Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME
Today topic at The Bumbles Blog is Mobster Movies!
If you want to play along, come up with a list of your own, write a post about your surprise ending movies and then link it to Molly & Andy's blog!
Reservoir Dogs (1992) Quentin Tarantino's debut as a writer and director and what a debut! This is a movie about the time before and after of a failed jewel heist. The actual heist is never seen. The men who were supposed to pull off the robbery were given aliases by the boss. They are called Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Mr. Orange and Mr. Blonde. Mr. Blonde turns out to be quite an interesting character. With a fantastic cast including Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney & Quentin Tarantino (of course!) this is a great movie. It also has a fantastic soundtrack but let me warn you, the song "Stuck in the Middle" by Stealers Wheel will take on a whole new meaning!
Miller's Crossing (1990) This is a movie by the fantastic brothers Joel and Ethan Coen starring Albert Finney, Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden and John Turturro. The Irish and the Italian mob are struggling for control and Byrne's character gets in the middle, playing one side against the other. Time Magazine, in 2005, listed Miller's Crossing as one of the top 100 greatest movies ever made.
On the Waterfront (1954) Marlon Brando stars as a longshoreman in this movie about corruption and mob violence among longshoremen on the waterfront docks. Lee J. Cobb plays a mob-connected union boss and Brando's brother in the film, played by Rod Steiger, is Cobb's attorney. The movie is based on a number of true stories written about in articles printed in the New York Sun. On the Waterfront was filmed in Hoboken, NJ. The movie soundtrack was composed by Leonard Bernstein. On the Waterfront won 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor and Best Director.
Scarface (1983) Al Pacino plays Tony Montana a cuban refugee who comes to Florida in 1980. He quickly makes his mark as a criminal and rises to power in the height of the cocaine boom as a top gangster in Miami's criminal underworld. This movie opened to mixed reviews and was criticized for it's violence and graphic language. But it did well and has a remarkable cult following. The black & white poster advertising the movie is recognized world-wide. Scarface also stars Robert Loggia and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Carlito's Way (1993) This movie was also directed by Brian DePalma and also stars Al Pacino! Additionally Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo and Viggo Mortensen are among the other stars of this film. The movie is about a convicted Puerto Rican gangster who, upon his release from jail, vows to live the life of a law-abiding citizen. The question is, will his past allow him to live a life free from crime? This movie received lukewarm reviews but it's actually a good movie and it also developed a significant cult following. Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller received Golden Globe nominations. The movie is based on a book, After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres, a New York State Supreme Court judge who I had the honor of meeting when I interned in the criminal court system in the early '90s while in law school. Judge Torres was a very nice man, if a little taken with his celebrity at the time!
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Can you believe I've never seen any of these. It's Wrong...I need to get out more! Thanks so much for coming by. Have a great day. Holly at lifelaughlatte.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGood choices, Amy! I think the only one I've never seen is Miller's Crossing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Mobster movie is Goodfellas. It's pretty violent, but what Mobster movie isn't?? Well, except for Johnny Dangerously (which I love), but that's a comedy.
I think I have only seen On the Waterfront, but my husband has seen all of these I'm sure. He is seriously into Mobster movies!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very sweet comment you left on my Tuckers/William blog post, I really appreciated it! And I'm so sorry that you have lost a furry one recently -- I'm sending many good thoughts and vibes!
Reservoir Dogs and On the Waterfront would have been on my list had I not done it late last night! I got tired! I just LOVE mob movies. You have a great list!
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you thank you for including 2 favorites that I held back from listing so as not to hog them all - On The Waterfront and Carolito's Way. I totally forgot that Viggo was in that.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Miller's Crossing. Will look into that one.
I did not like Reservoir Dogs - I'm not sure why. I love Quentin's other efforts.
On the Waterfront -- EXCELLENT choice!
ReplyDeleteMy list took a more comedic turn... ;)
Al Pacino certainly has been in a lot of mobster flicks! These are great choices.
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing a lot of titles I've never heard of, I'm not into mob movies. But I do like Viggo Mortensen. If you want to come on by here’s movie list
ReplyDeleteHolly: Thank you for visiting! And now you have a list of movies you can watch when you have some free time....you know, in 10 years or so! lol
ReplyDeleteWilloughby: Goodfellas is probably one of the best mobster movies. I think violence is part of their code!
Marie: Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Those of us who have pets we love and have lost understand what it's like and it's good to support each other :o)
Mobster movies tend to be pretty violent so I think more men than women probably watch them!
Sandy: I always mean to do my posts late at night but then late at night comes and I don't do them! lol I thought you probably liked Mobster movies, I sure do! My husband had me watch Reservoir Dogs and a couple others. They were great.
The Bumbles: I like Reservoir Dogs but it's not my favorite, and that one scene is pretty disturbing. It was QT's first movie so maybe that's why you like his other stuff. Miller's Crossing is great! I'm glad you like Carlito's Way and On the Waterfront, they're both great movies with amazing actors!
Heather: I agree! I love the old movies. Comedy is great! Especially when it involves mobsters and other violence!
Lisa: Yes, he has, you're right! And I didn't realize it until I started to look through the mobster movies I have seen and there he was in quite a few! I guess he's good at playing those mob characters!
kaye: Mobster movies tend to be pretty violent so I understand if you haven't seen many.
You have such a great memory, Amy! I can't believe I didn't think of Scarface. I haven't seen many of the ones you mention, I confess. Considering how fascinated I am with the fictional mob, you'd think I would have seen more mob movies than I have.
ReplyDelete