Rating: 
Summary: I Got Your (Bleeping) Marinara Sauce Right Here
Review: GOODFELLAS might be the most uncompromisingly honest movie ever made. This film can also be described as an extremely entertaining criminology class. Based on Nicholas Pileggi's biography of Henry Hill, WISEGUY, it's the first feature film that really delved into the everyday routine of life in the Mafia, showing how it operates as a world unto itself with its own customs, rules and enforcement mechanisms. So many of the movie's details strike exactly the correct note, right down to the food these guys cooked and ate. You could base an Italian cookbook on the screenplay. Collaborating with Pileggi on the script, Martin Scorcese trenchantly brings out the mindset that drives organized crime. In voiceover narration, Hill (played by Ray Liotta) lays out why the Mafia was such an attractive "career option" for guys like him. "To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States....It meant being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies....To live another way was nuts. Those goody-good people who worked ... jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work and worried about their bills were suckers. ..." Henry Hill is no hero. In fact, he raised sociopathology to an art form. (The book WISEGUY goes into much greater detail about Hill's "activities." It's unbelievable what he got away with.) But Scorcese does a magnificent and sometimes hilarious job in making us understand why Henry and his cronies do what they do. The acting is something to behold. Liotta has Henry pegged. It might seem strange to see Robert DeNiro play an Irishman like Jimmy "the Gent" Conway (true name Jimmy "the Gent" Burke). But of course this is DeNiro; there's no role he can't play. Lorraine Bracco, future SOPRANOS star, was justly nominated for an Academy Award as Henry's wife. Joe Pesci steals every scene he's in as Henry's smart aleck, ultra-violent partner Tommy. Paul Sorvino is in the role he was born to play as Henry's fatherly crime boss. Another fun thing, in retrospect, is spotting other future SOPRANOS stars besides Bracco. A young Michael Imperioli plays a mafia gofer who pays the price for disrespecting Joe Pesci's character. The actress who plays Tony Soprano's mother-in-law also plays Henry Hill's mother-in-law. We also see Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) in the background in a couple of scenes early in the film. Scorcese pulls out all of his directorial techniques to extraordinary effect. What does he have to do to finally win the Best Director Academy Award? As always, he knows exactly how to use period music to enhance a scene without exploiting it or pandering to the audience. It's a pleasant surprise, for example, to hear George Harrison's "What Is Life" in that hectic sequence late in the film as Henry's world implodes around him. GOODFELLAS is also fascinating in that it chronicles the beginning of the end of the Italian mob's heyday. Henry Hill (his father was Irish) was one of the first people to rat out his friends in the organization, but he would not be the last. Hill left the federal witness protection program in the mid-1990s, several years after this movie was made.
Rating:
Summary: "All I ever wanted to do was be a gangster..."
Review: with those simple words, we are plunged into the dark underbelly of crime from the 50's to the 70's. the true life story of Henry Hill moves us in ways that remind us of Scarface and The Godfather. a fantastic cast, and a great story (a true one, keep in mind) make a stellar movie. a must see. words alone cannot convey the power of this movie. see it!
Rating: 
Summary: "You're a funny guy"
Review: Good fellas has some funny moments, like the "you're a funny guy" scene, but this movie is too much like a real life story to be good entertainment. Plus these wiseguys are so empty as people, I get tired of watching them. Ultimately, the characters in this movie are not that interesting and I see no redeeming value in any of them, and my main feeling is that at best these gangsters are social parasites. So, I guess the main value of this movie is a somewhat entertaining semi-documentary, but this only is worth 3 stars in my book.
Rating:
Summary: THE Best Mob Movie Ever Made.
Review: The rise and fall of turn-coat witness protected "wiseguy" Henry Hill, is portrayed perfectly by Ray Liotta in this biopic of sorts. Frankly, I am surprised Liotta's career didn't explode after this. Then again, ho-hum "Dances With Wolves" beat this film as 1990s best, so you can't explain taste in Hollywood.................All the performances are powerhouse here. Robert DeNiro plays Jimmy Conway, a close associate, who can't ever be a "made" man because he's only half Italian. He plays his part with a perfectly cold calculating ruthlessness. He's loyal until the Luthtansa heist he masterminds is exploited by all the associates involved. Conway is adamant about telling each person not to show off. Several don't listen, so he offs each offender one by one. There is a shocking scene where an associate who buys a flamboyant Pink Cadu is soon parked under a bridge murdered behind the wheel, wife at his side. We're treated to the shocking visual as the piano tacet ending of the song "Layla" booms in on the soundtrack. This is only one of many examples where Goodfellas, has the right song for every scene. DeNiro's best scene is where he finds out one of his friends is killed, (I won't say who in case you've not seen this somehow), and he is so overcome with emotion he cries hysterically while smashing a phone on the glass of an old fashioned outdoor "Superman" phonebooth and then knocking it over completely with an angry shove. Can that really be done though? Aren't they attached to the ground? ...............Joe Pesci is sociopathic extraordinaire Tommy DeVito. He's so unhinged, the slightest insult turns him deadly, and there's nothing too grisly for him to deal with. He has no compuntion about exhuming decayed bodies while talking about eating sausage and peppers. ...............Henry Hill played by Liotta is more of a lover than a killer in this movie, often shocked at the violence of his associates, and preferring to keep a stable of girls on the side, much to the constant anger of his nice jewish wife Karen, played by Lorraine Bracco. Piles of cash keep her quiet for a bit. .............Perhaps my favorite scene in the movie is when Billy Batts, a made guy, insults Tommy in a bar while having drinks. Billy, played by mob movie regular Frank Vincent, tells Tommy to "Go Get your (...) shinebox!" He insults his position, reminding him of when he was a shoeshine boy. Jimmy and Henry drag Tommy out of the bar seething, but return before Billy leaves. They wait until the place is empty, have a few drinks like friends, and then Tommy and Jimmy literally stomp Billy to death while Henry watches in shock, to the tune of Donovans 60s classic "Atlantis." This song is so perfect for this scene for no reason I can think of, but it just works. ............From Henry's early days as a wanna-be errand boy for well played mentor and fatherly boss Paul Sorvino, to his rise as a close non-made associate, and ultimately his fall as a busted paranoid cokehead...There's not a badfella moment in the two and a half hours running time of this film. ..............One flaw is at the point where Henry is first seen all grown up, and starting his Goodfella life. Henry and Tommy are leaning against a '65 Chevy Impala and the subtitle says "Idlewild airport 1963." Even for people who don't know cars, we've all seen enough rap videos to know what a '63 Impala looks like!! A silly blooper, but it doesn't take away anything from the greatest mobster documentary style film ever lensed.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty and Vulgarity Juxtaposed
Review: Martin Scorsese has the unique talent of making a scene beautiful and disturbing at the same time. One sequence, probably one of the most memorable in all cinema history, is the "Layla" scene. For those who have seen it, no explanation is needed. What one sees on the screen is repulsive, disgusting, but at the same time, it is beautiful. The movie has too many cuss words and too much violence, but all of that can be forgetten because the director keeps such intensity that one is simply swept off their feet.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Movie
Review: Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas is one of the best films of all time everything in this movie is good. But the DVD is not nothing speciel. The violence is not as bad as what people have been saying its bad. But if you think this is violent take a look at Meance II Society or Casino which are far worst in that. Anyway good movie but not so good DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Ray Liotta's Oscar-Caliber Performance
Review: This movie has got to be one of Martin Scorsese's best. It ranks right up there with "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull". I have always thought of Martin Scorsese as of the best directors we have today. He always seems to a have a great attention to detail and always directs his actors/actresses into giving tour-de-force performances. The film won both Best Picture and Best Director awards from the New York Film Critics as well as numerous Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Pesci) and Best Supporting Actress (Bracco). The entire cast is exceptional, including Joe Pesci in his Oscar-winning role. I was very surprised that Ray Liotta never received an Oscar nomination for his performance. I thought he turned in one the best performances of that year. And Robert DeNiro.......what can I say except that he's Robert DeNiro, one of the finest actors working today. He has such a great scene towards the end of the film where he just finds out that Joe Pesci's character has been killed. He is devastated and in such pain that he tries to hold it all inside. Watching him try not to cry in that scene is remarkable. And Oscar-nominee Lorraine Bracco has many great moments in the film including angrily confronting her husband's mistress through an apartment lobby phone and holding a loaded gun to her husband's face over his infidelity. The soundtrack is another wonderful aspect of the film. Every single song was probably specifically chosen for a particular scene in the film. One of the disappointing things about this DVD is that it's not packed with extra's such as documentaries, director's commentary, deleted scenes, etc. It hardly has anything. In the future I hope they produce a Special Collector's Edition. If you haven't seen this film then you don't know what you're missing. It is a must-see !!
Rating:
Summary: Martin Scorsese Delievers...AS ALWAYS!
Review: You really cant say enough about this "Based on a True Story" mob movie. The movie takes place with Hank Hill (played by Ray Liotta), a young boy who dreams about his life of being a gangster. At a very young age Hank becomes part of the Mafia, and slowly learns about how it all works. From stealing company trucks (filled with merchandise) and peddling cocaine in order to help his family survive. Each and every minute of Goodfellas is a refreshing pace, (unlike most mob movies). With his insane buddy's Jimmie Conway (played brilliantly by Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito** (also played brilliantly by Joe Pesci, who also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) Hank soon enough gets into more than he bargained for. And well, everyone around him is dying. Im not going to give away anymore details, but its a must have for any mob crazed fan's DVD collection. Led with a brilliant cast of characters:
Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II), Joe Pesci** (Casino) and Ray Liotta (Hannibal). If you like mob movies, you should really enjoy this masterpiece of a film Directed by Legend Martin Scorsese. (*)-Academy Award Nominated
(**)-Academy Award Winner
Rating:
Summary: Great Great Great!
Review: I am a fan of La Cosa Nostra and I think I have seen and read all there is out there. This movie is great! In fact that's an understatement. DeNiro and Pesci are unbelievable! Liotta is fantastic! A MUST SEE!
Rating: 
Summary: Why do I have to flip it?
Review: WB could do better than this. The sound and video is way below par for WB, and I have to flip it? Dual layer it for God sakes. It reminds me of the old laserdisc days. Isn't this why DVD was invented, so you don't have to flip the DVD? BUT THE MOVIE IS GREAT. WAY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. 1 STAR IS FOR DVD, 5+ STARS FOR MOVIE.
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