Reviews

Mariah is not the worst actress ever, but she isn't Meryl Streep either. "Glitter" is, well, a VERY bad movie, I won't lie. Max Beesley, well, he isn't the worst actor in the world, but, he's no Robert De Niro. DEFINITELY not Robert De Niro. It's just, that, well, the movie sucks. I hate to say it, but Mariah got a messed up deal. I mean, she CAN act, given the right material. There are small inkling that she could be a much better actress than she is actually allowed to in this film. But what definitely made it Razzie proof was the fact that Dice died. He DIED. And at the end, she re-unites with her mother. Remember, "worst" is relative. Maybe the performances of actresses in leading roles in films were above par this year, and maybe Mariah's was the worst but not horrible, you know? I may be reaching, but give Mariah Meryl's part in "Sophie's Choice" and see what she could do! lol The movie is bad, and I probably would give Beesley the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie, but Mariah truly "glitters" in an otherwise dull, bad, BAD movie. She's not horrible, but, you know, she's a singer, not an actress. The plot is unbelievable and this will be making no huge dent in the film industry. You may even fel sorry you wasted time seeing it. I'm not exactly thanking the movie gods myself. But, I believe in Mariah. I love Mariah. lol And I'll forever say that given the right material she can do it.

It has always been said that the key to a great movie is a great story. Well, Warren Beatty obviously knew he had gold when he produced this! The movie sucks you in and NEVER lets you go. Only a few movies have ever done that to me, namely "Pulp Fiction", "The Godfather", "Goodfellas", "The Usual Suspects", and "Magnolia". You get involved in the story. You root for the bad guys. You care about the characters. Gene Hackman first got recognition in Hollywood for his hilarious performance in this film. But it is Beatty and Dunaway who steal the show, as lovers who just happen to rob banks during the Depression. Estelle Parsons, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, is affecting in her performance as Buck's wife, the innocent who got sucked in by her no good husband. Faye Dunaway illuminates the screen, one does not want to blaze her as badly as they do in "Network", but she is still beautiful. The finale is unsettling and disturbing, I'm pretty unaffected by it now but the first time I saw it it bothered the hell out of me, not even Osama bin Laden deserves to die like that. The scene when they trap the cop makes me laugh hard every time I watch it, and I also like the scene with Gene Wilder and his girlfriend, four years pre "Willy Wonka". Overall, maybe the best movie of 1967, with stiff competition from "The Graduate" and Best Picture winner "In The Heat of the Night". Michael Pollard is also great as C.W. I also like the poem Bonnie read nearing the end. Captured the duo perfectly.

There is NO WAY IN HELL "Dances With Wolves" was better than this MASTERPIECE!!! There is no one on planet Earth who can tell a story on film better than Martin Scorsese, and "Goodfellas" is no deviation from that truth. It's brilliance, just brilliance.

It is the single dirtiest, grimiest movie I've ever seen, and I LOVE IT!! The Mafia are not people you want to mess with. You could be friends with guys for years and years, but if they get the slightest inkling that you're going to rat them out, it's a wrap for you. Oh, Morrie, he should have stopped busting balls! After the heist, one guy buys a freakin' caddy and another guy buys a fur coat. My favorite scene in the movie is when Henry Hill(Ray Liotta) is on the phone with Lois, telling her to use an outside line to make the call. "Un-bleeping-believable, all of them! Every woman in my life!!" "Keep stirring the sauce!!!" "It's my favorite hat and I won't go without it!!" There is also maybe no scene grimier than when Tommy(Joe Pesci) gets whacked. De Niro's scene upon learning of the whacking is testimony to why he is regarded by many as the greatest film actor of all time. The thing that I love about De Niro is that his emotions are authentic. You feel everything that he's feeling. Like in "Raging Bull" when he is making up with his brother near the end, and he's hugging him, kissing him, truly remorseful for what he did to him. "Goodfellas" is FULL of memorable scenes. "You broke your cherry!!!" Lorraine Bracco is not only beautiful, but one hell of an actress, and deserved maybe the Oscar and not just the nomination. The scene where De Niro is about to send Bracco to get whacked is scary. De Niro looks like a dirty old man who is sending someone to get porn magazines for him at the nearby store. Great freakin' actor. Also notice Scorsese's food motif. The table, decorated with rich, hearty meals when Henry was in his prime, and towards the end, the table filled with junk food, soda, etc. Scorsese is a master, if not the master of his craft. Pesci is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying in the performance that won him the best supporting actor Oscar. Just a great story, all around. Paul Sorvino is great as Paulie. The most touching scene in the movie is when Paulie gives Henry the money and tells him that he has to turn his back on him. Liotta's face, pretty much says it all. Morrie has to stop busting balls!! This movie made me want to be a gangster of course until the end, the Mafia is not a group one wants to mess with. I cannot say for sure if this is better than "The Godfather", because I LOVE that movie, I'll just leave them tied. 1990's best picture and maybe the best picture of the 1990's.



Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci for LIFE!!!!

I can see why people have problems with this movie. It gets VERY dark, even for a black comedy. This, however, does not change the fact that Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey are comic geniuses. This was once my favorite movie, long before I entered the world of greater, more "serious" films. I ordered this movie so many times on pay-per-view I broke my old record, that of "Cool Runnings" when it was on PPV around 1994. Jim Carrey is an excellent comedian, but as this, "Truman" and "Man on the Moon" have proven, an extremely underrated actor. I mean, Tom Hanks started out as a comedian, but two Oscars later and now he's a great dramatic actor? I mean he is, of course, but let's let Mr. Carrey follow in the same footsteps. Matthew Broderick is also very good as the guy who's life is suddenly turned upside down by this obsessive cable guy with a lisp. The "Medieval Times" scene is beyond brilliant, as it has made me cry from laughing so hard everytime I watch it. Ben Stiller was still relatively unknown when he made this movie, blowing up after "There's Something About Mary", but he has proven that he is not only a great comic actor, but a great comedy director as well. The "porno password" scene is another gem. In terms of comedic value, a strong 10 out of 10. Although it may get a little black for some people, it's overall a hilarious and underrated gem. No "Liar, Liar", "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" here!

(slight spoiler warning)

"Taxi Driver" is recognized by many as one of the greatest movies of all time. Film critics, ordinary people, any and everyone can relate to Travis Bickle through at least one experience. Travis Bickle is one of the greatest characters ever to be portrayed on screen, played by, of course, the greatest actor of all time. This movie is so brilliant I get the strong feeling that it's underrated. Grossly underrated. One of the greatest things about the movie is that its relevance has not diminished in the 26 years since its release. Travis Bickle is a pathetic, disturbed, psychotic, incredibly creepy guy. But we love him, and always will. Why? Because of his ambiguity. Is he a hero, or a sick mo-fo? Is his taxi his "Batmobile" in a way? Is his jacket that he's always wearing a "cape"? One thing to notice is that he never finds out Betsy's last name, so there is no progress there, but later in the movie, the camera cuts to an envelope filled with money that he is going to give to Iris,with her last name on it, hinting that he will be more successful with her than he is with Betsy. Also, the scenes between Albert Brooks and Cybill Shepherd are there for a reason. Albert Brooks' character is likeable, affable, and you notice that he and Betsy mesh together well, they get along beautifully. This is, of course, the antithesis to Travis, who is completely out of touch with not just women, but everything in general. He takes Betsy to a porno movie and thinks there is NOTHING wrong with it. People like this actually exist, which is why Columbine happened. Why John Hinckley tried to kill Reagan to get Jodie Foster's attention. One user commented that no one that has commented on this site about this movie has ever said that they've actually enjoyed watching it. The movie was not made for entertainment purposes. It was made to teach people about the dangers of alienating people, and what an unbalanced mind can do with weaponry. This is arguably the greatest movie ever, I can only say arguably, because I'm extremely partial to "The Godfather", but there is no question in my mind that Robert De Niro is the greatest actor ever, and will be as immortal to movies as Travis Bickle. Bobby D has only been better in one film, of course, "Raging Bull", which is also arguably the greatest movie ever. It would be egregious of me to leave out Scorsese and his brilliant direction of this movie(not that bad of an actor, too, as evidenced by his scene in the cab). "You talkin' to me?" As one user said, this film is talking to to you. Also, one of the best scores ever on film by Bernard Herrmann. This film won no Oscars, (why do we even have them?), but Bobby won Best Actor from NY and LA Film Critics and a few other awards. You're kidding yourself if you think that "Rocky" is better than this movie. More inspirational, yes, but not superior. This was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Jodie Foster(my wife), Best Actor for Bobby, and Best Original Score. But NO Best Director nod for Marty. NO BEST DIRECTOR NOD FOR MARTY!!!!! Are the Oscars bull****? If Martin Scorsese does not have one, you bet your ass.

Warning(slight spoilers ahead)

What is perfection? Perfection is, according to my dictionary, perfect condition, faultless quality, highest excellence. These phrases perfectly describe "The Godfather". There is truly no greater movie. There is no superfluous scene, plot twist, nothing. Marlon Brando, with the exception of Robert De Niro, is the greatest film actor of all time, and he more than proves why. It's funny how no studio executives wanted him because in the '60s he made some bad movies and killed "Mutiny on the Bounty" the way Michael Cimino killed "Heaven's Gate"....but he was in top form in this film. His character, Vito Corleone, was one who was deeply committed to his family, that was of paramount concern. Sure, the film romanticizes violence, and that in reality is a bad thing, but you just cannot help but love it. Coppola is a genius, and this film more than proves why. Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors ever, and his transformation from naive, innocent young Michael Corleone to ruthless, cold-blooded killer is so subtle you have to watch the film again to see exactly how he did it. The theme song, of course, is unbelievably melodious, Nino Rota is another genius, everything associated with this movie is nothing but genius. God bless Mario Puzo, who passed away a few years ago, for writing the novel. This movie has so many famous quotes it's unbelievable. It's ironic given the serious tone of the film, that I laughed my *** off(don't exactly know what your rules are on the "posterior" word) when Clemenza instructed the guy to "leave the gun" and "take the cannolis". Diane Keaton is very pretty, and an excellent Kay. My only gripe with the film is that Robert De Niro was not in it. Yes, he was in the sequel, and won an Oscar for his performance, but this is in a way superior to Part II and I wished he was a part of this one. I also smiled when Brando smiled when he knew that Michael was going to protect him when he was in the hospital, family. The bond between family that should not be broken. Oscars for best picture, Coppola and Puzo's screenplay and actor Brando(in arguably the greatest acting performance in cinematic history)(rivaling De Niro in "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull", himself in "On the Waterfront", Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs" and Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice") On AFI's 100 Greatest Movies at #3(should be #1). This movie NEVER bored me. It's amazing. There's NOTHING wrong with it. It is truly, the greatest American film of all time. 10 and a half stars out of 10.