Catching the Classics: Goodfellas

Since 1998, I have been maintaining a list of movies that I wanted to see. Sometimes these are all-time classics that passed me by, sometimes they’re genre classics that interest me. The list is updated regularly and is currently more than 1700 movies long. Fogs has gone through and hand-picked several classic films for me to “fast-track” and review here. This is one of those films.

As far back as I can remember (sorry) the definitive gangster film was The Godfather. Even on the schoolyard it was known that was the film to show what it would be like to be a member of the mafia… even if we didn’t really know anything about it beyond the fact that there was, at some point, a Godfather involved. Then in 1992 came Martin Scorcese’s Goodfellas, and it rapidly joined the ranks of iconic gangster films. It would be some time before I saw either film. In fact, The Godfather was the first film that I ever watched because Fogs was tired of pitching references and watching them sail casually over my head, ten years ago on a site that has long since ceased to be. Catching up with Scorcese’s film, the contrasts are easy to make.

The Top Ten Leonardo DiCaprio Movies

Here we go, folks, back with another Top Ten for you! This time up, in light of this weekend’s “The Great Gatsby”, we’re taking a look at the filmography of Mr Leonardo DiCaprio!

Leo got his start in films at a young age, and in spite of taking a brief break from acting after “Titanic”, he’s had a pretty prolific career to this point! Further, his filmography is loaded with top-notch films, as he’s worked with some of the best directors there are: Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Sam Raimi, Danny Boyle, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg!

So let’s take a look at his filmography and pick out his ten best films!

The Top Ten Sports Movies

Last night, the 2012 NFL season officially kicked off, and in conjunction, today brings my list of the Top Ten Sports Movies of all time.

This was a difficult list to compile. Mainly due to the difficulty of defining what a “Sports Movie” actually is. A number of great movies use sports as an element, but in reality may be about something else. Perhaps the movie is a drama (“Raging Bull”) or has a strong romantic element (“Bull Durham”). How does one compare those as “Sports Movies” against a movie such as, say… “Miracle”, which is purely focused on a sport?

Compounding the challenge is the fact that this category has an enormous number of movies up for consideration. It would have been easy to go top 20 or even 30 here… I had to cut a number of movies that I’m a big fan of. There are some really, really painful omissions out there.

But I pushed on and worked it out! Click through to check out my list of the Top Ten Sports Movies of all time!

Movies That Everyone Should See: “Raging Bull”

So, for the second time, [the Pharisees]
Summoned the man who had been blind and said: 
“Speak the truth before God.
We know this fellow is a sinner.” 
“Whether or not he is a sinner, I do not know,” 
The man replied.
“All I know is this:
Once I was blind and now I can see.”

– John IX, 24-26
The New English Bible

Directors Talk: Martin Scorsese

Welcome back to “Directors Talk”! The roundtable discussion series I participate in with PG Cooper of PG Cooper’s Movie Reviews and Ian the Cool of Ian the Cool’s Movie Reviews…

This time up, we have one of the most acclaimed directors of all time, Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese!

Scorsese’s career dates back almost 40 years, and includes such legendary films as “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Gangs of New York”, “The Departed” and “Hugo”. With such a storied career to discuss, you can be assured that we had a lengthy conversation about the man, and really hashed out our thoughts! Check it out!  

Fogs’ Oscar Diary: Pt 4 The Big Finish

Overture, curtain, lights!
This is it. The night of nights.
No more rehearsing or nursing a part.
We know every part by heart!

Overture, curtain, lights!
This is it. We’ll hit the heights!
And oh, what heights we’ll hit!
On with the show, this is it!

Here we go, the final hour! The big Awards! The Grand Finale! Best Actor! Best Actress! Best Director! And of course, Best Picture! Let’s do it!

Movies That Everyone Should See: “Taxi Driver”

“Taxi Driver” was released in February of 1976.

America was a country with a deeply wounded psyche at the time. The President was Gerald Ford, who had been Richard Nixon’s Vice President throughout the Watergate scandal. The sentencings of Nixon’s White House aides, along with John Mitchell, the former Attorney General of the United States, were not even 12 months removed. The summer prior, America had lost a war for the first time. The country watched as Saigon fell, and people scrambled to abandon the US Embassy.

America needed a hero.

Instead, Martin Scorsese gave us Travis Bickle…

Hugo

“Hugo” is the latest film by one of the greatest directors of all time, Martin Scorsese. It’s also his first attempt at family oriented entertainment. It’s a gorgeous movie, a visually beautiful film that has a lot of heart. Brimming with affection and carefully crafted with love for its subject.

Yet I can’t deny that, while I respect the film and its craftsmanship, there were times when I found it testing my patience… when I didn’t feel I was being sufficiently entertained.

It’s a pocket watch of a movie in the information age. There are people who will appreciate and cherish its charms, uniqueness, beauty, theme and strolling pace. While others will leave underwhelmed, expecting far more adventure out of this “adventure”.

2011 Holiday Movie Season Preview!!

This year, the start of the Holiday Movie season is November 18^th. That’s NEXT weekend already folks!! That’s when Hollywood releases “Happy Feet Two” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1”, two movies with valid expectations of large takes at the gate. The start of the second blockbuster season of the year!

Here are the movies coming up this Holiday Season that I’m most excited for. Check out Wednesday, December 21^st! “The Adventures of Tintin”, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, and “Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol”! That’s going to be a busy day!

Movies That Everyone Should See: “Goodfellas”

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

Goodfellas.

Scorsese’s epic movie about life in the mob.

It makes me want to be a gangster, too.