Honestly, just because you can de-age someone, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. And yes, it’s so good, we had to write about it twice.
What feels like a lifetime ago, I wrote an article about Netflix and its original programming. Even then, I knew it was only a matter of time before we got bigger projects to appear exclusively for Netflix, but I never thought we would get a Martin Scorsese picture.
Last year, Netflix won big with Alfonso Caron’s Roma. It was a turning point for them and it was just a matter of time before more high profile filmmakers made their way to a streaming service. This year saw just that, a wave of filmmakers walk toward streaming services instead of regular theatrical releases. And Netflix found a film that might just propel them to win big once again at this year’s Oscar ceremony. It might be surprising to see Martin Scorsese creates a film and have it bow on Netflix instead of having the theatrical release one would be accustomed to seeing with a name like his. But after viewing The Irishman it’s easy to see why Netflix was not only the best choice for the film but also the only choice.
Long live the new flesh indeed.
It’s been a few years since I previously wrote about Netflix and their original content. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, it feels like an entire lifetime ago.
At that time, David Ayer directing a Max Landis script starring Joel Edgerton and Will Smith sounded massive. It wasn’t, and it isn’t, definitely not anymore. If a film could bomb on a streaming service, then Bright did exactly that. Somehow that never stopped them or even slowed them down. In 2017, Netflix released films by Bong Joon-Ho (Okja), Noah Baumbach (The Meyeroritz Stories), and even Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game). That line-up is fairly substantial but they continue as 2018 had films by Alex Garland, Duncan Jones, the Coen Brothers, Alfonso Cuaron. Not to mention finally allowing the world to see Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind, allowing us to watch the film almost 50 years after principal photography. Also another passion project by Martin Scorsese, The Irishman which will be released in 2019.
The UnderSCENE 