Currently one of the most talked about movies on Netflix at the moment, The Irishman is another stunning effort from legendary director Martin Scorsese. However, a couple of weeks back he touched a few nerves when he insisted that his mob epic should not be watched on mobile phones (though he apparently can forgive viewers who use a large iPad).
Of course, this isn’t the first time Scorsese has pulled an “Old Man Yells At Cloud” when it comes to modern audiences, but now Ryan Reynolds of all people has given us his two cents on the subject of watching films on mobile devices (ironic that a guy who’s famous for starring in a superhero flick should offer a rebuttal to a man who decries superhero movies).
Speaking to Variety, Reynolds – who’s promoting his own Netflix effort, 6 Underground – made it clear that he disagrees with not using phones to watch The Irishman, or any film for that matter. Channelling his inner-Deadpool perhaps, he used some colourful language to let everyone know his opinion.
You should be able to watch whatever the f**k you want to watch on whatever f**king device you want to watch it on. I don’t know. I would say that’s just the way things are.
It seems Reynolds is on the side of modern audiences who – thanks to the advancements of technology – have the option of watching their favourite films and TV shows on whichever mobile device they choose. As he said, it’s “the way things are.” Scorsese may be a brilliant auteur, but there might be a touch of cantankerousness in his statement.
Michael Bay (who directed 6 Underground) has also had a few things to say, but he seems to fall somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, he understands that today’s audiences watch things on their phones, but he would just rather they didn’t.
I don’t want my movies to be watched on a phone either. But movies aren’t that bad on these new TVs that have HDR, high dynamic range. Listen most of the Academy votes on TVs, okay. We all love movies. I’m a big cinema guy. But, the great thing about Netflix is it’s a new voice out here and it’s a strong voice. And they do interesting content. So, that’s why I appreciate it.
Either way, people are going to watch stuff like The Irishman wherever and however they want, Scorsese’s criticism be damned. In fact, we wouldn’t at all be surprised if more people started doing it now, especially since Reynolds has given his blessing.