Poster Art: If Goodfellas was a Romantic Comedy

If there are two things I love, it’s Goodfellas (1990) and making fun of shitty romantic comedy clichés. Chief among the rom-com clichés is the poster art, which has five or six different templates to choose from. Just add two actors who have given up on awards and you’ve got yourself a rom-com poster. Here’s one version of how a Goodfellas poster could play out if it were a rom-com.

Ten Great Tracking Shots

The tracking shot is the gateway drug for film nerds. It’s one of the first camera techniques that any viewer can recognize on film. Dictionary.com defines it succinctly as “a camera shot in which the cameraman follows a specific person or event in the action.” Here are ten great examples.

The Soundtrack Series: Martin Scorsese

The Soundtrack Series marches on, this time turning its gaze towards Martin Scorsese. His appreciation for the Rolling Stones is certainly famous, but that a list like this could be filled out with only one Stones selection proves that he’s not a one-trick pony. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to suggest that Scorsese’s use of music in his films in the early 1970s revolutionized film. Here are a several examples of his best soundtrack efforts.

Infographic: Scorsese at a Glance

Martin Scorsese celebrated his 70th birthday a few weeks ago. Even though it’s almost a month later, it wouldn’t feel right unless his birthday was properly acknowledged here at TDYLF. After all, the man is a national treasure, both for his efforts to preserve classic cinema and for his own tremendous films. To honor the man who’s been as important as anyone to film history in his 70 years on earth, I’ve finally given him the infographic treatment.

Fun with Netflix Viewer Reviews

I have been extraordinarily busy at work, which means that my brain is fried by the time I get home most nights. And that also means that today, you’ll get an article that’s easy for me and fun for you. How about some examples of people writing really bad Netflix viewer reviews? These are presented completely unedited.

Who is Jordan Belfort and Why is Martin Scorsese Making a Movie About Him?

Martin Scorsese started filming The Wolf of Wall Street a few weeks ago. The film is fertile territory for Scorsese- a biopic about a criminal, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. There’s no official word yet on who will play the madonna/whore but Margot Robbie would seem to be the choice, as Belfort’s wife. Even though the film won’t be released until some time in 2013 (at the earliest), it’s never too early to start deciphering the subject matter. Who is Jordan Belfort and why is Martin Scorsese making a movie about him?

25, By the Numbers

This weekend, I completed my biggest movie-related goal of 2012. With Goodfellas (1990) on Thursday and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) on Saturday, I officially watched my 24th and 25th classic or non-new release films on the big screen this year. I’m not going to go crazy and make an infographic for it- how much of a narcissist would someone have to be to make an infographic about themselves?- but there are a lot of neat facts and figures about the 25 that made up my movie journey this year.

The 9 Worst Mob Movie Marriages

If you’ve seen any mob movie made in the last five decades, then you realize that mafia marriages are riddled with crime, adultery, drug use, and eventually divorce. It would seem that a life of crime makes a person a horrible husband, and those horrible husbands tend to attract horrible wives. It’s all kinds of fun when it’s put on the screen. Here are my picks for the nine worst mob movie marriages.

15 Images of Martin Scorsese on Set

A lot of things happen to a movie before anyone actually sees it on screen. Most of what happens isn’t even seen on screen when it’s a finished product. The behind the scenes stuff makes up the guts of a film, and I’m in favor of bringing some of that to light. Here are 15 pictures of Martin Scorsese plying his craft throughout his career, on set.

There Can Be Only One!

There are many cinematic debates that have raged on for years. These debates provide two options–two icons or two tremendous films–that are strikingly similar, and yet still distinct from one another. Almost universally, they’re presented in black and white. As the title suggests, there can be only one option chosen as a favorite. There’s no room for gray area. I find that notion horribly misguided. I can love pizza and beer equally, for instance. Having said that, the debates are still a whole lot of fun and they’ve made me try to learn more about the other side far more than I would have without the debates. Here are some of my favorite debates, and my verdict.