MoeFOH's Movie of the Week... Week #43

[MoeFOH]

MoeFOH's Movie of the Week 🎥

Each week we're going to spotlight a movie... be it a classic, new release, hidden gem, or outright turd... and open it for discussion: i.e. post up your favourite quotes, clips, memories... or dive deeper and give us a critique on why you think it's great, overrated, or a complete train wreck... And finally score it for us...  

All contributors go into a monthly prize draw for a 3-cigar sampler! 

PM me with suggestions if there's a movie you want to nominate for next week's discussion. 

 

Week #43: Goodfellas

Moe says: "I'm funny how? What, like I'm a clown, I amuse you?..." One of the best scenes ever in one of the best mob movies of all-time! Great cast delivering superb performances all round, the late Ray Liotta's best work. However, like most, or all, of Scorsese's pieces it's not a perfectly polished Fincher-like article across the board, which is the only thing stopping full marks from me:  9/10.

Goodfellas (stylized GoodFellas) is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

Scorsese initially titled the film Wise Guy and postponed making it; he and Pileggi later changed the title to Goodfellas. To prepare for their roles in the film, De Niro, Pesci and Liotta often spoke with Pileggi, who shared research material left over from writing the book. According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals wherein Scorsese gave the actors freedom to do whatever they wanted. The director made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines he liked most and put them into a revised script, which the cast worked from during principal photography.

Goodfellas premiered at the 47th Venice International Film Festival on September 9, 1990, where Scorsese was awarded with Silver Lion for Best Director, and was released in the United States on September 19, 1990, by Warner Bros. The film was made on a budget of $25 million and grossed $47 million. Goodfellas received widespread critical acclaim upon release: the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls it "arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career". The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Pesci winning for Best Supporting Actor. The film won five awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film and Best Director. Additionally, Goodfellas was named the year's best film by various critics' groups.

Goodfellas is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, particularly in the gangster genre. In 2000, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress. Its content and style have been emulated in numerous other films and television series.

Over to you!

How do you rate it out of 10? 

Post up favourite clips, quotes, etc... 

[MoeFOH]

 

[Ford2112]

It's phenomenal. The sausages on the grill and spaghetti in prison. The Billy Batts scene. Carbone. When Morrie is getting his wig yanked off. The dialog.. The cast. The music. Too many movies tried to rip off the formula. This one is the top of the heap . 10/10

 

[JohnS]

Critically considered the second best Gangster film behind 'The Godfather'. It has many familiar Scorsese trademarks and motifs which are instantly recognisable such as:

• using familiar actors (Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, his parents etc),
• using classic songs from the late 60's/70s for the soundtrack (who can forget the outro of Layla for the freezer death scene?),
• starting the film with a scene from the middle of the movie and then going back to explain how the characters got there,
• utilising freeze frames and long tracking shots,
• including references and pictorials of New York City,
• explaining background detail via voiceover narration and of course,
• driving the plot with an anti-hero - usually with highly questionable morals.

10 out of 10.

[Edicion]

It's one of the all time mafia / gangster classics imo. I've also read the book, and actually think the movie is better.

10/10

(Btw I think the description belongs to another movie 😅)

[Chibearsv]

“Hey ma I need this knife..”  🤣  Great movie 9/10

[mtd057]

Classic mafia movie. I've watched it a dozen times and I would watch again.  10/10

[KCCubano]

Easy 10/10. Have seen it a dozen times or more

[Ken Gargett]

4 hours ago, JohnS said:

Critically considered the second best Gangster film behind 'The Godfather'. It has many familiar Scorsese trademarks and motifs which are instantly recognisable such as:

• using familiar actors (Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, his parents etc),
• using classic songs from the late 60's/70s for the soundtrack (who can forget the outro of Layla for the freezer death scene?),
• starting the film with a scene from the middle of the movie and then going back to explain how the characters got there,
• utilising freeze frames and long tracking shots,
• including references and pictorials of New York City,
• explaining background detail via voiceover narration and of course,
• driving the plot with an anti-hero - usually with highly questionable morals.

10 out of 10.

fabulous movie. agree with everyone here. 

but john, i'd argue that all of those techniques you mention had been previously used before goodfellas came along - perhaps the last one not so much. but scorsese put them all together as well, if not better, than anyone before him. 

[westg]

Classic. Joe Pesci was so good . Not surè which I preferred him in this or Casino. 

[Doctorossi]

10/10. Completely satisfying.

[joeypots]

It’s a ten in my book. 

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

[bassistheplace]

You're killing it with these choices!!

1. I love mob movies

2. This is #3 all time for me (after GF 1 and 2)

3. The cast is amazing

4. It's based on a true story!

 

10/10 ALL DAY

[SpecialK]

10/10  no doubt... 

[MoeFOH]

22 hours ago, Edicion said:

(Btw I think the description belongs to another movie 😅)

Oops... Copy & Paste fail. 🤦‍♂️

[Jackdani7401]

For as much as I like this movie, I have not seen it near enough. 
 

when it’s on I watch it. The problem is that it’s not on that often and I don’t like it enough to own it. 
 

9/10 for me….please don’t whack me😂😂

[morningdew]

Goodfellas is my favorite mob movie, 9/10. Miller’s Crossing is up there for me.

[TroutBum]

This is probably my favorite movie maybe Gladiator above it?

[helix]

One of the best , no doubt . 10

[Paladin865]

A classic 10 movie, well casted.