When The Departed won both Best Picture and Best Director at the 79th Academy Awards, the degree to which the film itself deserved this accolade was largely drowned out by the film community’s collective, exasperated utterance of “Finally!” in reaction to the long-overdue recognition of Martin Scorsese. Indeed, it was incredible — even criminal — that this titan of cinema was just now being awarded for his genius. One of New Hollywood’s reigning figures, Scorsese had been working powerfully and prolifically for nearly 40 years prior to The Departed, building one of the finest filmographies in the history of cinema. When the 2006 film brought the long sought-after gold statuettes, there persisted a received wisdom that the awards were being granted more for a lifetime of exceptional achievement than for this achievement in particular.
On this day, which marks the tenth anniversary of The Departed‘s theatrical release, let us look at...
On this day, which marks the tenth anniversary of The Departed‘s theatrical release, let us look at...
- 10/6/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
I did a little bit of research for today’s column just to make sure I had my facts right, Googling “Jewish influence on comic books” in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. There were 509,000 hits, from Den of Geek’s Mensch of Steel: Superman’s Jewish Roots to the Daily Beast’s Superman is Jewish?: The Hebrew Roots of America’s Greatest Superhero to Stormfront’s How and Why the Jews Stole the Comic Book Industry.
Wait. What?
Stormfront is a white supremacist site whose “welcome” page reads:
“We are a community of racial realists and idealists. We are White Nationalists who support true diversity and a homeland for all peoples. Thousands of organizations promote the interests, values and heritage of non-White (sic) minorities. We promote ours.
“We are the voice of the new, embattled white minority!
“Tell the truth and fear no one!”
The article is a mixture of facts,...
Wait. What?
Stormfront is a white supremacist site whose “welcome” page reads:
“We are a community of racial realists and idealists. We are White Nationalists who support true diversity and a homeland for all peoples. Thousands of organizations promote the interests, values and heritage of non-White (sic) minorities. We promote ours.
“We are the voice of the new, embattled white minority!
“Tell the truth and fear no one!”
The article is a mixture of facts,...
- 10/3/2016
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
Let’s talk remakes. Our series continues with a remake that was so good it won four Oscars, including Best Picture. This week, Cinelinx looks at The Departed (2006).
This week’s film is a rare occasion where the remake has won more awards, been on more Best Film lists and has received more overall acclaim than the original. That’s quite an impressive feat when you consider how good the original film was. Infernal Affairs (2002) is a great film from Hong Kong that won a whole cluster of cinematic honors internationally and is at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s 2006 American remake, the Departed, seems to get onto even more “Top 10” lists and also won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards. It has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 86% on Metacritic.
The original Hong Kong film, which was the first film of a trilogy, was done...
This week’s film is a rare occasion where the remake has won more awards, been on more Best Film lists and has received more overall acclaim than the original. That’s quite an impressive feat when you consider how good the original film was. Infernal Affairs (2002) is a great film from Hong Kong that won a whole cluster of cinematic honors internationally and is at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s 2006 American remake, the Departed, seems to get onto even more “Top 10” lists and also won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards. It has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 86% on Metacritic.
The original Hong Kong film, which was the first film of a trilogy, was done...
- 3/14/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Our countdown of the 100 best films of the 21st century continues. This is Part 3 #50 through 26.
Click here for Part 1 (#100 - 76)!
Click here for Part 2 (#75-51)!
The first decade and a half of the 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the landscape of film. The advancement and sophistication of computers has made realistic computer generated effects a mainstay in both big-budget and small-budget films. The internet and streaming technologies have given big Hollywood new competition in films produced independently and by non-traditional means. We went from purchasing films on yards of tape to plastic disks, and now we can simply upload them to the cloud. Advertisements for films have reached a higher, more ruthless level where generating hype through trailers and teasers is crucial for a film’s commercial success. Movie attendance has fluctuated along with the economy, but that hasn’t stopped films from breaking box office records,...
Click here for Part 1 (#100 - 76)!
Click here for Part 2 (#75-51)!
The first decade and a half of the 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the landscape of film. The advancement and sophistication of computers has made realistic computer generated effects a mainstay in both big-budget and small-budget films. The internet and streaming technologies have given big Hollywood new competition in films produced independently and by non-traditional means. We went from purchasing films on yards of tape to plastic disks, and now we can simply upload them to the cloud. Advertisements for films have reached a higher, more ruthless level where generating hype through trailers and teasers is crucial for a film’s commercial success. Movie attendance has fluctuated along with the economy, but that hasn’t stopped films from breaking box office records,...
- 1/20/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Telluride Review: Johnny Depp is Trying Something Very Different in 'Black Mass' "The Departed" (Martin Scorsese, 2006) After filming the mean streets of New York City for over three decades, Martin Scorsese shipped his patented gritty gangster flick 230 miles north to Boston for "The Departed." The film — which earned Marty his long-deserved Best Director Oscar and his sole Best Picture win — is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller "Internal Affairs," but "The Departed" is nothing without its Beantown flavor. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon each play rats. DiCaprio is an undercover cop trying to win the sympathies of Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello, an Irish mafia ganglord loosely based on Whitey Bulger, while Damon is Costello's mole inside the Massachusetts State Police’s Special Investigations Unit. Over the course of the film, games of cat and mouse ensue with engrossing intensity. In this tale of morality and identity,...
- 9/17/2015
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
The real life rise and fall of James "Whitey" Bulger already seems the stuff of cinema. He's the gangster who grabbed South Boston by the throat, leading his Winter Hill mob to gain control over much of the city. The fact that he did so while providing information to the FBI, and having a younger brother who was one of the leading politicians in the state, speaks to the strange complexity of his story. Plenty of films have dealt with Bulger, including Martin Scorsese's The Departed, which uses his life in a tangential way to infuse Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello with a certain degree of authenticity. Joe Berlinger's extraordinary doc Whitey played Sundance in 2014, and it serves as an excellent primer for those...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/13/2015
- Screen Anarchy
The first shot of Johnny Depp as notorious Irish-American crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger in “Black Mass” shows the Boston kingpin shrouded in darkness, looking for all the world like a blue-collar vampire pondering his next prey: Slicked-back thinning hair, rotted teeth, a pasty complexion, a snug leather jacket and contact lenses that turn the onetime teen idol’s dreamy brown eyes into a chilly shade of sociopathic blue. This obviously is a guy who means business. And that business is not just mean but monstrously evil. For anyone else, a role that requires an intensive de-glamming job, brutal acts of bloody murder and even the sexual molestation of the beautiful face of an FBI agent’s wife could easily lead to showboating. Think bat-swinging Robert De Niro as Al Capone in “The Untouchables.” Or Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, the leering Irish mobster based on Bulger, in “The Departed.
- 9/9/2015
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Mobster Frank Costello operated in a dangerous business, but it was his attempts at mental peace that nearly got him killed. In the above exclusive clip from the “Making of the Mob” season finale, the Luciano Family crime boss fielded threats from his own underlings for confiding in a psychiatrist. So much for doctor-patient confidentiality. “I can’t talk to anybody,” an actor portraying Costello tells his shrink. “I’m not even supposed to be talking to you.” “I gotta wake up every morning and look over my shoulder, Doc,” he continued. “I’m gonna be walking down the street...
- 8/3/2015
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
In this September’s Black Mass, Johnny Depp returns to the life of crime as Whitey Bulger, a character light-years away from Mortdecai’s moustache-twirling eponymous art dealer, or the wacky world of his frequent collaborator Tim Burton.
Bulger is perhaps best known to film audiences as the real-life inspiration behind Jack Nicholson’s Boston mob kingpin in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. If Jack’s Frank Costello is only the carbon copy of Bulger, then we should be in for a hell of a ride with Black Mass and the real deal.
“He could be charming. He could be ruthless. He was like a cobra—you never knew where he could strike,” says director Scott Cooper of Bulger, a regular on the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives list.
Bulger isn’t the first notorious crime lord brought to the big screen by Depp. He portrayed the infamous drug trafficker George Jung in Blow,...
Bulger is perhaps best known to film audiences as the real-life inspiration behind Jack Nicholson’s Boston mob kingpin in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. If Jack’s Frank Costello is only the carbon copy of Bulger, then we should be in for a hell of a ride with Black Mass and the real deal.
“He could be charming. He could be ruthless. He was like a cobra—you never knew where he could strike,” says director Scott Cooper of Bulger, a regular on the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives list.
Bulger isn’t the first notorious crime lord brought to the big screen by Depp. He portrayed the infamous drug trafficker George Jung in Blow,...
- 4/23/2015
- by Sasha James
- Cineplex
Just when we thought we didn’t like Johnny Depp anymore, here he is doing what appears to be quality work again portraying notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in Black Mass. If he looks and sounds like Jack Nicholson, particularly in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, that’s partly because that character was partly based on Bulger. He actually sounds more like Nicholson as Frank Costello and Ray Liotta’s aged Henry Hill in Goodfellas than the real Bulger. Unlike Depp’s other portrayal of a balding icon in the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, here he may not be attempting full authenticity but rather one of his hodgepodge characterizations. Either way, that main steak dinner scene at the center of this first trailer is intense, and the extended showcase of Depp’s creepy-eyed performance piques our interest. As does the whole ensemble, which we barely get a look at here. Black Mass...
- 4/23/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Martin Scorsese is one of the most iconic directors of all time. He created such groundbreaking films like Taxi Driver and Gangs of New York. Yet it took him eight Oscar nominations, five Best Director nominations alone, until he finally received the Best Director Academy Award in 2006 for the film The Departed. Let's look back at the film that finally landed Scorese the gold.
Scorsese is one of those directors that has been creating for generations. He's the known for creating and depicting the worst antiheroes that you can't help but like and can't stop watching. You follow them on their twisted journeys and sometimes untimely demises, all while that same Rolling Stone song (“Gimme Shelter”) plays in the background. Your parents loved him, you love him, and I'm sure your children will or already do love him. There's always one particular movie of his that you discover that makes...
Scorsese is one of those directors that has been creating for generations. He's the known for creating and depicting the worst antiheroes that you can't help but like and can't stop watching. You follow them on their twisted journeys and sometimes untimely demises, all while that same Rolling Stone song (“Gimme Shelter”) plays in the background. Your parents loved him, you love him, and I'm sure your children will or already do love him. There's always one particular movie of his that you discover that makes...
- 2/22/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Kelly McInerney)
- Cinelinx
"Boardwalk Empire" came to an end tonight. I spoke at length with creator Terence Winter, and I have a review of the finale coming up just as soon as I think about the things I want in life, then imagine myself in a dress... "What are you in the end, anyway?" "I'm what I need to be." "How's that make you anything at all? -The Commodore & Nucky And so "Boardwalk Empire" died as it lived: with a tightly-plotted installment that paid off many storylines from both the final season and the entire series, and one where the most memorable, powerful scene involved someone other than Nucky Thompson. Although the Nucky material was pretty damn powerful and satisfying in its own right. The most powerful scene in question: Al Capone telling his son about his impending prison sentence, and the boy not only offering to help his dad, but putting up...
- 10/27/2014
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Ray Winstone has revealed he and Jack Nicholson didn't get on when the pair filmed The Departed.
The actor played right hand man Arnold 'Frenchy' French to Nicholson's Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning 2006 film.
He said: "Me and Jack did not seem to get on too well. Maybe he was going through a funny time. Everyone else loves him to death - I just wanted him to be a great guy.
"We just did not click... on the film it works and all that, you know? I'll probably meet him tomorrow and he'll be as good as gold, you know? It happens sometimes, you know."
Winstone was speaking at a BAFTA Life In Pictures event held in his honour, and he also described how he persuaded Scorsese to give him the role of Frenchy.
"I went to see Marty in the Dorchester Hotel," he recalled. "It was Sunday morning,...
The actor played right hand man Arnold 'Frenchy' French to Nicholson's Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning 2006 film.
He said: "Me and Jack did not seem to get on too well. Maybe he was going through a funny time. Everyone else loves him to death - I just wanted him to be a great guy.
"We just did not click... on the film it works and all that, you know? I'll probably meet him tomorrow and he'll be as good as gold, you know? It happens sometimes, you know."
Winstone was speaking at a BAFTA Life In Pictures event held in his honour, and he also described how he persuaded Scorsese to give him the role of Frenchy.
"I went to see Marty in the Dorchester Hotel," he recalled. "It was Sunday morning,...
- 10/8/2014
- Digital Spy
An unassuming two-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica that hid Boston mob boss James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger for over a decade is up for rent. Bulger was 81 when he was arrested with girlfriend Catherine Greig outside the Princess Eugenia apartment on June 22, 2011. Now the very unit that Bulger called home is available for $2950 a month -- far more than Bulger himself had paid during his rent-controlled stint there. A notorious organized crime kingpin, Bulger has been indicted for 19 murders and inspired Jack Nicholson's Irish-American character Frank Costello in The Departed. His own story will be told in an upcoming
read more...
read more...
- 6/23/2014
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. Pictures
Film is a wonderful medium: one that conquers fiction, non-fiction, and often an intriguing blend of both. Screenwriters take inspiration from a number of places, and when it comes to their characters, that place is likely to be real, living people. Whether it be a neighbor, a relative, a teacher, or even a famous criminal, characters come from a place of familiarity, and a large part of writing comes in the attempt to make these characters leap off the page and seem totally real.
Many characters throughout history have been based on real people, however, and while you might not think to consider characters from original comedies or thrillers to be based on anything from our own reality, it’s surprising just how many of them actually are.
What follows is a list 10 of the most interesting and unbelievable movie characters who exist (or have existed) in real life…...
Film is a wonderful medium: one that conquers fiction, non-fiction, and often an intriguing blend of both. Screenwriters take inspiration from a number of places, and when it comes to their characters, that place is likely to be real, living people. Whether it be a neighbor, a relative, a teacher, or even a famous criminal, characters come from a place of familiarity, and a large part of writing comes in the attempt to make these characters leap off the page and seem totally real.
Many characters throughout history have been based on real people, however, and while you might not think to consider characters from original comedies or thrillers to be based on anything from our own reality, it’s surprising just how many of them actually are.
What follows is a list 10 of the most interesting and unbelievable movie characters who exist (or have existed) in real life…...
- 1/29/2014
- by Colleen Cunha
- Obsessed with Film
Jack Nicholson‘s retired. At the age of 76, he’s decided to take a back seat and not star in films anymore. According to a well-placed Hollywood source talking to Radar Online, the actor has simply stopped taking work. He didn’t want any fanfare surrounding the announcement, any announcement at all for that matter.
Apparently he’s struggling to remember lines, which is no surprise given his advanced age. It doesn’t rule him out of appearing in silent movies but, until someone invents a time machine, that option’s probably not on the table. His last film was the appalling How Do You Know, which he starred in alongside Reese Witherspoon. While it would be unfair to put the blame squarely at Witherspoon’s door, one can only wonder what happened during production to prevent him from ever wanting to work again.
While we should try and avoid turning this into an obituary,...
Apparently he’s struggling to remember lines, which is no surprise given his advanced age. It doesn’t rule him out of appearing in silent movies but, until someone invents a time machine, that option’s probably not on the table. His last film was the appalling How Do You Know, which he starred in alongside Reese Witherspoon. While it would be unfair to put the blame squarely at Witherspoon’s door, one can only wonder what happened during production to prevent him from ever wanting to work again.
While we should try and avoid turning this into an obituary,...
- 9/4/2013
- by Rob Batchelor
- We Got This Covered
You know how it is. One minute, you’re driving along with your friend Jules. You’ve got Marvin, a drug dealer’s associate, minding his own business in the back seat. The next, you turn around to ask his religious opinions and- blam – suddenly the rear window has turned a dark splash of red. Mistake or not, maybe you shouldn’t have pointed your gun at him…
Below are twelve other characters (in no rank order) who were mercilessly yet memorably written out of the script without a word of goodbye. And while they may not all share the same dark humour as the above example, suffice it to say that There Will Be Spoilers.
12. Billy Costigan (The Departed)
Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an undercover officer for the Massachusetts State Police; the same force that Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) has planted Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) to work as a mole.
Below are twelve other characters (in no rank order) who were mercilessly yet memorably written out of the script without a word of goodbye. And while they may not all share the same dark humour as the above example, suffice it to say that There Will Be Spoilers.
12. Billy Costigan (The Departed)
Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an undercover officer for the Massachusetts State Police; the same force that Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) has planted Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) to work as a mole.
- 3/14/2013
- by Dan Wakefield
- Obsessed with Film
Martin Scorsese is one of the strongest auteurs of our time. Having created a vast array of films over the years ranging from biopics to adaptations, gruesome gangster movies to a recent family-friendly charmer, he offers the potential to appeal to a wide variety of viewers and tastes. Your favorite Scorsese movie may say as much about you as it says, when made, about Scorsese himself (as many to all of his films do in some sense).
Though Scorsese has an impressively long list of films to his credit beyond those discussed in the following list, what follows are ten of his films that each speak respectively to a definitive highlight within his intricate career. As you learn a basic run-down of each of the ten films, consider why it is that your favorite movie of the list speaks to you and what exactly it is trying to say in doing so.
Though Scorsese has an impressively long list of films to his credit beyond those discussed in the following list, what follows are ten of his films that each speak respectively to a definitive highlight within his intricate career. As you learn a basic run-down of each of the ten films, consider why it is that your favorite movie of the list speaks to you and what exactly it is trying to say in doing so.
- 2/26/2013
- by Sydney Zink
- Obsessed with Film
Depp will portray infamous Irish American gangster and FBI informant in new film Black Mass, with Barry Levinson directing
Johnny Depp is being lined up to play the notorious Irish American mobster James "Whitey" Bulger in a new biopic from Rain Man and Bugsy director Barry Levinson, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning The Departed, Bulger was arrested in Santa Monica in June 2011 after being on the run for 15 years. At the time he was wanted for 19 murders and had been on the FBI's most-wanted list for 16 years: the reward for his capture was reportedly second only in size to that offered for information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden.
Levinson's film, to be titled Black Mass, will be based on the New York Times bestseller Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy...
Johnny Depp is being lined up to play the notorious Irish American mobster James "Whitey" Bulger in a new biopic from Rain Man and Bugsy director Barry Levinson, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning The Departed, Bulger was arrested in Santa Monica in June 2011 after being on the run for 15 years. At the time he was wanted for 19 murders and had been on the FBI's most-wanted list for 16 years: the reward for his capture was reportedly second only in size to that offered for information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden.
Levinson's film, to be titled Black Mass, will be based on the New York Times bestseller Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy...
- 2/4/2013
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
“Get Jack Reacher.” The only three words the primary suspect of a series of sniper homicides writes before slipping into a coma. Cryptic? Just a little. Cue the appearance of the mysterious Jack Reacher, an ex-army cop known for being untraceable to anyone and everyone unless he wants to be found. You don’t find him, he finds you. As he investigates the supposedly open and shut case of the murders, he realises that things are not quite what they seem.
So, to celebrate the release of Jack Reacher, (in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 26th December), we have compiled a list of our top 5 renegade cops who, like Jack, come to discover that the law is not as black and white as it seems once they uncover the truth.
The Departed (2006)
Our first renegade cop, or should we say, almost cop, is Billy Costigan. Leonardo DiCaprio...
So, to celebrate the release of Jack Reacher, (in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 26th December), we have compiled a list of our top 5 renegade cops who, like Jack, come to discover that the law is not as black and white as it seems once they uncover the truth.
The Departed (2006)
Our first renegade cop, or should we say, almost cop, is Billy Costigan. Leonardo DiCaprio...
- 12/21/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Nicholson approached to star alongside Downey Jr as a father with Alzheimer's disease who is suspected of murder in Warner Bros' comedy drama The Judge
Jack Nicholson is being courted for a rare foray onto the big screen to play Robert Downey Jr's father in a new comedy drama, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Nicholson has filmed only three movies since 2003, two of which were for Warner Bros, the studio behind The Judge. The 75-year-old Oscar-winner turned down Martin Scorsese's The Departed several times before eventually agreeing to star as mobster Frank Costello in 2006, and he also took a leading role in 2007's The Bucket List. He is said to have recently turned down a part in a new Nancy Meyers film despite a meeting with the director, who previously cast him in a Golden Globe-nominated role in 2003's Something's Gotta Give.
The Judge sees Downey Jr as...
Jack Nicholson is being courted for a rare foray onto the big screen to play Robert Downey Jr's father in a new comedy drama, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Nicholson has filmed only three movies since 2003, two of which were for Warner Bros, the studio behind The Judge. The 75-year-old Oscar-winner turned down Martin Scorsese's The Departed several times before eventually agreeing to star as mobster Frank Costello in 2006, and he also took a leading role in 2007's The Bucket List. He is said to have recently turned down a part in a new Nancy Meyers film despite a meeting with the director, who previously cast him in a Golden Globe-nominated role in 2003's Something's Gotta Give.
The Judge sees Downey Jr as...
- 11/14/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Tom Powers (James Cagney, "The Public Enemy," 1931): Never has a man treated a grapefruit -- nor the woman whose face receives it -- so roughly.
Rico Bandello (Edward G. Robinson, "Little Caesar," 1931): This snarling mob hopeful was willing to eliminate anyone who stood in his way of accruing ever-greater power.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow (Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967): "They're young, they're in love, and they kill people." That line in the film's ads pretty much said it all.
Sonny Corleone (James Caan, "The Godfather," 1972): Several family members could have made this list, but we're opting for hotheaded Sonny, whose temper made him fascinating to watch ... and, inevitably, led him to a memorably violent exit.
Tony Montana (Al Pacino, "Scarface," 1983): You can't do this list without including the proudly strutting, relentless power seeker whose ultimate moment came when he raised a...
Rico Bandello (Edward G. Robinson, "Little Caesar," 1931): This snarling mob hopeful was willing to eliminate anyone who stood in his way of accruing ever-greater power.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow (Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967): "They're young, they're in love, and they kill people." That line in the film's ads pretty much said it all.
Sonny Corleone (James Caan, "The Godfather," 1972): Several family members could have made this list, but we're opting for hotheaded Sonny, whose temper made him fascinating to watch ... and, inevitably, led him to a memorably violent exit.
Tony Montana (Al Pacino, "Scarface," 1983): You can't do this list without including the proudly strutting, relentless power seeker whose ultimate moment came when he raised a...
- 9/16/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat is a monthly newspaper run by Steve DeBellis, a well know St. Louis historian, and it.s the largest one-man newspaper in the world. The concept of The Globe is that there is an old historic headline, then all the articles in that issue are written as though it.s the year that the headline is from. It.s an unusual concept but the paper is now in its 25th successful year! Steve and I collaborated last year on an all-Vincent Price issue of The Globe and I.ve been writing a regular movie-related column since. Since there is no on-line version of The Globe, I post all of my articles here at We Are Movie Geeks as well. In honor of the 40th anniversary of Blueberry Hill, the landmark St. Louis restaurant and music club that.s filled with pop culture memorabilia, this month.s St.
- 9/11/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"But I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to amuse you?" When it comes to dishing out nobody gives a beatdown like a movie mobster. Tommy Devito, Frank Costello, Al Capone, the made men in movies can get pretty rough. The Countdown: Mob Beatdowns is a bat-wielding celebration of shady toughguys. Check out the list of movies we are featuring in this episode below and tune in to The Countdown: On Reelz Saturdays at 7p Et/4p Pt to watch the whole episode.
1990: Goodfellas
1995: Casino
1995: Kiss of Death
2006: The Departed
1987: The Untouchables
1972: The Godfather
1993: A Bronx Tale
1949: White Heat
1997: Donnie Brasco
1973: Mean Streets
1983: Scarface
1992: Reservoir Dogs
What are your thoughts? Tell us about your favorite mob beatdowns in movies in the comments below.
Next Showing:
Link...
1990: Goodfellas
1995: Casino
1995: Kiss of Death
2006: The Departed
1987: The Untouchables
1972: The Godfather
1993: A Bronx Tale
1949: White Heat
1997: Donnie Brasco
1973: Mean Streets
1983: Scarface
1992: Reservoir Dogs
What are your thoughts? Tell us about your favorite mob beatdowns in movies in the comments below.
Next Showing:
Link...
- 5/26/2012
- by reelz gustafson
- Reelzchannel.com
What's Jack Nicholson's secret? Maybe it's the eyebrows, hovering like ironic quotation marks over every line reading. Maybe it's the hooded eyes, which hold the threat of danger or the promise of joviality -- you're never sure which. Same with that sharklike grin. Or maybe it's the voice, which has evolved over the years from a thin sneer to a deep rumble, but is always precisely calibrated to provoke a reaction. Put them all together, and they say: "I am a man to be reckoned with. Ignore me at your peril." Nicholson, who turns 75 on April 22, is often criticized for relying on his bag of tricks, for just showing up and doing Jack Nicholson (though indeed, he often seems to have been hired precisely for that purpose). But he's also capable of burrowing deep into a character, finding his wounded heart, and revealing the ugly truth without fear or vanity.
- 4/21/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Martin Scorsese may very well be a product of his environment: growing up in Little Italy while struggling with his Roman Catholic faith, only later to use both as inspiration for his 1973 classic, Mean Streets, but as his notorious Irish Mafioso Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson) mused in 2006's The Departed: "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."
And so it was.
Influencing a legion of filmmakers the world over, as well as shaping the genre itself, he is only one of many directors to take on the big bad mob on film.
Many draw from screen classics of old, and some—not unlike Scorsese—draw from life experiences. Such is also the case with showrunner Mitch Glazer's childhood-inspired period drama of the 1950s Miami Beach mob scene, Magic City.
To welcome Glazer's latest into the Starz "family,...
And so it was.
Influencing a legion of filmmakers the world over, as well as shaping the genre itself, he is only one of many directors to take on the big bad mob on film.
Many draw from screen classics of old, and some—not unlike Scorsese—draw from life experiences. Such is also the case with showrunner Mitch Glazer's childhood-inspired period drama of the 1950s Miami Beach mob scene, Magic City.
To welcome Glazer's latest into the Starz "family,...
- 4/5/2012
- by Adam Clement
- Huffington Post
Crime films often make me hungry. Often the restaurant scenes are among the best remembered in crime flicks. The coffee shops and Italian kitchens and juke joints where criminal characters go to grab a bite or do dirt serve to define them.
In some cases, it’s because crime films are a sit-down with a distinct culture, and there’s little better distinction for culture than food. It says more than a monologue. These places are home to some criminals, an escape for others, doom for a few. They’re some of the best moments of bad stories.
And these are the best among them.
10. Tipitina’s
Appeared in: The Big Easy (pictured above)
City: New Orleans, La
Price: $
Crime Scene: Lagniappe (That’s New Orleans for “kick back”)
Tip’s is the perfect Crescent City hot-spot if you’re looking for a nightlife scene that spices top-talent home-cooked music with a high-crime-rate neighborhood.
In some cases, it’s because crime films are a sit-down with a distinct culture, and there’s little better distinction for culture than food. It says more than a monologue. These places are home to some criminals, an escape for others, doom for a few. They’re some of the best moments of bad stories.
And these are the best among them.
10. Tipitina’s
Appeared in: The Big Easy (pictured above)
City: New Orleans, La
Price: $
Crime Scene: Lagniappe (That’s New Orleans for “kick back”)
Tip’s is the perfect Crescent City hot-spot if you’re looking for a nightlife scene that spices top-talent home-cooked music with a high-crime-rate neighborhood.
- 4/2/2012
- by Matthew C. Funk
- Boomtron
When most people hear the word "Mafia," it conjures up images of "The Godfather," "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos." But Italian-Americans are hardly the only ethnic group to establish large organized crime rings.
Irish mobsters regularly challenged the Cosa Nostra for territory throughout American history -- and like their Italian counterparts, their conquests have made for some damn fine movies, dating all the way back to the James Cagney vehicles of the 1930s.
So this St. Patrick's Day, do your part as an educated movie fan and revisit the best Irish Mafia films of all time. We guarantee you'll feel better than your Irish Car Bomb-chugging friends the morning after.
9. 'Gangs of New York' (2002)
New York City was built upon organized crime. With millions of immigrants pouring into the city during 1800s, violence regularly broke out between gangs of different ethnicities. Martin Scorsese's Best Picture nominee begins with...
Irish mobsters regularly challenged the Cosa Nostra for territory throughout American history -- and like their Italian counterparts, their conquests have made for some damn fine movies, dating all the way back to the James Cagney vehicles of the 1930s.
So this St. Patrick's Day, do your part as an educated movie fan and revisit the best Irish Mafia films of all time. We guarantee you'll feel better than your Irish Car Bomb-chugging friends the morning after.
9. 'Gangs of New York' (2002)
New York City was built upon organized crime. With millions of immigrants pouring into the city during 1800s, violence regularly broke out between gangs of different ethnicities. Martin Scorsese's Best Picture nominee begins with...
- 3/17/2012
- by Ryan McKee
- NextMovie
To celebrate the release of the award-winning Brazilian gangster flick Boca, which is out this Monday 14th February on Blu-ray and DVD, we take a look at the Top 10 gangster movies based on real events.
GoodFellas
This film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends over a period from 1955 to 1980. The Lucchese crime family was at the height of its reign in 1978 after the famous Lufthansa heist. The character of Jimmy Conway was based on real-life mobster Jimmy Burke who was still alive when the film was released in 1990. He would have been eligible for parole in 2004, but he died of lung cancer in 1996, while still in prison. Casino
Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two mobster best friends and a trophy wife over a gambling empire.
GoodFellas
This film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends over a period from 1955 to 1980. The Lucchese crime family was at the height of its reign in 1978 after the famous Lufthansa heist. The character of Jimmy Conway was based on real-life mobster Jimmy Burke who was still alive when the film was released in 1990. He would have been eligible for parole in 2004, but he died of lung cancer in 1996, while still in prison. Casino
Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two mobster best friends and a trophy wife over a gambling empire.
- 2/11/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Everett Frank Sinatra in “Higher and Higher,” 1943.
My new novel “Narrows Gate” is set in the years preceding and immediately following World War II. The town of Narrows Gate, with its waterfront piers, factories and urban grit, sits in the shadow of New York City. It’s a fictional version of Hoboken, New Jersey, where I was born and raised.
You’d be right if you guessed that “Narrows Gate” includes a skinny young blue-eyed Italian-American crooner who rises from...
My new novel “Narrows Gate” is set in the years preceding and immediately following World War II. The town of Narrows Gate, with its waterfront piers, factories and urban grit, sits in the shadow of New York City. It’s a fictional version of Hoboken, New Jersey, where I was born and raised.
You’d be right if you guessed that “Narrows Gate” includes a skinny young blue-eyed Italian-American crooner who rises from...
- 1/19/2012
- by Jim Fusilli
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Ever since his film debut in the long-forgotten horror flick "Critters 3," Leonardo DiCaprio has carefully selected roles that would establish him as one of our generation's most diverse actors. He has played everything from a scruffy third-class artist to a reclusive billionaire, a mentally unstable pyromaniac to a person who infiltrates minds only to sear ideas into them.
His varied roles have given the three-time Oscar nominee one of Hollywood's most enviable résumés, and he's already garnering early award buzz with his upcoming lead turn in "J. Edgar." NextMovie has raided the DiCaprio archives with one goal in mind -- to rank the accomplished actor's nine best roles, as painstaking as that task might be.
9. 'Shutter Island' (2010)
There's nothing like a juicy role in a psychological thriller, from Martin Scorsese no less, to kick off our DiCaprio highlight reel. He plays U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, a...
His varied roles have given the three-time Oscar nominee one of Hollywood's most enviable résumés, and he's already garnering early award buzz with his upcoming lead turn in "J. Edgar." NextMovie has raided the DiCaprio archives with one goal in mind -- to rank the accomplished actor's nine best roles, as painstaking as that task might be.
9. 'Shutter Island' (2010)
There's nothing like a juicy role in a psychological thriller, from Martin Scorsese no less, to kick off our DiCaprio highlight reel. He plays U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, a...
- 11/7/2011
- by Julie Miller
- NextMovie
Yeah, the name Whitey Bulger won’t strike fear into anybody’s hearts. Unless, of course, you happen to know who Whitey Bulger is. Even then, you’re probably not going to lose sleep over the fella, but his story is certainly interesting. Bulger (the handsome fellow’s mugshot to your left in his younger, more piss and vinegar days) was a notorious New England mob boss who was also secretly a FBI informant, and was on the lam for years until he was finally caught this June in, of all places, in sunny Santa Monica, California. (By the way, if Bulger’s FBI connections sound familiar, that’s because he was the loose inspiration for Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello character in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed”.) The New England setting also makes it perfect for Damon and Affleck to reunite, their first real film together since 1997′s “Good Will Hunting...
- 10/26/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Over the weekend, the Internet was buzzing with the belief that Ben Affleck was leaving behind the streets of Boston for the world of Captain Trips and Stephen King. But now it appears he might not be directing "The Stand," but a film that touches on a topic a lot closer to home: Whitey Bulger.Affleck is directing a biopic about Boston's most notorious gangster for Warner Bros, and he's bringing on two familiar faces to help -- Matt Damon, who will play Bulger, and Casey Affleck, who will play an unknown supporting role. "Matt and I have been looking for something to do together for some time,” Affleck said. "We’ve heard about Whitey Bulger since we were kids, and we are excited by the prospect of putting it on screen."Of course, Damon already did a Bulger picture -- sort of. As you undoubtedly remember, "The Departed" based...
- 10/24/2011
- LRMonline.com
Old friend Matt Damon is to re-unite with Ben Affleck for a biopic of infamous criminal Whitey Bulger...
We reported yesterday that Warner wants Ben Affleck to direct the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and it seems the studio wants to secure his talents further, as it has been announced that he’s to direct and star in a biopic about mobster Whitey Bulger based on a script by Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire). Matt Damon is lined up to play the criminal, with Casey Affleck co-starring.
Bulger was the head of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang and was captured last year after spending 15 years on the run. Bulger was also the main inspiration for Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, and is currently 82 years of age, so presumably, the film will see Damon play the mobster at a younger age, although...
We reported yesterday that Warner wants Ben Affleck to direct the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, and it seems the studio wants to secure his talents further, as it has been announced that he’s to direct and star in a biopic about mobster Whitey Bulger based on a script by Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire). Matt Damon is lined up to play the criminal, with Casey Affleck co-starring.
Bulger was the head of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang and was captured last year after spending 15 years on the run. Bulger was also the main inspiration for Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, and is currently 82 years of age, so presumably, the film will see Damon play the mobster at a younger age, although...
- 10/24/2011
- Den of Geek
If you were to peruse any greatest films of all time list chances are you would find a ‘gangster’ film pretty high up there, battling it out with the Jedis, Sharks and Tim Robbins.
But who exactly would come out on top if the wise-guys squared off against each other? Who’d end up sleeping with the fishes and who would reign supreme as the big screen don? (I’m done with the clichés now…)
So to celebrate the release of the ridiculously awesome looking Scarface on Blu-ray I thought I would compile said list, so here is a countdown of the Top 10 Gangster Films to ever hit the big screen and if you don’t like my list don’t put a horses head in my bed… Capiche?
(Okay, now I’m done…)
#10
The Untouchables
(1987)
Based on some of the most infamous figures in organized crime history, directed, and written,...
But who exactly would come out on top if the wise-guys squared off against each other? Who’d end up sleeping with the fishes and who would reign supreme as the big screen don? (I’m done with the clichés now…)
So to celebrate the release of the ridiculously awesome looking Scarface on Blu-ray I thought I would compile said list, so here is a countdown of the Top 10 Gangster Films to ever hit the big screen and if you don’t like my list don’t put a horses head in my bed… Capiche?
(Okay, now I’m done…)
#10
The Untouchables
(1987)
Based on some of the most infamous figures in organized crime history, directed, and written,...
- 8/22/2011
- by Gareth Bunkham
- Obsessed with Film
Chicago – Along with sixteen restored 35mm prints of overlooked cinematic gems, the Music Box Theatre’s third installment of “Noir City: Chicago” brings two renowned film historians to the Windy City: Alan K. Rode and Foster Hirsch. Both men serve on the board of directors of the Film Noir Foundation, a non-profit corporation aiming to restore rare noir classics for future generations.
In addition to serving as the co-programmer and co-host of the annual Noir City Hollywood film festival, Rode is also the charter director and treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation as well as the producer, programmer and host of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs, California. He garnered acclaim for his book, “Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy,” which followed the titular prolific actor through the rise and fall of the studio system. His latest book, “Michael Curtiz: A Man for All Movies,...
In addition to serving as the co-programmer and co-host of the annual Noir City Hollywood film festival, Rode is also the charter director and treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation as well as the producer, programmer and host of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs, California. He garnered acclaim for his book, “Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy,” which followed the titular prolific actor through the rise and fall of the studio system. His latest book, “Michael Curtiz: A Man for All Movies,...
- 8/9/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
One of the most famous crime stories in recent history is coming to a close: James J. "Whitey" Bulger has been caught after 16 years on the run.
As movie trivia junkies already know, Whitey was the inspiration behind the villain of Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." The freshly caught gangster's history laid the groundwork for an Oscar-nominated turn from Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, mirroring Whitey's days as the head of a South Boston crime ring with all the terror and ruthlessness that Hollywood bad guys typically bring to the table.
It's not a surprise that the two look pretty similar on the surface, but once you start looking at the details, it's no contest: when compared to Frank Costello, Whitey Bulger was the more terrifying dude by miles. Get all the evidence you need to back that statement past the jump!
Frank Was Bad, Whitey Was Worse
In "The Departed,...
As movie trivia junkies already know, Whitey was the inspiration behind the villain of Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." The freshly caught gangster's history laid the groundwork for an Oscar-nominated turn from Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, mirroring Whitey's days as the head of a South Boston crime ring with all the terror and ruthlessness that Hollywood bad guys typically bring to the table.
It's not a surprise that the two look pretty similar on the surface, but once you start looking at the details, it's no contest: when compared to Frank Costello, Whitey Bulger was the more terrifying dude by miles. Get all the evidence you need to back that statement past the jump!
Frank Was Bad, Whitey Was Worse
In "The Departed,...
- 6/23/2011
- by Terri Schwartz
- MTV Movies Blog
Many top gangster films today rely on real mafia men in order to make their characters more believable and realistic. Specifically, the films, “The Departed,” “Lord of War,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Public Enemies,” and “Goodfellas” based their protagonists on major racketeers throughout the 20th century. Here’s a description of the men they based their films on. 1. “The Departed”- James “Whitey” Bulger Jack Nicholson plays the character of Frank Costello, who runs a mob in South Boston. According to Imdb, while an undercover cop is “assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate....a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the sate police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power...” The mob that Frank Costello was running in the movie was really based that of Bulger which he ran at the peak of his career, called the Winter Hill Gang. 2. “Lord of War”- Viktor Bout...
- 6/23/2011
- IrishCentral
After being on the run for over 15 years, crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger has finally been apprehended by the FBI in Santa Monica. Bulger fled his home in Boston in 1994 when a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with a slew of crimes that took place in the 1970s and '80s, including 21 murders, narcotics distribution, and racketeering.
The La Times reports that 81-year-old Bulger was arrested without incident inside a building, and that details remain unclear as no law enforcement agencies have been authorized to speak on the matter at the moment. The FBI had recently launched an extensive media campaign to raise awareness about the search for Bulger in 14 cities.
Bulger was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character, Frank Costello, in Martin Scorcese's "The Departed" -- particularly because of his time in the 1970s as an FBI informant. In 1999, Bulger was added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The La Times reports that 81-year-old Bulger was arrested without incident inside a building, and that details remain unclear as no law enforcement agencies have been authorized to speak on the matter at the moment. The FBI had recently launched an extensive media campaign to raise awareness about the search for Bulger in 14 cities.
Bulger was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character, Frank Costello, in Martin Scorcese's "The Departed" -- particularly because of his time in the 1970s as an FBI informant. In 1999, Bulger was added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
- 6/23/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Jack Nicholson wasn’t particularly good looking, muscular or indeed an early screen success story when he won his colourful, breakthrough supporting role, at the age of 32, in Dennis Hopper’s 1969′s road-trip classic Easy Rider. But his remarkable presence in that film and future prominent roles in Five Easy Pieces, Carnal Knowledge, The Last Detail, and Chinatown along with his Oscar winning turn in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest subsequently cemented him as one of the finest leading actors of the era.
Some 40 years (and 40 odd films… including iconic turns in The Shining, Batman, A Few Good Men and The Departed) later, even in semi-retirement, the legendary 73 year old with the killer grin, is still considered an undisputed king of the screen. And here are 50 reasons why I think he could just be the greatest living actor today.
1. Charisma
Jack Nicholson is one of the most charismatic actors in the business.
Some 40 years (and 40 odd films… including iconic turns in The Shining, Batman, A Few Good Men and The Departed) later, even in semi-retirement, the legendary 73 year old with the killer grin, is still considered an undisputed king of the screen. And here are 50 reasons why I think he could just be the greatest living actor today.
1. Charisma
Jack Nicholson is one of the most charismatic actors in the business.
- 3/19/2011
- by Oliver Pfeiffer
- Obsessed with Film
When adapting the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs for American audiences, William Monahan looked to Boston kingpin James "Whitey" Bulger. Renamed "Frank Costello" and played by Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese's Oscar winning film The Departed, the figure was merely an inspiration for what ended up being a remarkable film. Now Chuck Hogan is digging in for the real story. Deadline reports that Hogan, who wrote the book that Ben Affleck's The Town is based on, has been hired by Gk Films to script a crime drama about the notorious Winter Hill Gang. Founded in 1950 by James "Buddy" McLean, the gang was was an influential force during the 1960s and 70s until 1979 when 21 members were tried and indited. The film will chronicle the rise of the gang and explore the relationship between them and the FBI Boston office. Gk Films purchased the rights to the story after chief...
- 10/19/2010
- cinemablend.com
"Bachelor Pad" beauty Gia Allemand has been cast as legendary screen siren Ava Gardner in a biopic about 'The Godfather' star and reported Mafia connection Gianni Russo. Russo calls Gia's (who was part of Jake Pavelka's "Bachelor" season) casting in the small role a "Cinderella story," and says he is happy to pay it forward since he was afforded a similar career opportunity years ago. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," Russo tells Zap2it.com. "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out." "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava," says Allemand. "After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him...
- 10/7/2010
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
Apparently today is the day for weird film-to-Broadway news. First up is "Sister Act," which EW.com says is primed to take its act to the Great White Way beginning April 20, 2011. This news is somewhat understandable, as the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg was a box-office hit, and a musical adaptation is already enjoying a lucrative run in London's West End.
On the stranger end of the stick, Deadline has confirmed that a revival of "Carrie" the musical is in the works. No, not Carrie as in the "Sex and the City" leading lady (which would actually make some sense), but Carrie as in the vengeful main character of Stephen King's book, it's acclaimed 1976 movie adaptation and its not-so-acclaimed 1988 Broadway musical version (which lost $8 million dollars in its short run).
Add that to the planned "Little Miss Sunshine" musical that was announced over the summer, the confirmed Julie Taymor "Spider-man...
On the stranger end of the stick, Deadline has confirmed that a revival of "Carrie" the musical is in the works. No, not Carrie as in the "Sex and the City" leading lady (which would actually make some sense), but Carrie as in the vengeful main character of Stephen King's book, it's acclaimed 1976 movie adaptation and its not-so-acclaimed 1988 Broadway musical version (which lost $8 million dollars in its short run).
Add that to the planned "Little Miss Sunshine" musical that was announced over the summer, the confirmed Julie Taymor "Spider-man...
- 10/6/2010
- by Terri Schwartz
- MTV Movies Blog
Hold on to your hats, "Bachelor" franchise fans -- Gia Allemand (of Jake's season and "Bachelor Pad") has been cast as legendary screen beauty Ava Gardner in a new film about the life of actor Gianni Russo, who got his break as Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather," a role he would reprise in "The Godfather II" flashback.
Russo personally cast Gia Allemand for the film. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," says Russo, "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out."
Allemand admits, "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava. After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him until he agreed to cast me...
Russo personally cast Gia Allemand for the film. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," says Russo, "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out."
Allemand admits, "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava. After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him until he agreed to cast me...
- 10/5/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Hold on to your hats, "Bachelor" franchise fans -- Gia Allemand (of Jake's season and "Bachelor Pad") has been cast as legendary screen beauty Ava Gardner in a new film about the life of actor Gianni Russo, who got his break as Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather," a role he would reprise in "The Godfather II" flashback.
Russo personally cast Gia Allemand for the film. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," says Russo, "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out."
Allemand admits, "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava. After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him until he agreed to cast me...
Russo personally cast Gia Allemand for the film. "It's a small role. Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her," says Russo, "Forty years ago someone did this for me. They stuck their neck out."
Allemand admits, "I was pursuing him to cast me as Ava. After I heard about Mr. Russo signing on a napkin for 'The Godfather' (at The Palm in Manhattan in 1969), I recited Ava's whole life to him until he agreed to cast me...
- 10/5/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
By Robert W. Welkos
HollywoodNews.com: For decades, underworld boss Meyer Lansky kept mob secrets so explosive that if the truth ever came out it would alter American history. Now his little-known daughter, who kept her own Code of Silence over the years about her father’s activities, is drawing back the dark veil of the mob’s influence at the highest reaches of government and world events.
Sandi Lansky Lombardo, now 72 and living in an undisclosed location in Florida, carried on the mob tradition of silence to protect her late father and family all the while knowing revealing details about President Nixon’s threat to withhold the sale of fighter jets to Israel because Lansky refused to cut Nixon in on a casino deal; Lansky and Charles “Lucky” Luciano’s plot to assassinate Hitler and Mussolini; and, legendary singer Frank Sinatra hiding out in the basement of a Catholic...
HollywoodNews.com: For decades, underworld boss Meyer Lansky kept mob secrets so explosive that if the truth ever came out it would alter American history. Now his little-known daughter, who kept her own Code of Silence over the years about her father’s activities, is drawing back the dark veil of the mob’s influence at the highest reaches of government and world events.
Sandi Lansky Lombardo, now 72 and living in an undisclosed location in Florida, carried on the mob tradition of silence to protect her late father and family all the while knowing revealing details about President Nixon’s threat to withhold the sale of fighter jets to Israel because Lansky refused to cut Nixon in on a casino deal; Lansky and Charles “Lucky” Luciano’s plot to assassinate Hitler and Mussolini; and, legendary singer Frank Sinatra hiding out in the basement of a Catholic...
- 5/21/2010
- by Robert W. Welkos
- Hollywoodnews.com
As Sean alluded to in another post, I seem to have had a big impact on this list. After I suggested that this film belonged on the list to the other members of Film Junk, it was thrown into the mix. We voted and presto-change-o it's our number 9 on our Best of the Decade list. Yes, The Departed. Based on the Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs, The Departed has a killer concept. Matt Damon plays Colin, a police officer in the state of Massachusetts who is actually a mole for Boston crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Colin rises through the ranks of the police force, he tips Frank off along the way and keeps his real boss out of the hands of the law. Colin, however, isn't the only rat. The police have their own mole in Frank's crew: Billy, played by director Martin Scorsese's favourite son,...
- 12/17/2009
- by Greg
- FilmJunk
When a film like “Public Enemies” comes out, it seems awfully good to be a gangster. Sure, you spend your life dodging the authorities, but you spend it with the fastest cars, the most stylish clothes and the sexiest women.
Face it, ladies… we’re suckers for the bad boy – especially if he’s using some of those ill-gotten gains to buy expensive presents. If you’re looking for a few good gangsters to hang out after you’re done with Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger, look no further than these five.
Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” Any list of top-line movie wiseguys has to begin with that quote. Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) rise through and fall from the Lucchese crime family is one of director Martin Scorsese’s crowning achievements. The first half of...
Face it, ladies… we’re suckers for the bad boy – especially if he’s using some of those ill-gotten gains to buy expensive presents. If you’re looking for a few good gangsters to hang out after you’re done with Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger, look no further than these five.
Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” Any list of top-line movie wiseguys has to begin with that quote. Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) rise through and fall from the Lucchese crime family is one of director Martin Scorsese’s crowning achievements. The first half of...
- 7/2/2009
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- MTV Movies Blog
Legendary artist LeRoy Neiman doesn't normally go anywhere without his sketchpad. But he did the other night at the Friars Club, where he was roasted at an event staged by his good pals Broadway producers Irv Welzer and Herb Blodgett, and emceed by Mark Simone. The roasters included Freddie Roman, Stewie Stone, Dick Capri, Mickey (of the old "Sgt. Bilko" show) Freeman, and Larry ("F- Troop") Storch. Leading the applause was ex-heavyweight champ Larry Holmes, former Mayor David Dinkins...
- 5/21/2009
- NYPost.com
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