This November, the greatest movie franchise in the world comes to its culmination with the release of The Irishman, a three-plus-hour, star-studded crossover event. All moviegoers love the Martin Scorsese Cinematic Universe for its colorful characters, intertwined storytelling, and recurring themes of organized crime, Catholic guilt, the Italian American experience, rock music, and really fucking good cooking. But perhaps there are a few gems in the MSCU gauntlet you have yet to acquire. Find these movies on the Mercury’s shelf at Movie Madness (4320 SE Belmont, moviemadness.org) from Fri Nov 1-Sat Nov 30!
Italianamerican (dir. Scorsese, 1974)—For this 49-minute documentary, Scorsese ventured into the darkest terrain imaginable: dinner with his parents. Fortunately, they’re both delightful. Plus, mom’s recipe for meatball sauce!
After Hours (dir. Scorsese, 1985)—The funniest entry in the MSCU follows an office drone on a long night in New York’s underground, populated by punks, artists, and Cheech and Chong.
The Last Temptation of Christ (dir. Scorsese, 1988)—Scorsese’ adaptation of the brilliant Kazantzakis novel features the god Willem Dafoe (quite literally) and one of the greatest scores ever composed, by Peter Gabriel.