Ok, try not to fall out of your chair while I tell you a sad Oscar fact: Kevin Costner won an Oscar for directing before Martin Scorsese. Not only that, Costner beat Scorsese in 1990 with his direction of Dances with Wolves. Scorsese, of course, was nominated for Goodfellas. In fact, it took 16 more years for Marty to finally get that Oscar for The Departed. Let that sink in. Go on, let it fester. It seems one of the Academys favorite pastimes had been repeatedly snubbing Martin Scorsese for some unfathomable reason, from Mean Streets to Taxi Driver to Raging Bull. Most people thought that this would finally be Martys time. But it was not to be. Dances with Wolves sweeping romanticism apparently resonated more with voters than Goodfellas gritty charisma and it took both the Best Picture and Best Director statues. This one probably looks worse now than it did then, just because of how inexplicably long it took the Academy to finally reward Martin Scorsese.
