They don't make em like they used to...

Films and shows tend to have a weight to them, I feel. Some are light and airy, others are heavy and dense. This is the latter. I can't put my finger on it, but everything felt heavy and hit harder than it should have. The way it's shot, the haunting soundtrack, the performances - an old master in De Niro, whose every gravely word had gravity, the anguish riddled face of his protege, Di Caprio and the understated yet tragic demeanor of Lily Gladstone, as if she represented the tragedy of her whole race - it all contributed to a profound sense of weightiness of the narrative. A deep sadness.

It's also very long. Is that a problem? Not for me. But I can understand that factor being a issue for others. Maybe it would have been better suited as a mini-series. Is every minute necessary? Maybe not. But I loved every minute of this regardless.

Is it perfect? No. Why? I don't know. Ask me what is wrong with it and I can't tell you. But it has the feel of an old master just casually making a masterpiece. I say casually because there's a lingering sense that it could have been even more. That's about as close I can come to criticism of this masterpieces.

As far as I know, this didn't wind any major awards. At least not any Oscars. Oppenheimer cleaned up there. A film that is very much like it's director, all style and very little substance. That is what separates Christopher Nolan and other modern contemporaries from Martin Scorsese. Scorsese prioritizes story and characters, often resulting in great films, while the likes of Nolan, Villeneuve etc. seem to care more about the cinematic spectacle, usually at the expense of the story and it's characters.

Tony Soprano once said something in The Sopranos regarding the glory days of the mafia: "...lately, I've been getting a feeling that I came at the end. The best is over". This is how I feel about films and TV. I'll be very sad when Martin Scorsese makes his last film. It will feel like the end of an era. But unlike Tony, I have the luxury of being able to go back in time, to the glory days of film and TV.