Taxi Driver: A Video Essay by Zade Constantine

I am a big fan of the Internet, as anyone who follows this blog can tell. But one of my favorite things about the 'Net is the amount of content that you can find on a variety of topics. You no longer have to work for a publication or have had one of your books published to have people see your thoughts and opinions on things... no, you can just post it up on the 'Net for all to see. One of my favorite topics is movies, and I have been finding a bunch of video essays posted online about some of my favorite films. One of the best that I have come across has come from Zade Constantine, and deals with the seminal Scorsese classic Taxi Driver. If you are a fan of the film, Scorsese, or excellent film critiques than this is the best way you can spend 9 minutes of your day. Great content... check out the full video after the jump.



A Video Essay on Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver from Zade Constantine on Vimeo.

"I Like You Siri, Your Going Places" - Martin Scorsese's IPhone Commercial

I am not an Apple convert. I am not a big fan of the Ipad or Iphone, even though I am sure they are perfectly great gadgets. I know most people who join the cult of Apple very rarely venture back to the outside. But I am an Android gut through & through. But just cause I worship at the alter of Google doesn't mean I can't admire great advertising when I see. it. Here is the newest Iphone commercial, this one featuring Martin Scorsese. I love the NYC setting, Marty's NYC personality, and it happens to be the same cab number as Travis Bickle's cab number from Taxi Driver. Now that is great advertising!!! Check out the full ad after the jump...

Taxi Driver: The 35th Anniversary Will Be Re-Released In Theaters

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Martin Scorcese's titular "good guy that does bad things" movie that brought the rise of Robert De Niro to a head, AMC theaters has decided to show the film in a beautiful Digitally Restored version of it for a few days in late March. I think this is a great idea, one that should be embraced by both studios and theaters alike. Think about it... both sides are complaining that they are losing money hand over fist. What better way to lure people back to the theater then by offering classics on the big screen? They are a sure thing (they are already successful), people already love them (they have a built in audience), and will surely generate money from people who want to see a past film in an actual theater (in this case something I was not able to do, since 'Taxi Driver' was released in 1976 & I was born in 1979). They should consider it more often.

The showings will be on March 19th & March 22nd, and only at selected AMC theaters. Click here to see which ones in your area will be showing the film. Shockingly, they list over 20 theaters in the NYC area, but I was only able to find two that were truly in NY. The others are found in NJ, albeit not far from the NY border. Who wants to check this puppy out? Get at me at mdevito730@gmail.com and let me know!!!