Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 08 Shows

BSP Episode 252: Goodfellas

Release date:  9/19/1990

Warner Bros.

Directed by

  • Martin Scorsese

Produced by

  • Irwin Winkler

Screenplay by

  • Martin Scorsese
  • Nicholas Pileggi

Based on Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi

Cast

Ray Liotta

  • Henry Hill

Robert DeNiro

  • Jimmy Conway

Joe Pesci

  • Tommy DeVito

Lorraine Bracco

  • Karen Hill

Paul Sorvino

  • Paul Cicero

The hosts review:

  • You can watch this several times and get something different out of it each time.
  • Although Henry Hill’s character lies throughout the movie, you still learn what that life was like.
  • One of the best 1st person narrative movies made (up there with Taxi Driver).
  • Foot soldiers’ view of mob life.
  • Very different Don than The Godfather.
  • Henry Hill died 6/12/12, which makes this a Recently Dead Guy Podcast.
  • Enjoying some Henry Hill anectodes.
  • If you’re short, you demand respect.
  • Was Paulie a weak leader?  Opinions differ.
  • You don’t get a real view of Paulie because you only see him through Henry’s eyes.
  • Henry didn’t want to be a Don, he just wanted to be a Wiseguy.
  • Power without responsibility.  If we wanted more, we took more.
  • The scene when Hill drops off his brother and he’s being followed by helicopters was played really well; it was frantic and frenetic.
  • “For a second I thought I was dead. But, when I heard all the noise, I knew they were cops. Only cops talk that way. If they’d been wiseguys, I wouldn’t have heard a thing. I would’ve been dead.”
  • Tony rocks an old-school DVD!
  • Financial comparison between Goodfellas and The Last Temptation of Christ… and other Scorsese movies.
  • Lorraine Bracco… when she hides the gun in her panties… yeah, that’s hot.

Awards (short list):

Goodfellas has won the following awards:

  • Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci)
  • British Academy Film Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Editing and Costume Design
  • Venice Film Festival Silver Lion for Best Director, Audience Award (Scorsese), and Filmcritica “bastone Bianco” Award (Scorsese)
  • New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor (DeNiro)
  • Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Pesci), Best Supporting Actress (Bracco) and Best Cinematography

Goodfellas has also made some of American Film Institute’s lists:

  • AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies  #94
  • AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)  #92
  • AFI’s Top 10 Gangster Film  #2

Trivial bits ‘n pieces:

  • The “You think I’m funny?” scene was based on a story that Joe Pesci acted out for Martin Scorsese about working at a restaurant years earlier and he told a mobster that he was funny; the mobster was not amused.  Scorsese allowed Pesci and Ray Liotta improvise the scene.  Scorsese didn’t tell the other actors in the scene what would happen because he wanted their genuine surprised reactions.
  • The word “f$&k” is used 296 times, for an average of 2.04 f$&ks per minute.  About half of them are said by Joe Pesci.
  • Scorsese’s mother, Catherine, plays Tommy’s (Pesci) mother.  She and the cast ad-libbed the dinner scene.  Scorsese’s father, Charles, plays the prisoner who puts too many onions in the tomato sauce.
  • When Paulie confronts Henry after Henry’s released from prison, Paul Sorvino improvised the slap to Liotta’s face.
  • The MPAA ordered 10 frames of blood removed from the film before granting it an ‘R’ rating.
  • Liotta’s mother died of cancer during filming, and he said that he used his anger over losing his mother for certain scenes, the pistol-whipping scene in particular.
  • Lorraine Bracco demanded real jewelry to be used for Karen’s dresser. The production designer rented expensive gold and stones that were protected by armed guards.
  • DeNiro wanted to use real money for the scene where Jimmy hands out money.  The prop master gave DeNiro $5,000 of his own money, and at the end of each take, no one was allowed to leave the set until all the money was returned.

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • Tony/Deuce

This episode was recorded: 12/13/2012

 

 

Categories
Back Seat Book Club Shows

Back Seat Book Club – Book Four: Phoenix Rising

Author: Tee Morris & Pip Ballantine

Published: 2011

Harper Voyager

Plot Summary – Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopaedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!

Quick Thoughts:

Scott needs to be quiet and read what we tell him to read!

  • Fluffy swords and sorcery is good.
  • Comparison of Phoenix Rising and Lethal Weapon.
  • Yes, that’s what I said.
  • Librarians… quiet, studious, tea lovers.
  • The easiest way to get out of a corset?  Duh, a knife!
  • Corset wearing also depends on level of boobage.
  • Books & Braun = Scott & Sam, especially if Sam can have explosives.
  • Teasing for the 2nd book was teased!
  • Bad-ass Italian assassin lady, of course.
  • Scott sums up the plot in two sentences.
  • Slow start for first couple of chapters, then it steamrolls.
  • In which Prince Lord Fontlebottom Receives a Guest… or Batman.
  • Lena mixes up chapters.  There’s a surprise.
  • The settings are vivid and a great backdrop to the story.
  • A good introduction to Steampunk for the novices.
  • World takeovers via Steampunk, human-boned robots.  Yeah!
  • The hunting scene.  That happened.
  • Adjectives are good, use them.
  • Crazy Victorian secret societies need orgy scenes.
  • It’s a dude-oriented orgy.  You don’t hear that very often, do you?

“She groaned as her face turned to press against the rosewood floor. “Welly, remind me to order a better mattress for my bed. This one is far too firm.”

“Oh, Eliza,” Wellington gasped, now remembering why he was in these lush surroundings. “No broken nose, I hope.”

“S’all right,” Braun slurred. Her voiced dropped to a whisper. “My ample bosom broke my fall.” – 

Your hosts for the episode:

  • Lena
  • Krissy
  • Sam
  • Scott
this episode was recorded: 12/06/12

Remember to vote on the for the next round of books here.

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #120

Picks:

Scott

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Les Miserables
  3. Django Unchained
  4. Jack Reacher
  5. Promised Land

Jeff

  1. Les Miserables
  2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  3. Django Unchained
  4. Texas Chainsaw 3D
  5. Parental Guidance

Promised Land is also expanding to wide-release this weekend.

Back Seat Art House picks:

  • Scott – A Dark Truth
  • Jeff – Zero Dark Thirty
Categories
Back Seat Box Office BSBO Results Shows

Back Seat Box Office #119 Results and Voice Mail

Congrats to Cougron for his high score of 23!

Thanks Art, Nick and Tad for their voicemails.

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #75: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

in the seat:

Scott

Recorded: 12/31/12

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #119

Picks:

Scott

  1. Les Miserables
  2. Django Unchained
  3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  4. Parental Guidance
  5. Jack Reacher

Lena

  1. Les Miserables
  2. Django Unchained
  3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  4. Jack Reacher
  5. Parental Guidance

There are no other movies in wide release this weekend.

Back Seat Art House picks:

  • Scott – Promised Land
  • Lena – West of Memphis
Categories
Back Seat Producers Season 08 Shows

BSP Episode 251: FLCL

Run date:  4/26/2000 – 3/16/2001

Funimation Entertainment (US Release)

Written by

  • Yoji Enokido
Directed by
  • Kazuya Tsurumaki
Produced by
  • Hiroki Sato
  • Nishizawa Masatomo

Music by

  • The Pillows

Cast/Voices

Barbara Goodson

  • Naota Nandaba

Stephanie Sheh

  • Mamimi Samejima

Kari Wahlgren

  • Haruko Haruhara

Joe Martin

  • Kamon Nandaba

 

The hosts review:

  • Someone paid major bucks to own this show, sight unseen.
  • We clearly do not have a consensus on FLCL.
  • It’s like a big conglomeration of cool stuff that they threw together… some worked, some didn’t.
  • It has a certain acquired anime-taste.
  • Naota IS Japan.
  • A coming of age story, but only half way through.
  • Juvenile sexual humor.
  • Tony wanted to punch Ta-kun (Naota) him numerous times during the episodes.
  • “Hey, I am sprouting robots from my head!”
  • Typical 12-year-old, or whiny little d-bag?
  • Eyebrows…
  • Hey, South Park kids!
  • Overboard emotions…so much emotions.
  • Discussions about what they’d like to see for a sequel.
  • David hates puns, except this time.
  • The guitar art is the physical manifestations of everybody’s soul.
  • If FLCL was live action, the dad would be a combination of Jack Galifianakis and Crispin Glover.
  • A bit of talk about Samurai Champloo.
  • The Walking Dead
  • Sons of Anarchy

 

Your Producers for this episode were:

  • Tony
  • Darrell
  • David

This episode was recorded: 12/5/2012

 

 

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #118

Picks:

Scott

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Jack Reacher
  3. Monsters, Inc. (3D)
  4. This Is 40
  5. Rise of the Guardians

Lena

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Monsters, Inc. (3D)
  3. This Is 40
  4. Jack Reacher
  5. Rise of the Guardians

Jeff

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Jack Reacher
  3. This Is 40
  4. Monsters, Inc. (3D)
  5. The Guilt Trip
There are no other movies in wide release this weekend.
Back Seat Art House picks:
  • Scott, Jeff – Zero Dark Thirty
  • Lena – Not Fade Away

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Categories
Back Seat Quickies Shows

Back Seat Quickies #74: the Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey

in the seat:

  • Scott

recorded 12/18/12

Categories
Back Seat Box Office Shows

Back Seat Box Office #117

Picks:

Lena

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Rise of the Guardians
  3. Skyfall
  4. Life of Pi
  5. Breaking Dawn Part 2

Scott

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Rise of the Guardians
  3. Lincoln
  4. Skyfall
  5. Breaking Dawn Part 2

Jeff

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  2. Skyfall
  3. Lincoln
  4. Rise of the Guardians
  5. Breaking Dawn Part 2
There are no other movies in wide release this weekend.

Back Seat Art House picks:

  • Lena – Any Day Now
  • Scott – Hyde Park on Hudson
  • Jeff – Save the Date

And, thank you Scott, for pointing this gem out to me, to accompany his own singing…