“The filmmaking process becomes the subject of the movie. All you want to talk about is the glorious whizzing camera, the freeze-frames and jump cuts. That may be why young film enthusiasts are so turned on by Scorsese’s work: they don’t just respond to his films, they want to be him.”

…

“Scorsese the arousal junkie makes you feel you’d like to hang out with him and listen to him tell how he brought off the effects; he’s a master. But this picture [Goodfellas] doesn’t have the juice and richness that come with major performances. It has no arc, and doesn’t climax; it just comes to a stop. Conceivably the abruptness could work, but I don’t think it does. Will the lift of the moviemaking still carry some people aloft? Maybe, because watching the movie is like getting strung out on pure sensation. That’s Scorsese’s idea of a hood’s life. It’s also a young film enthusiast’s dream of a director’s life, and in Scorsese’s case it’s not too far from the truth.”