Nate and Ryan invite special guest Anne Singleton back to talk about The Departed, Martin Scorsese’s violent, vulgar crime thriller. Like most film fans, Nate and Ryan are big fans of Scorsese, but The Departed is the first of his films on this podcast. Although many of Scorsese’s films have been important to the foundations of contemporary American cinema, the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars eluded him until the Academy smiled upon this gritty remake of Infernal Affairs from Hong Kong directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Nate, Ryan, and Anne discuss how much impact the movie has more than 10 years later.
What are your memories of The Departed? Where does it rank among Scorsese’s movies? How many times should one director use the same song in a movie? Let us know!
Check out Ann’s Best Picture film blog.
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Nate and Ryan watch Moonstruck, the perfect movie to either keep the romance of a successful Valentine’s Day going, or the perfect movie to make up for a lackluster holiday. This 1987 hit won Best Actress and Supporting Actress Oscars for stars Cher and Olympia Dukakis as well as Best Original Screenplay for John Patrick Shanley. Both Nate and Ryan had always planned on seeing Moonstruck, but up until now had found a way to watch anything else instead. Listen as they discuss what took them so long, and whether Moonstruck (directed by Canadian Norman Jewison) was worth the wait.
In a year that has everyone talking about presidential scandals, corruption, and collusion, Nate and Ryan felt it only appropriate to revisit the 1976 classic All the President’s Men. Listen as Nate and Ryan discuss what makes this film brilliant, and how it feels to watch this movie in light of so many similar current events.