247: The Color of Money

At the Flicks

On previous episodes we have spoken to Phil Foster aka Phil The Bear about his fascinating series of director profiles. That’s where Phil watches all of the films linked to a major director and writes an in-depth article analysing both their career and their output. Following the article being published, we at At The Flicks then bring a small team together to discuss the work and the director in question with Phil. That approaches changes with this profile. Rather than take that holistic approach, we asked Phil to rate his top five Martin Scorsese features based on his rewatches. We wanted a top five and that’s what we got. So over six upcoming episodes we will discuss those five top selections. Wait, I hear you say, why six shows for five films? Well, after talking about the five (in reverse order) we will have our usual show to discuss the director and their career. So, who is the first director for this new format? It is the colossal talent that is Martin Scorsese, and, trust me listener, it was a tough choice to get Phil to get his favourites down to five for this series. Also, they are not obvious selections – take this first one, number five in Phil’s list – The Color Of Money. Yes, Phil has selected what many thought at the time (mid 80’s) as Scorsese sellout to commercialism movie, starring acting legend Paul Newman and up and coming new kid on the block Tom Cruise. It is also a sequel to a film (The Hustler) that was not made by him. We talk about all of that in our entertaining podcast as well as: - Who offered the project to Martin Scorsese - Female characters in his movies - If The Color Of Money can be classed as a sports film - What other roles members of this cast could have played in future Scorsese features - Was Paul Newman’s Best Actor Oscar deserved - And much more Please come with us on our Martin Scorsese journey – and think about this, if The Color Of Money is number five, what could possibly be number four? The answer is coming in a few episodes time – until then, stay safe and we’ll see you At The Flicks. Bye for now.