TAXI DRIVER

In her rave review of Taxi Driver, esteemed American film critic Pauline Kael said "Martin Scorsese achieves the quality of trance in some scenes, and the whole movie has a sense of vertigo." Comment briefly here on the way Scorsese uses the aesthetics of cinema (sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene, etc.) to achieve this "sense of vertigo." Focus on one aesthetic that you feel helped create this trance-like mood. Support your chosen aesthetic with an example of how it was employed during a specific moment in the film.

ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

I look forward to hearing what you thought of Scorsese's first foray into "Hollywood filmmaking" here. Write whatever you feel, but I encourage you to back up your thematic, dramatic and aesthetic likes and dislikes by referencing specific moments from the film. Please have your comments posted on here no later than Monday at 5 pm. And remember to bring a hard copy of what you've written with you to class on Tuesday. Thanks!

MEAN STREETS

Please post your responses to Mean Streets in the comments section. Try to address the following questions in whatever you write:

• What is Charlie's main conflict throughout the film?
• Why does the film end the way it does?
• What are some of the motifs Scorsese employs throughout the film? What purpose do they serve?