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One of Scorsese's most underrated works. A great De Niro, an excellent Liza Minelli, the New York Jazz of this film is one of the many faces of the city that Scorsese has wonderfully depicted throughout his career. A beautiful film, it has the one flaw of being literally overshadowed by the two absolute peaks of Scorsese, "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," which are a good notch higher.

The excellent debut of Martin Scorsese (1969), who in the '70s, thanks to masterpieces such as "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," would establish himself as one of the greatest representatives of "New Hollywood" and one of the greatest directors of all time. The protagonist is his friend Harvey Keitel (also a newcomer), who later boasts a brilliant career (an exceptional actor). It's not yet fully in focus, but Scorsese's class and skill are already evident; there's Little Italy, and there's a great story.

"The Departed" is not "The Goodfellas" nor "Casino," and it’s not even remotely comparable to two of the peaks of Scorsese's cinema. Here, Scorsese's focus is on the audience and the box office more than on realism and plausibility as in the masterpieces of 1990 and 1995. Setting this aspect aside, however, the film is formally very good, the director's mastery is evident, Di Caprio is good, Nicholson is excellent, Sheen is solid, but it's too bad about the mediocre Damon, yet ultimately the film is very beautiful.

Squashed between two masterpieces like Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976), this gem from 1974 is one of the most underrated and least known films of the Italian-American director. The moving story of a woman in search of herself and serenity, excellently portrayed by Ellen Burstyn. The performances of Kris Kristofferson, Harvey Keitel, and a just eleven-year-old Jodie Foster are also remarkable. Not a masterpiece, but an excellent film worth rediscovering.

Criticized, opposed, gossip-ed about, this film represents one of Scorsese's highest peaks in the 1980s, a very personal and brilliant vision of the life and story of Jesus, a deeply profound analysis, a film that offers plenty of food for thought. If we also consider that Defoe and Keitel perform wonderfully, and that Scorsese directs with his usual skill, that the film has very few slow moments, and that the music is by the most inspired Gabriel, well... it's simply stunning.

Second feature film by Scorsese. A film still veryraw, but the enormous talent of Scorsese can already be sensed. The ending is traumatizing, and overall the film is excellent. A Scorsese who is warming up and preparing for his first great masterpiece (Mean Streets). The film is really well acted, the story is magnificent, truly a gem. Very beautiful.

The masterpiece of Martin Scorsese from the '90s and one of his absolute best films (second only to Taxi and Raging Bull). Technically, it's monstrously perfect, very realistic and well-crafted, with actors in a state of grace, Liotta superb, Pesci phenomenal, De Niro impeccable, an impressive amount of memorable scenes; in short, an absolute masterpiece. For me, probably one of the best films of the '90s and the best gangster movie ever. Wonderful.

Scorsese's first masterpiece. The director begins to tell about himself, about Little Italy, about his life and that of all the boys from the American neighborhood; to do so, he chooses as protagonists a close friend of his, Harvey Keitel (an outstanding performance), and a nearly debuting Robert De Niro, who literally unleashes all his immense talent, delivering an indescribable performance. Both actors are from L.Italy like the director; this masterpiece, after all, also speaks about them.

Truly an absolute masterpiece, a gigantic Scorsese who here directs one of his best works, De Niro reaffirms himself as the greatest actor of all time with a performance beyond the exceptional, probably his peak, truly off the charts. Stunning cinematography. The film is one of the 5 most beautiful of the '80s (perhaps even one of the 3 most beautiful). A huge masterpiece, a milestone in the history of cinema.

MY favorite film. Outside the norm. The definitive consecration of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, the solidification of their extraordinary partnership, the peak (or one of the peaks) for both. Taxi Driver is probably Scorsese's absolute masterpiece (it competes with Raging Bull), and De Niro here is colossal, out of the norm, absurd, just like the director himself. The young Jodie Foster is also wonderful. A cornerstone of world cinema. 10

After "Mean Streets," "Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore," "TAXI DRIVER," "Raging Bull," "King of Comedy," "After Hours," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "The Age of Innocence," and "Goodfellas," here is the latest great Scorsese film, this immense "Casino." He will continue to make good films, but for me, this extraordinary movie remains his last great masterpiece.

A lesser film in a filmography dotted with masterpieces like Scorsese's. Still, it remains a nice thriller, with a rather unsuccessful and decidedly exaggerated ending, but otherwise very beautiful. De Niro is terrifying, a magnificent performance (yet another).
Great film.

excellent. 8

Records like these are worth a career. 9

6.5

7.5

Season 1: beautiful. 2-7 = total, absolute. 8-10 = excellent. 11 = still good. 12-13 = bearable. 14-15 = noticeable decline. 16-20 = goodbye (I didn't even watch the last ones).

Hilarious Brooksian parody of the Western, inferior to the subsequent masterpieces "Frankenstein Jr." and "Silent Movie," still remains among the most successful works of the director. A brilliant ending featuring the massive brawl in the studios and the showdown outside the cinema. Exceptional also: "Fermi tutti, al primo movimento faccio fuori il negro," said by the same Black sheriff. A fun and at times brilliant parody.

8

7.5

8

6.5

I would have been very happy if, as a child, they had played this record in church during Sunday morning masses back in the days of the never-too-terrible catechism; in that context, this record would have been amazing, a hit, because musically speaking, the tracks are quite good, with their melodic and elegant rock/beat/pop framed by gospel-soul quirks. And "Il sesto giorno" is a beautiful song, for example. But... the lyrics... It’s not, of course, the religious theme itself that’s the problem, but how it’s approached: the lyrics aim to express the moral decay of man with (continuous references, the 9 minutes of "Crepuscolo"...) to Jesus as a light of hope and salvation, resulting in preachy statements that contain all the naive pacifism with echoes of the '60s and all the hypocritical Catholic moralism, with a simplistic and naive portrayal of themes that is almost endearing. Spitaleri's beautiful voice, which has this very theatrical and pronounced singing style, amplifies it all. There are things here that are just unbearable to listen to, and I reiterate, musically speaking, the songs are nice pieces too, what a shame. Long live Geggiù! "Inferno," from the following year, which also has its limits, is on another level.

Between the incredibly courageous and the naive is the desire to develop a concept even based on the "Divina Commedia," not to mention the singing style of Jimmy Spitaleri (gorgeous voice, anyway, one of the most beautiful in the Italian scene), so emphatic and theatrical that it oscillates between the epic and the unintentional comedic. Despite everything, "Inferno" remains one of my favorite albums within the vast panorama of '70s Italian prog, musically inspired (dominated by the omnipresent keyboards of Olivieri, there is no guitarist on this record) and engaging, with good lyrics that introduce new and more "modern" types of sinners in the infernal circles ("Drug dealers," "Racists," etc.). Ambitious, perhaps even too much, but a great album; after years, it still hasn't worn me out.

I have no trouble imagining how shocking and innovative this album must have been in the landscape of Italian pop music back in 1971, given the way certain themes are addressed in the lyrics and the interpretations and vocal style of an extraordinary singer like Martini, so intense and visceral, unlike anything that had ever been heard in Italy before. It's a truly poignant album, perhaps the one that most reveals the gash in her soul, which, apart from her talent, allowed her to deliver such extraordinary interpretations. And then that voice... The songwriters behind her are more inspired than ever (right, Claudiò?) the covers (like "Into the White" by Stevens) are excellent, and then there are two tracks like the title track and "Lacrime di marzo," which are heart-wrenching. "Lacrime di marzo" is her "Fruit Tree," no doubt about it. A spine-tingling album for me.

This 1989 work marked his return to the scene after a (forced) withdrawal-exile, driven by "Almeno tu nell'universo," definitely not one of my favorites by Mimì. The album is absolutely enjoyable and of good quality but undoubtedly inferior to the glories of the '70s and even to the subsequent "La mia razza." Some of the best songs were written for him by Enzo Gragnaniello ("Donna" and "Strade che non si inventeranno mai da sole," where we find a wonderful guitar solo by Gragnaniello himself), in my opinion, his best songwriter from the '89-'94 period. Other nice tracks include "Amori," "Notturno," and the retrieval of "Agapimù," a song from 1974 (already on "E' proprio come vivere") which here clearly becomes my favorite of the album in question, beautiful. A dignified and pleasant work overall, with a few scattered gems here and there.

Another very beautiful album, the second album by Mia Martini, propelled by the evergreen "Piccolo uomo," which rightfully stands among her most successful songs. Perhaps it doesn't reach the dramatic intensity of her debut nor the pure melodic beauty of "Il giorno dopo," but it remains, for me, only slightly inferior. What elevates this album is especially "Valsinha," the song that Martini seemed to prefer among all those she performed, giving it a truly spine-tingling interpretation (the piece, of course, by Buarque/de Moraes, is a masterpiece in any form it takes). Other splendid songs include "Donna sola," "Questo amore vero," "Amanti," "Tu che sei sempre tu" (chills here too, for lyrics, melody, interpretation, vocal talent), and the cover of "Border Song" by Elton John, with new Italian lyrics that become another foreshadowing of her fate.

Released in 1992, it is the last album of unreleased tracks by Mimì (the next one will be entirely composed of covers). An album, once again, valid, even though not all the songs are particularly striking. Like every one of her albums, "Lacrime" has at least a couple of beautiful songs that enhance it, such as the lovely "Il mio Oriente" and the splendid "Scenne l'argiento," a piece written for her by the usual Gragnaniello, who with this tribal-ethnic-Neapolitan dance elevates the desire and passion for the "World-Ethnic" sounds of the singer. A beautiful song, perhaps even among my favorites by Mimì, a true gem that, being the last piece of "Lacrime," is also her final unreleased track. The title track and "Versilia" are also nice, while the rest is pleasant. Even Martini, however, cannot make me appreciate a piece written by Antonacci like "Il fiume dei profumi."

A beautiful album of pop and light Italian music, Martini was an extraordinary voice and performer, also quite versatile, and here she is accompanied by great writers (I think of the very early Venditti in "Ma quale amore" or Maurizio Piccoli and the Fabrizio brothers, not to mention Califano and Baldan Bembo) not to mention the excellent choice of (two) covers, which stand out among the highlights of the album, especially "Signora" by Serrat—I adore it, one of Martini's most successful interpretations, a song that has perfectly become hers. Songs like "Bolero," "Minuetto," "La malattia," "Dove il cielo va a finire," or "Picnic" (i.e., "Your Song" by Elton John) to mention the other peaks of the album make "Il giorno dopo" one of the most intense and beautiful Italian pop albums I have ever listened to. A voice and a performer that gives you chills.

3/5 for the film, very nice, 10/5 for Foster, moving, poignant, wonderful, her best performance, with all due respect to "The Accused," "The Silence of the Lambs," etc. Fabulous. It's basically thanks to her that the film is a well-made product.

2001. The alien mutant being and collaborator of the Men in Black once known as Michael Jackson releases his last studio album. Thank goodness it was the last because it’s one of the most abominable albums I’ve ever listened to. I found it ugly even when I was 14 and I was a huge fan of his. MaddòlaMonnezza. The. Monnezza.

Now, I know that Michele on debaser is kind of the antichrist, but say what you want, he has made some good music too, and "Off the Wall" remains a beautiful album of pop-dance-r&b-funky-disco, black music for everyone, yes, but of excellent quality. For me, this is his most beautiful album, it’s the prodigy boy who finally grows up, it’s the consecration and definitive artistic maturity of this young son of Motown who here reaches his highest point; "Off the Wall" is the culmination of the first part of his career, from the Jackson 5 onwards, the end of his musically most spontaneous and visceral period. And it’s a lively, brilliant, inspired album, perfect for moving your hips, played, sung, and produced really well, you can feel the weight of people like Quincy Jones and authors like Rod Temperton ("Rock With You", title track, and "Burn This Disco Out", great tracks) the friend, source of inspiration, and another former child prodigy, Stefanino Meraviglia, and Jackson himself, in great shape as a songwriter, both on his own ("Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough") and together with bassist Louis Johnson ("Get on the Floor", another gem). Macca also participates, not at his best. Then "She's Out of My Life" is overly sultry and unnecessarily heavy in the interpretation, but apart from that, this album flows like a fairy tale. After this, there will be "Thriller", there will be the phase of the "King of Pop", there will be less "carnal" sounds, more plastic and synthetic, more "fake," in short, it will be something else.

Always skipped the greatest hits, a record of absolutely mediocre unreleased tracks, except for 2-3 songs in a sea of crap. This had started almost a decade ago now.

7