Wednesday, March 23, 2011

CELEBRATE: Taxi Driver


My favorite movie of all time hit the big screen this week, last night and Saturday night to be exact, in honor of it's 35th anniversary and upcoming release on Blu-ray. Yes, I'm talking about Martin Scorsese's, Taxi Driver.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to either of the screenings =/ My girlfriend was sick on Saturday night so we stayed in and I was stuck working a late shift yesterday...so yeah. Don't cry for me though, I've seriously seen this movie OVER 9,000 times. I can quote from the book of Travis Bickle like right wing nut jobs quote the Bible. Even though I have two different versions of Taxi Driver on DVD, I'm still probably going to end up with the new Blu-ray. Its kind of sad if you think about it. Oh wells. I also don't regret missing this film on the screen all that much. Unlike my Back To The Future celebration, Taxi Driver isn't the type of movie you should enjoy with a large group of excited, positive people. No, Taxi Driver should be viewed alone, on a tiny beat up old television, while you brandish a pistol and plot revenge against all the fictitious enemies responsible for your life's misery. The way Travis Bickle would want it.


Notice I haven't referred to Robert De Niro once. That's because in my eyes, he IS Travis Bickle. He wasn't some dude pretending to be a deranged Vietnam veteran turned cab driver, whose Schizotypal behavior leads him to kill minorities & criminals, stalk underage prostitutes and the occasional assassination attempt on political figures. No, De Niro WAS this guy. Just as Christian Bale will always be Patrick Bateman, De Niro and Bickle are one and the same.

I really can't explain how important this movie was to my development as a person. I'm not some raging psycho or angry basement dweller by any means. No, I'm just a regular guy who was horrified when I saw how much I identified with Bickle's character. Travis is hardly a monster, but the dude CLEARLY has some issues. What does that say about me or about the society we live in? Damn you Scorsese!

So go watch Taxi Driver because it's so damn awesome. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you.

25 comments:

  1. This movie is a total classic! Just being supportive :)

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  2. I just saw Taxi Driver for the first time last year and loved it. Robert DeNiro is amazing and I agree about the Bale/Bateman reference. I read the book before I saw the movie and I had my own image of Bateman in my head, but after seeing the movie I can't remember what my mind's character looked like!

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  3. Great movie with one of the great characters played by an actor in his prime.

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  4. awesome movie, he was godly in this!

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  5. Love this movie one of the all time best.

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  6. Wow dude, what a way to explain the psyche of the character i feel the pain good review man.

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  7. thanks, i'm gonna watch it. :D

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  8. i just realized how old de niro is- never seen this movie

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  9. You feel what Bickle feels in this film, that's why it's so good and LOL at the Scorsese cameo

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  10. This was a really good movie. It was a one of a kind back in the day when not a lot of people wanted to touch the subject of war vets.

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  11. Love the video man! Awesome stuff thanks for sharing!

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  12. a really fascinating movie!
    +following

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  13. I love taxi driver! My favorite part has to be the mirror scene :D

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  14. one of the all time great movie and it's mad now seeing the difference with DI Niro :)

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  15. You cant mess with the classics! :D

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  16. I still havent watched this movie in its entirety. i be slacking

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  17. :( I wish there a theater near me that showed old movies on the big screen.

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  18. This would be awesome to see in a movie theater

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  19. I'm with Robert Funf. I'd love to see it on a big screen.

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  20. I feel bad that I haven't see this movie yet. I think I will this time.

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