The Departed is one of the critical favorites heading into Oscar season, and many film fans are wondering if this is the year Scorsese finally wins a trophy, or if he---like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, etc.---is too GOOD a director to win an Oscar? Anyway, of all his Oscar snubs, which is the greatest injustice? Conversely, which of the directors he lost to most deserved to win?

Anyone who likes The Departed needs to see Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong action film upon which is it based.

T

The Departed is my favorite Scorsese ever.

So? The fact that The Departed is based on a Hong Kong movie does not mean it is bad. There are plenty of remakes to good films which are themselves good. Know the classic 1941 John Huston film The Maltese Falcon? Many of the original moviegoers who saw it would have remembered TWO earlier versions, including one less than a decade old.

I will be more than happy to see the original Hong Kong movie, but I doubt it will change my opinion of The Departed once I see it. Then again, maybe it will. Most people regard The Magnificent Seven as a classic film, but I made the mistake of seeing Seven Samurai first, so I could not help but compare both films and found Preston Surging wanting in comparison to Akira Kurosawa. That's probably unfair, and TM7 has probably the best theme music to ANY American Western.

Look at those titles! How the hell does a movie called Raging Bull lose to a movie called Ordinary People?

Marty did not deserve to win the other times. Rocky was America's movie in '76-77. Rain Man had people quoting Dustin Hoffman and being fascinated by the idea that Tom Cruise could be in an Oscar-worthy film. Plus, Last Temptation is far from Marty's best effor. I know I'm in the minority about Dances with Wolves, but....you're all nuts. DwW is a lush beautiful film, and Costner shot his entire wad of filmmaking talent in that one single film. Every frame is perfect. Million Dollar Baby probably would not have won if it was just about a chick boxing. It had the whole

If you wanna talk about Marty getting robbed, talk about Gangs of New York. That's his return to form after Kundun and Bringing Out the Dead.

Where did he say The Departed is bad?

I voted for 1990, but 1980 was a very close second. Raging Bull is probably the best movie, but Dances With Wolves mandated a vote for 1990.

The Hong Kong version of Maltese Falcon was the best of all.

Dances With Wolves is actually a pretty good movie, although it is no GoodFellas. I think its reputation would be a lot better had not Kevin Costner's career not go into a Waterworld nosedive. It's funny how three of Scorsese's losses have gone to actor-directors, and many wonder if Sylvester Stallone might not have secretly directed Rocky himself. (The original is the only film of the series Stallone did not direct personally.) For me, I can see why the Academy voted for Rocky---it's a classic film, no matter what film snobs may say. I can also see why the Academy picked Dances With Wolves and later on Million Dollar Baby. But I have to wonder if the way, way, WAY overrated Ordinary People would have gotten nearly the critical praises and awards it received if the final credit was "Directed by William Howard Taft" rather than "Directed by Robert Redford". Reminds me of the famous comment Samuel Johnson said about a dancing bear. (I can't find this quote, so this may be inexact.) People applaud for the fact that the bear can dance at all rather than judge how well the bear actually dances. So it is with actors turned directors.

That being said, Clint Eastwood was directing movies for over 30 years when he won for Million Dollar Baby. Although it would have been nice to see Scorsese win, most of Marty's fans were rooting for him for what he had done in the past, not for The Aviator itself. MDB probably deserved to win the Oscar, so Eastwood shouldn't be lumped as the "bad guy" along with Redford and Costner.

I have no idea how you can take my opinion that anyone who likes The Departed should seek out the HK film, and spin it into a rant as you did.

I have made no comment nor judgement about The Departed, good or bad, and you seem like you might be projecting a bit.

Truth is I love Scorsese, was elated that he chose one of the all time great HK films to make his own, saw and loved Infernal Affairs, recommend it to everyone, and lend it out. But I have 4 kids, dont go to the movies much, and have not seen The Departed, thus my judgement free comment.

That is all.

Todd

I think the loss for The Aviator was the Academy saying "We want to give you an Oscar, but this one just isn't up to snuff."

It looks like this year he'll finally get one.

So what you're saying is, that if we haven't seen Internal Affairs, we don't deserve to live?

i think the Departed was overrated. There I said it. It had a lot of great actors, acting, but it went nowhere and the ending fell flat to me. and the very end had people in my theater laughing at it.

I like Scorcese. He seems like he loves films when he talks of them-although he seems not to make films in the way he talks about them, except maybe the Aviator.

I think the Aviator was better than MDB. Period.

I had a political objection to DWW at the time that i never overcame to see the film, but I like Costner a lot.

Rocky deserved to win every single thing it was nominated for .(I did not see Taxi Driver but Rockys are my favorite) I wish Sly had won best actor. Unfortunately many people think he is Rocky. Which he is not. It's a great performance.

I had not heard people think he directed it? Why the subterfuge if true?

Never saw Raging Bull or Ordindary people though it seems like OP would be the overrated one at the time,and is mostly forgotten today.

Rain man was very good. Never saw LTOC.

I hate initials and abbreviations.

I agree, now I've said it.

*smacks forehead*

Todd, I completely misinterpreted your remarks. There's nothing I can say except I was extremely stupid, and I am very sorry. Next time I should switch on my brain before turning on my computer...

"Marty! Kundun! I liked it!"

I'm guilty of the worst cinematic sin: I not only liked Titanic and saw it many times, but I thought it genuinely deserved to win Best Picture, although I (like everyone else) grew sick of that Celeine Deion song...

Goodfellas should've won. 'nuff said.

"Nobody's goin' tuh jail Karen!"

Goodfellas by a mile.

Hear!! Hear!!!

Let's also not forget what did win that year: Chicago - a total piece of fluff that was nowhere near as good as Gangs of New York.

The 2002 Oscar voters ought to be shot for that one.

No. Chicago deserved to win Best Picture. I probably would have rooted for Scorsese over Rob Marshall (had Marshall been nominated), but it does not change the fact that Chicago was the better film.

I'm surprised that this is turning into a runaway for 1990. I don't think people are arguing that GoodFellas (a great film in its own right) is better than Raging Bull, so it must be Costner hate. This is unfair because Dances With Wolves is a great movie that is at least worthy of a Best Picture nomination, although it is not nearly as good as GoodFellas. DWW is much, MUCH better than Ordinary People which beat out a BETTER Scorsese film. In my book 1980 wins by a mile.

One gripe I have about GoodFellas which has to do with the Oscar campaign. The ads falsely stated that GoodFellas was nominated for six Academy Awards. (I think this lie is perpetuated on the DVD box.) It was actually nominated for five? The sixth nomination? Robert De Niro received a Best Actor nomination in 1990, but it was for another film, Awakenings. He gave a much better performance in GoodFellas (although that was really a supporting role) which only goes to show the Academy unfortunately thinks an acting performance is somehow better if the role involves a handicapped character.