Well, to each their own. But I loved Gangs. Loved it. Not saying it was perfect, but really enjoyed it, both times I saw it. I liked both the Goldman-authored films I mentioned, but they were just fluff compared to 5 minutes of any Scorsese film I've seen. And all those things that came out in the end of Gangs, I felt they were there the whole time, just lurking in the background, waiting to explode. And when they finally did, it was a huge payoff for me. Like the crane shot that follows the immigrants off the boat, past the army sign up, back with new recruits to another boat, then back off with the coffins.... AMAZING!! It was a huge middle point to the film. And I just really liked how, in most movies the characters are the focus of the world, but in this one all the other events just smother them over and render them insignificant at the end.
Anyway, I'm don't really need anyone to agree with me, I'm just trying to explain why Gangs worked for me. But sorry to El Scorcho for getting way off topic. And I reiterate, could someone possibly post the Rolling Stone article?
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary: the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.
When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.