom Cruise has done for the last 25 years. These films don't define all of their work (the reason why Nicholson's last roles, as you said, are 'different'), but if you chalk up Nicholson's performance to the roles that made him a huge star over time, they are very similar to the one he gave in The Departed.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 06:02:03 PM
Something went wrong wit U Turn, but he initially wanted to make a commercial movie, one that, quoting him "would make arnold schwarzenneger proud". Of course he didn't and we're all thankful for that. However, U Turn is widely considered a pice of shit, although i kinda like it. And WTC is a commercial film. And it sucks. I know you don't think so, but I also know I'm not alone on that one.

Yeah Jack plays a persona. Hanks plays a persona. Cruise, James Stewart. I mean a lot of guys do that. But not everyone does it so well, and still, I argue he does his homework and excels. To me, it's very unfair that he keeps getting pointed out for the easy criticism of saying he's just doing the same old thing. He is not. I don't see the resemblance between his performances in One Flew, The Shinning, A Few Good Men, Wolf, and the aforementioned to name a few, aside of course the fact that the he's the actor playing them and some mannerisms may come out the same. Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and other great actors have been accused at some point of the same. But I don't think these accusations understand acting anyway. He's not doing The Joker either. He just isn't, and people just have to watch the movies to see that.

DiCaprio, Scorsese and Damon have said his character is very different from what was on the page. All Im saying is that actors don't approach work as if it's some sort of hobby. Just because he has a screen persona doesn't mean he's a lesser actor, less convincing, or that he doesn't rock the fucking screen everytime he's on it, whatever it is that he's doing, be it a comedy, a drama, a thriller, a horror movie, or etcetera...

De Niro's participation could be exciting if only because Scorsese seems to be capable of extracting better performances from him than any other directors, even in small ones like his role in GoodFellas.

BIG SPOILER

And Sheen's character has no meat, but he actually makes him compelling. I felt heartbroken when he died, and I think is because he suceeded in making him humane and not just "the boss".
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Gold Trumpet on January 19, 2007, 10:20:02 PM
Quote from: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 06:02:03 PM
However, U Turn is widely considered a pice of shit, although i kinda like it. And WTC is a commercial film. And it sucks. I know you don't think so, but I also know I'm not alone on that one.

1.) You admit you like U Turn but use the majority argument so I'm not sure where you stand. Stay away from the majority argument and reason out your opinion.

2.) And in consideration of WTC, just because Stone is less edgy in that film doesn't automatically make it commercial. Last I checked, we were defining commercial in that that the purpose was to be entertainment only. WTC isn't simple entertainment. It is a drama and tries to elicit higher themes and filmmaking ideas. I can't say much against your comment because you and (again) the majority only says it "sucks".


Quote from: Alexandro on January 19, 2007, 06:02:03 PM
Yeah Jack plays a persona. Hanks plays a persona. Cruise, James Stewart. I mean a lot of guys do that. But not everyone does it so well, and still, I argue he does his homework and excels. To me, it's very unfair that he keeps getting pointed out for the easy criticism of saying he's just doing the same old thing. He is not. I don't see the resemblance between his performances in One Flew, The Shinning, A Few Good Men, Wolf, and the aforementioned to name a few, aside of course the fact that the he's the actor playing them and some mannerisms may come out the same. Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and other great actors have been accused at some point of the same. But I don't think these accusations understand acting anyway. He's not doing The Joker either. He just isn't, and people just have to watch the movies to see that.

Of course no major star will elicit exactly the same performance in every movie, but they will show tendencies and norms with every performance that, when put together, make up the distinct hallmarks of their personality. In consideration of Nicholson in The Departed, one would be his insistence to go over the top with his performance. Numerous scenes in the movie felt like they dragged on too long because his character was not done berating and bullying whoever he was suppose to. Then Nicholson gave speeches that felt like his character wanted to be the most obnoxious one in the room. Compare this to many of his roles in the 70s where he became a star for an over the top style. Nicholson showed charisma in vehicle movies by displaying a chauvanistic and brutal realism where other actors seemed like they were playing their roles straight. Examples would include Five Easy Pieces, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Easy Rider.

See, you're focusing on the fact he never has played a villian gangster before. Yes, but the question is, does his performance signify greater meaning to make it a great performance? I don't believe so. There is no greater thought to his character nor is there a greater emotional complex to explain his actions. Also, he does not have to physically lose his recognizability like he did in About Schmidt and Hoffa. He is very much playing a recognizable side of himself in The Departed, but only doing it to the point that it is layed out as a villian.

When he did the Joker in Batman he encompassed the Joker to lose easy recognition of himself and create a cultural monster that could only be imagined in the heightened reality of comic books. But, if you look at the actions and distinct style of his speech, you do recognize Nicholson. The reason the character works is because the collaboration of the actor and writer are in sync. The Joker is perfectly written to encompass the legendary status he had acquired in comic books and television. Nicholson realizes him in a way that feels like only he could. In The Departed, Nicholson plays a gangster who makes odd references to Irish and New England cultural figures and behaves erratically that seems to have no greater idea of a thought out character. The actions and words of this gangster leader were not recognizable as an authentic gangster leader.

OK, done with saying recognition and every other way of saying it.....

Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on January 20, 2007, 12:32:00 PM
However, we can agree that U Turn came out completely uncommercial, despite it's intentions. And please man, WTC is as commercial as you can possibly get. Just because it's a drama supposedly aiming to higher themes doesn't mean is not. It's a multi million dollar production starring Nicolas Cage, which tries pretty much the whole time of inspiring feelings of good vibe, brotherhood, love between heroic people, fighting against the odds, patriotism, and a lot of other very audience friendly feelings...Deliberately, Stone tried to make it less controversial and more commercial, and in my opinion he went too far. As far, in fact, that the movie seems coward in it's use of 9/11 as a starting point to then, not even be about it at all. As I said before, it is so generic you could change the towers for abandoned mines and the firemen for miners, and you could have called it THE MINE, and it would be the exact same movie. Magically, no one in the movie asks the questions everyone was asking that day: "who did this?, why? was it irak? was it terrorism? what was this?". So, the movie becomes bruckheimerish and boring. So, Stone tried, but failed, cause it's not even on his sensibilities. He's already all pumped up to make another one about the same subject, and he will very likely go back to his usual self. He did WTC as a way to get Hollywood execs trust again after Alexander bombed. And that's really all there it is to it.

Scorsese, on the other hand, deliberately makes The Departed as a commercial gangster film. Not GoodFellas or Casino, not even a morality tale. As he said, this is the first one of his films that tried to have a plot. And he suceeded. The film works. The consensus is that is great. Commercial movies should aspire to this kind of quality. This is where, in a sane world, dumbed down films like Superman Returns, Casino Royale, MI3 and all those "entertainment" movies would at least try to be.

Jack Nicholson's performance in The Departed is not one I have throughly analyzed, I've only seen the movie twice, and I take the man and the movie seriously enough to know that subsequent viewings will reveal more layers, as it has happened with the work of both Scorsese and Nicholson before. But it never strucked me at any time during my two viewings that he was unnecesarily extending the scenes. I thought he was supposed to be cracking up, losing his mind, getting more and more paranoid and unstable as a result of the menaces around him and his own phisical decadence. And it's a joy to watch him do it.

But this seems to be another discussion in which you and I can go on forever and never agree. so it's cool.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on January 20, 2007, 01:20:02 PM
SPOILER



I think I was affected by Sheen's death because his was the only character who was 'decent' in the movie.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on January 23, 2007, 03:39:08 PM
On a down note: Jack Nicholson was snubbed. I personally loved the performance and am really dissapointed.  :(

On the brighter side: Departed trilogy?? I'm SO in!  :yabbse-thumbup:
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 26, 2007, 05:12:32 PM
X marks the spot in The Departed
Source: Miami Harold

It is starting to look like The Departed might be the movie to beat for the Best Picture Oscar come Feb. 25 (although support continues to build for an underdog that could sneak in and steal the big prize).

I'd bet the farm, though, that Scorsese will finally come away with a Best Director Oscar this year - and unlike his last two sentimental nominations, he actually deserves it this time.

The Departed was also my favorite movie of 2006, in part because Scorsese seemed to be having fun again. For example, as an homage to Howard Hawks' classic 1932 Scarface, Scorsese scattered Xs throughout the movie (some more subtle than others), using them as a symbol of impending doom.

I recently went through the film again on DVD to see how many Xs I could find. To avoid even a hint of spoilers, I've arranged the frames out of chronological order. But if you've seen The Departed, you'll get an extra kick out of these. And if you haven't, Warner Bros.is re-releasing it to theaters on Jan. 26, so no excuses.

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Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on January 26, 2007, 05:39:29 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 26, 2007, 05:12:32 PM- and unlike his last two sentimental nominations, he actually deserves it this time.

I love it when people talk about The Departed as if Scorsese is emerging some sort of slump. I don't think he's ever 'coasted' on any of his movies, and could easily have walked away with a deserved Academy Award for either Gangs or Aviator.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 30, 2007, 12:39:10 AM
Quote from: modage on December 19, 2006, 07:33:44 PMThe two-disc special edition will include that, along with nine additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese, a Story of the Boston Mob featurette, and a Creating Criminal Cultures featurette.

GIANT FUCKING FACE ARTWORK & OTHERWISE HERE: http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-departed.html

Film Geeks,
We hate you! 

Sincerely,
WB


ok, this is what i'm talking about.  2 discs where the only extras are deleted scenes, two featurettes and a trailer?  they couldnt have just had one version and thrown that all on 1 disc?  those scenes had better be like an hour of film.  no commentary, no documentary and it will probably never cost less than $20. you wont be able to get it from a video store or something cause they'll only have the 1 disc version, when best buy has big sales on buy 2 get 1 free stuff it will incl. the 1 disc version. uugh, Warner Bros i'm going to kick you in the balls.  thanks! 

Something not listed in those specs (according to Amazon):

Additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese
Feature-length TCM profile "Scorsese on Scorsese"
The Story of the Boston Mob: the real-life gangster behind Jack Nicholson's character
Crossing Criminal Cultures: how Little Italy's crime and violence influence Scorsese's work
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 30, 2007, 01:39:03 PM
SCRIPTLAND: 'Departed' sequel in the works
Back from the dead, director Martin Scorsese and writer William Monahan puzzling over how to extend francise.
Source: Los Angeles Times

The elegiac title and murderous conclusion of "The Departed" may have signaled a brutal, blood-red finality, but in Hollywood any potential franchise can be revived by a strong enough dose of green.

"The Departed" is by far director Martin Scorsese's biggest hit, with a gross of over $260 million worldwide - a number bound to escalate if the intricate thriller wins an Oscar next month for best picture (one of its five Academy Award nominations). And so sources close to the first film say that Bill Monahan, who also received a nod for his "Departed" screenplay last week, has begun working out a potential take that would extend a connected storyline and involve some of the same characters.

Of course, given the slaughter that terminates "The Departed," there aren't a whole lot of characters left to pursue. This is the same dilemma faced by the creators of "Infernal Affairs," the popular 2002 Hong Kong thriller written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong upon which Monahan's "Departed" script was based. Mak, Chong, and co-director Andrew Lau got around it by making their follow-up a prequel, thus allowing the first film's stars to reprise their roles (Mak, Chong, and Lau made a third in the series, too, that split its story around the events of the first film).

According to the sources, Monahan is not taking the prequel route and is instead developing a wholly original continuation of the story. Best supporting actor nominee Mark Wahlberg recently told MTV that the filmmakers have discussed bringing in Scorsese's classic gangster muse Robert De Niro to play a role.

Though Scorsese has never made a sequel to one of his films (his 1974 drama, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," spawned the diner sitcom, "Alice," though he had nothing to do with it), the Oscar-nominated director did make "The Color of Money," a sequel to Robert Rossen's "The Hustler," back in 1986. Monahan, who sources say began thinking of ways to continue the Boston cops-and-gangsters saga back in 2005 when production wrapped, recently tread further into sequel territory with a draft of "Jurassic Park IV."

Warner Bros., which released "The Departed," had no comment.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on January 31, 2007, 03:10:05 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 30, 2007, 01:39:03 PM
SCRIPTLAND: 'Departed' sequel in the works
Back from the dead, director Martin Scorsese and writer William Monahan puzzling over how to extend francise.
it's easy, mark whalberg moves to portugal and becomes a jesuit priest, there he learns the secret of time-travel and is sent back to the 17th century to convert the japanese, but is promptly driven to apostasy. jack nicholson plays a feudal lord; robert deniro is the model for the jesus illustrations ("fumie") that christians have to stomp on to renounce their faith; matt and leo return to play their own children (born as fraternal twins of their fathers' shared girlfriend, a role the producers can't recast because they forgot who played it in the first film)

now adults in 2037, they work together to find out the truth about the death of their fathers.. and possibly more about their mother's identity -- a subplot which ends in boredom. they follow whalberg's trail and diguised as jesuit priests, jump into the DeLorean. alec baldwin and martin sheen make cameos as car mechanics called in to fix the DeLorean. references to dollar signs are sprinkled throughout the film, most notably in its title: $ilence.

at the film's end, matt and leo have been taught ninja ways by a human sized sage rat. but as they prepare to "depart" back to the future, the rat ninja is overtaken by natural urges and begins gnawing at the circuirtry of the DeLorean. before Matt can get in, Leo takes off and matt is left stuck in the year 1615. franchise is left open for a third installment, following the slapstick comedy pairing of matt and his rat mentor as they travel the countryside in search of cheese. proposed title: Who Parted?

everybody wins.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: cron on February 03, 2007, 09:37:17 PM
where do you get your information, pubrick. the daily growl? that's not a reputable journal of opinion.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 06, 2007, 08:09:21 PM
The Departed Duo
Two sequels, two directors in mind?

Although it was recently reported that any development on The Departed 2 was on hold until producer-turned-Paramount chief Brad Grey's association with a sequel could be determined, it is now being reported that Warner Bros. has bigger plans than originally expected for the project.

Warner Bros. is said to want not one but two follow-ups to their hit 2006 thriller, which itself was a remake of the Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs.

"(Screenwriter) William Monahan isn't just writing a second movie, he's also working on an outline for a third Departed film. What either movie will be about is still anyone's guess," according to CinemaBlend.com.

"We already know the second movie will not be a prequel but a continuation involving existing characters so it stands to reason that this probably applies to the third film as well. What our source was able to confirm is that the second script, the one Monahan is writing right now, is indeed about Mark Wahlberg's Digman as so many have already assumed."

The site adds that, should Martin Scorsese opt out of directing a Departed sequel, then the studio is considering either Michael Mann (Miami Vice) or Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) to replace him.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 07, 2007, 01:22:38 PM
Wahlberg on The Departed Sequel and Prequel
Source: Empire Online

Empire Online talked to Oscar-nominated Mark Wahlberg about the possible The Departed sequel and prequel. "They told me they wanted to try to do it and I said, 'Well, I enjoyed playing the character'," he said.

One of director Martin Scorsese's old friends may be lining up to join the sequel: "They're talking about bringing in De Niro to play a senator or a congressman," added Wahlberg. "You know, the corruption obviously going deeper and higher up the ranks — reaching up the political chain. So it'll be fun. And if it's a success, they're gonna do a prequel and bring everyone back... make it a trilogy."

According to the actor, screenwriter William Monahan is currently hard at work writing the sequel, and shooting could begin sometime at "the beginning of next year or end of this year."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on February 08, 2007, 05:02:10 AM
Quote from: Mark Whalberg
"You know, the corruption obviously going deeper and higher up the ranks."

whalberg might still be young enough to waste years of his life in this clearly ----STOP THE PRESS THERE IS CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD, THE POPE'S A RAT, PUTIN'S A RAT, THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IS A RAT--- uh, bombshell of a plot .. but scorsese needs to wake up.

william monahan is an angelic child whose imaginings have bewitched scorsese down the wrong path. paul schrader needs to come to marty as his most faithful disciple and remind him who he is. only then will scorsese ever accomplish anything meaningful again.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: I Love a Magician on February 08, 2007, 02:09:19 PM
Quote from: Pubrick on February 08, 2007, 05:02:10 AMTHE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IS A RAT

lol @ this
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: picolas on February 11, 2007, 03:27:16 AM
Xixax Exclusive: the Canadian French dvd title is "Agents Troubles."

edit: in disc 2 news (in response to
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 30, 2007, 12:39:10 AM
Quote from: modage on December 19, 2006, 07:33:44 PMThe two-disc special edition will include that, along with nine additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese, a Story of the Boston Mob featurette, and a Creating Criminal Cultures featurette.

GIANT FUCKING FACE ARTWORK & OTHERWISE HERE: http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-departed.html

Film Geeks,
We hate you! 

Sincerely,
WB


ok, this is what i'm talking about.  2 discs where the only extras are deleted scenes, two featurettes and a trailer?  they couldnt have just had one version and thrown that all on 1 disc?  those scenes had better be like an hour of film.  no commentary, no documentary and it will probably never cost less than $20. you wont be able to get it from a video store or something cause they'll only have the 1 disc version, when best buy has big sales on buy 2 get 1 free stuff it will incl. the 1 disc version. uugh, Warner Bros i'm going to kick you in the balls.  thanks! 

Something not listed in those specs (according to Amazon):

Additional scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese
Feature-length TCM profile "Scorsese on Scorsese"
The Story of the Boston Mob: the real-life gangster behind Jack Nicholson's character
Crossing Criminal Cultures: how Little Italy's crime and violence influence Scorsese's work

- the deleted scenes are 19 minutes including intros
- BUT Scorsese on Scorsese is 85 minutes
- making of mob thingy is 24 mins
- crossing criminal cultures 21 minutes

considering the movie is 2 and a half hours, the 2nd disc is justified. though i do hate having 1 and 2 disc versions.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 11, 2007, 12:59:26 PM
Both are $22.99 each:


TARGET-EXCLUSIVE DELUXE EDITION
Deluxe Edition includes bonus content and the original script for The Departed. Items are packaged together. Quantity limited; no rain checks.

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The Departed - Special Edition @ Best Buy
NEW RELEASE* AVAILABLE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13*, BONUS STEELBOOK™ CASE. SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES BONUS MATERIAL AND 4 MOVIE POSTCARDS.

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Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on February 11, 2007, 10:45:06 PM
I don't know what a Target is so I'll go with the Tin Machine.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 11, 2007, 10:48:38 PM
Quote from: Derek237 on February 11, 2007, 10:45:06 PM
I don't know what a Target is

It's cleaner, classier version of WalMart
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek237 on February 12, 2007, 12:20:15 AM
I dunno, Saturday Night Live has given me some negative impressions.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Derek on February 14, 2007, 09:28:43 PM
Anyone else notice that the lips and voices don't match in some scenes on their dvd's?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on February 15, 2007, 12:52:18 AM
Quote from: Derek on February 14, 2007, 09:28:43 PM
Anyone else notice that the lips and voices don't match in some scenes on their dvd's?

that's funny cos i noticed that during most scenes scorsese's body and soul didn't match either.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on February 18, 2007, 12:43:56 AM
i got the 2 disc from target. it was interesting to look at the screenplay and watch the film - i would watch a bit and then pause the dvd and read a bit. this combined with the commentary for The Conversation has really made me think differently about editing. before i really only thought about editing as far as trimming or cutting scenes, but in these cases scenes are cut in half, split or moved around to change how they work within the story (and in the case of The Conversation - change the story). probably old news to most of you, but i just hadn't thought of it that way.

the price did seem steep for the amount of extras and no Marty commentary. it makes me wonder if they'll make a super special edition post oscars.  :yabbse-angry:

Scorsese on Scorsese was pretty good. very odd that he didn't have a section for all his films. two i can think of right now - casino and bringing out the dead
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on February 21, 2007, 12:55:04 AM
William Monahan – Exclusive Interview
Source: Collider.com

I'm a huge fan of William Monahan's work. If you are not familiar with his name, shame on you. He recently wrote The Departed, which got him nominated for an Academy Award, and he also wrote one of my favorite films of the last few years – Kingdom of Heaven.

If you never saw the directors cut of Kingdom of Heaven you owe it to yourself to seek it out and watch it immediately. The film is a masterpiece and one that was overlooked by far too many people.

But while most missed the epic, many of you have seen The Departed and were as captivated as me by the snappy dialogue and great exchanges between the stellar cast.

Recently, there have been rumors about a sequel with no real info to report. Below is the first time Mr. Monahan has spoken on the record about what he sees for a future film and whether or not the Infernal Affairs films will influence where the American version goes.

But what is also great about the interview is the other subjects he covers. What is the status of Tripoli? What's it like to work for some huge directors? And of course, what is he working on right now?

This is a great interview and one that I think many of you will like. Hope you enjoy reading it and of course a big thank you to Mr. Monahan for answering these questions. Everyone wish him luck this Sunday where he is up for an Oscar.

What was the process which led you from being a journalist to being a screenwriter?

I was always a dramatist, or screenwriter, as well as a novelist, but journalism and editing became the way I first made a living by writing. And that was all right, because I then saw myself working on the continental plan, where if you're a literary writer you do journalism, criticism, whatever you can do to make sure that you're living one hundred percent as a writer, rather than following the American plan of being a teacher. I got pretty entangled in journalism and editing, because even in a field that ultimately will not be your own, you become competitive in it. I'd made headway as a literary novelist, but I decided even as I was publishing my first novel that I was going to ditch it all for film. I really hated the experience of publishing a novel, to the extent that I bought "Light House" back from Penguin Putnam and took it off the market while we were shooting Kingdom of Heaven. It was demoralizing to write a really good book and to realize how little the rewards were, even though the book did quite well, as far as first novels are concerned. The only positive benefit from publishing "Light House" was that I got hired to write the screenplay and then shifted my attention to screenwriting exclusively. Nothing I've done in film has been less personal than a novel, or less literary, so I'm not missing out on anything.  I made a decision to carry the war into a bigger and better art form.

What was it like to collaborate with Martin Scorsese?  How does it differ from working with Ridley Scott? And who's next, Steven Spielberg?

I've actually worked for Steven Spielberg, who I liked a very great deal.  I loved every minute of writing Jurassic Park for him. The thing is with all of these guys is that they are absolute masters of their art form in their different ways, and in just watching them operate and talking to them you learn more than you could learn in a billion years of film school. Talking to one of them would be a monstrous advantage in itself. Learning from all three is mind-bending. I've had the longest standing relationship with Ridley and we have one way of working, we have kind of similar, Northern, personalities. There's another way of working with Marty, but I click with both of them. It's a privilege. I don't think you ever entirely exit the "fan" state of mind.  I keep having "holy shit" moments. You'll be sitting there with a guy you work with perfectly normally for months on end but then at an odd moment you'll glance up and you'll get hit again: Christ, that guy across the table drawing on the script is Ridley Scott. Or, Christ, I'm at Martin Scorsese's house having dinner. These are guys I grew up idolizing. It's crazy. I sat through almost the entire run of The Duellists at the Exeter Street Theater in Boston when I was seventeen.

Can you talk about your writing process? Are you a 9 to 5 guy and can sit down and just write or do you go for long stretches of time without writing a single word?

Screenwriting involves a lot of location work and travel and meetings, things that I would never have desired, and I'm still not entirely comfortable with having a schedule. I used to be just a writer in Northampton, Mass., or in downtown New York doing whatever I liked, and now there are other necessary things to do. And then there's another change because I'm married and have kids, so there's been a universal shift in how I work. I can't work at home because when I hear my daughter at the door I will open the door.  So I have to leave the house and go to work at an office, and I've done that since "Tripoli". I have an office on the Warners lot these days. One thing which is bugging me recently is working on a computer, because for all the convenience and speed, you're trying to work on a machine which is also a communications center and a newspaper and a television and a magazine and a movie theater and also you've got your music on it. I'd kill for an old Olivetti Praxis and but you literally can't buy an electric typewriter any more. I've tried. I write a lot, continually really.

What is the status of Tripoli?

I own Tripoli. Ridley and I were just talking about it recently. I think that the reason that Tripoli did not get made at Fox at that time—and this is my own appraisal of tea leaves several years old— it's because Tripoli and Master and Commander were set in the same era and both had Russell Crowe. The guys upstairs made a decision and went with Master and Commander, possibly because of franchise considerations that have obviously not played out. Decisions get made, sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong, but they're made and you move on. I might have made the same decision if I already had money sunk into one picture set in 1804, even if the other film was Tripoli. We were very fortunate to have been able to move straight into Kingdom of Heaven. And that's a masterpiece, so what was lost? Nothing. Tripoli will get made. There's no way it can't be. It'll be made when the time's right.

Many rumors are floating about a sequel or prequel to The Departed. What can you tell us and has Martin said if he would be interested. Also are you going to draw any inspiration from the sequels that were made in Asia?

I read the prequel and sequel to Infernal Affairs for the first time a couple of weeks ago and there wasn't anything I could use in Boston situation, not now.  The thing is, that world of "The Departed" is sort of an intensely personal literary construct. If you analyze what the commodity is now, it's that literary construct. People are talking about a sequel, but the reality is that I could propose "Untitled Boston Crime Picture" and sell it for more than I'd get for a sequel. I'm not putting the screws to anybody, I'm stating a fact. The commodity has transformed. I'll be writing about Boston as long as I live, but whether or not I do it in the form of a Departed sequel is up to other people. I'd honestly love to bring back Dignam, and I know how the picture would open. With The Departed Tango and snow falling on the Boston Common. I know every scene in the picture. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. When I say that I couldn't use Infernal Affairs 2 and 3 I'm not criticizing either film, I'm saying that "The Departed" now points in its own direction. Mak and Chong are brilliant filmmakers.  I think that the give and take between American and Asian cinema is one of the great energizing cross-cultural relationships, like rock music getting to England in the fifties and coming back as the British invasion. Except both are the R&B record and both are the British invasion. If there were no Martin Scorsese or Michael Mann there probably never would have been an Infernal Affairs, so there's a chicken and the egg situation to begin with. I'm in negotiations to do another adaptation of a Mak and Chong script, somewhere down the road. And I may do an original in Hong Kong. I love the way they make films, they just run them up and get them in the theaters. If one doesn't work you do another one. There's no over-thinking.

Where were you when you fond out that you were nominated for an Oscar and what does being nominated mean to you?

I reckon that the nomination is the win. It's an honor to be nominated. As for the award itself, you never know how these things are going to bounce. I just won the WGA, but someone might get out there and shake hands, or run a campaign, or people might genuinely believe that someone else did a better adapted screenplay, and I'll lose, and it's just not up to me. There are things you can't worry about, which you absolutely can't control, and winning an Oscar or not is maybe definitively one of them. It would be nice. I've taken extraordinary personal chances for writing since I was sixteen years old and believe me it's a big deal to hold an award in your hand. I was actually asleep when the nominations came out and had forgotten to leave my phone on. So I found out when I checked my email. My first reaction when I got nominated was real grief that my parents are dead. These things are for your parents. It still is for them, though, if I win.

With the success of The Departed and Kingdom of Heaven are the executives giving you more space and fewer notes? Also what is the worst note you've been given?

The thing about this business is that you have to come out of your shell and deal with certain realities of commerce and collaboration and still come up with a masterpiece at the end of it. And you know what? The masterpiece also has to make money. It's not easy to walk into that set of problems and come out with a work of art at the end of it, but it can be done. As far as getting notes is concerned, I've spent thirty-odd years studying English drama, so I'm personally at a point where I'm post-conscious about craft, but that's a pricey personal evolution, that's a thing I chose to do, and you have to remember not everyone's had time for it, any more than you can expect some other guy off the street to know kung fu or biochemistry. So yeah, there I am, and I sure I know English drama, plus film, and sometimes the other guy knows what somebody at a class told him a screenplay needs, and there's a difference, but I tell myself what I'd say to my kids or anybody else: when your boss is talking, you listen. The studios catch a lot of crap from the peanut gallery but they're the guys who pay for the movies and they are rightfully concerned about their investments. I don't expect an MBA to be Northrop Frye, but I do want to hear his opinions and I'd ask for them were they not given. Do I want to hear is "arc" and "journey" and how does someone "change" through the course of the movie? No, I do not. People change in stories about people changing, not in every story. Not every story is A Christmas Carol. You get this crap about "story" because of these chuckleheads out there running script classes, who really prey on confusion about art and people's genuine desire to learn. It's shameful what they've done to discourse about motion pictures and to film itself. Writers literally get fired in this business because they aren't providing enough "journey" in a story that doesn't call for any. There are no general rules to any sort of writing. Each work has its own inherent rules. You discover them. You don't import them.

Finally, what are you working on right now?

A really big contemporary film with Ridley, based on a spy novel by David Ignatius, who covers the Middle East for the Washington Post. It's going to shoot next fall. There's a lot of action and a terrific plot, and great characters.  Ridley and I have several things in the tray, including I hope "Tripoli", and "Blood Meridian"—which is a terrific script but it scares people at the budget level because it's very violent— and I also have "The Venetian", with Matt Damon, George Nolfi producing, a couple more things with Leonardo di Caprio, and something pending with Martin Scorsese. "The Gamblers" is something I'm excited to write. It's about the Clermont set and the disappearance of Lord Lucan, from the book by John Pearson, which I bought in partnership with the producer Quentin Curtis. Ridley Scott will maybe do that and I love the idea because, not only because I love working for Ridley, but you know, odd as it sounds, he's never done an English film, something which gets really right down in London. And no one knows London in the Sixties and Seventies, better than he does. I love that period, the Technicolor British films from that period.  Another couple of projects are coming together at Warners. I'm busy. If I win anything next Sunday I'm going to take a week off and quit smoking, which I've been avoiding doing.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: soixante on March 18, 2007, 12:24:26 AM
No tickey, no microprocessors.

I watched it a second (and third) time, and the film worked much better for me.  Among other things, I could actually follow the (extremely complicated) plot.

Nice touch:  Nicholson at the beginning, in silhouette, giving his opening monologue:  "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me."

Also, the title card didn't appear until 20 minutes into the film.  That might be a record.

Also, it's probably the first time the Beach Boys have appeared on the soundtrack to a Scorsese film.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: tpfkabi on March 18, 2007, 02:33:55 PM
i'll be pissed if they put out an Oscar edition with a Scorsese commentary...this is the first film in awhile that he hasn't done one (i think).
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: modage on March 23, 2007, 10:40:30 AM
Wahlberg Talks About Battling Scorsese on 'Departed' Set
Source: Cinematical

If I were Mark Wahlberg, I would never say anything that could jeopardize my relationship with our greatest living director, the honorable Martin Scorsese. (If I were Mark Wahlberg, I'd also probably be writing this on a laptop made of solid gold while sandwiched between Jessicas Alba and Biel on an enormous pile of money in a mansion made of chocolate. But that's neither here nor there). Wahlberg doesn't seem intimidated by the legend, however. He is telling the press everything wasn't so civil between the two of them on the set of Best Picture winner The Departed. They didn't reach Lily Tomlin/David O. Russell levels, but things did get pretty heated. "Marty and I were constantly in this struggle," says Wahlberg. "I had problems with Marty."

"I was only supposed to do a couple of weeks on The Departed so I was able to grow my hair for Invincible, says Wahlberg. "But then the schedule changed and four months later I'm still working on The Departed, so I wouldn't cut my hair and Marty was pissed off. He was like, 'You've got to cut your f***ing hair,' and I was, 'I don't give a f***.' He was, 'I'm Martin Scorsese... da-dee da.' I said, 'Well, I'm not getting paid for this... da-dee-da. What the f***?' He was pushing me in different ways." Again, if I'm Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Scorsese tells me to jump naked into a room full of razor blades and then roll around in lemon juice, I'm jumping. But as we have already established, I am not Mark Wahlberg.

According to the former President of the Funky Bunch, the dynamic duo has moved on. "We were able to laugh about it afterwards and we have a great relationship now and we're going to do other stuff in the future." Specifically, the pair has been discussing both a prequel and a sequel to The Departed. Says Wahlberg: "I've never made a prequel or sequel to any movie I've done before and they will have to be better than the first one, but obviously, with a guy like Marty it seems like a pretty safe bet." I'll tell you what's a safe bet, Wahlberg -- making a sequel to Rock Star that's better than the first one. It would simply have to be.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Pubrick on March 23, 2007, 11:04:41 AM
well i retract my supporting actor vote.

go abby!  :yabbse-smiley:
Title: Re: el Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on April 02, 2007, 07:13:02 AM
Pacino Joining "Departed" Sequel
Source: Dark Horizons

Now here's a reunion worth salivating over - Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

Reuters reports that Al Pacino is being sought for a key role in the upcoming sequel to "The Departed" which focuses on Mark Wahlberg's foul-mouthed cop character.

As already revealed, the story revolves around the corruption of politics this time around as Wahlberg goes undercover to bring down a ruthless senator (Robert DeNiro). Pacino is tipped to play Wahlberg's new boss - a force veteran who may not be as clean as he appears.

In related news Alec Baldwin is scheduled to reprise his role from "The Departed," whilst things are moving forward with enough speed that the film could very well be Scorsese's next project.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Flannery on April 02, 2007, 05:30:44 PM
Wahlberg Says "Departed" Sequel Unlikely
Source: Dark Horizons

Dubious about that Mark Wahlberg-led "The Departed" sequel ever getting made? Don't worry, so is Wahlberg himself.

The actor tells UK Teletext that "Until I'm actually on the set it's not happening. It's about as confirmed as the Italian Job sequel, The Brazilian Job. Until we can make it better than the first one it's not worth discussing."

He adds "I've never done a sequel before, there's only a couple I can think of that were as god as the first ones - The Godfather."
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: MacGuffin on January 05, 2009, 02:47:06 PM
A Departed Reunion?
Scorsese reportedly eyes Boston hitman biopic.

Word out of Boston is that the creative troika behind The Departed -- director Martin Scorsese, screenwriter William Monahan, and producer Graham King -- might reteam for a fact-based Beantown gangster movie.

It was reported earlier this month that King's GK Films had snagged the life rights of Boston underworld hitman John Martorano. Martorano was an enforcer and assassin for James "Whitey" Bulger, the South Boston crimelord and FBI informant who served as the basis for Jack Nicholson's kingpin in The Departed. Martorano, who served 14 years in prison for killing 20 people, became a witness for the government and helped expose the corrupt relationship between Bulger and the FBI. Bulger's FBI handler is now in prison, while the ex-mob boss has been a fugitive since 1995.

Now The Boston Herald claims that "Scorsese met secretly with the Winter Hill Gang hitman at an Italian restaurant in the Back Bay while The Departed director was in town making Shutter Island. Then, according to our snitch, Marty had his longtime collaborator, producer Graham King, lock down the rights to Martorano's life story. It is also likely that William Monahan, who wrote the screenplay for The Departed, which Scorsese directed and King produced, will write the Martorano script."

Word of a Martorano biopic has caused a furor in Boston, with many -- including cops and his victims' families -- condemning the very thought of turning the executioner's life story into a piece of entertainment.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: hedwig on January 06, 2009, 06:11:41 PM
Monahan is Marty's David Koepp.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alexandro on January 07, 2009, 01:27:12 AM
this is a fake, no?
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: squints on January 07, 2009, 08:07:55 PM
sounds like it to me.
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Champion Souza on June 24, 2011, 10:26:45 PM
They finally caught Whitey Bulger. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/06/23/mob-boss-arrest.html)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: Alethia on May 15, 2020, 06:21:47 PM
Notes on an American Film Director at Work: Martin Scorsese https://vimeo.com/417645977 (https://vimeo.com/417645977)
Title: Re: The Departed (Infernal Affairs remake)
Post by: wilberfan on May 16, 2020, 01:29:42 AM
I enjoyed that, thanks.


I secretly wish it had been "Goodfellas", tho.  Despite all the major star power on the film, I can't believe I actually said, "Hey, there's Radioman!" near the end.  Can we form a Cinephile Union and have this BTS footage made mandatory on every feature from a major (or upcoming) filmmaker?