I finally saw "Good Fellas" for the first time.

[Bake]

Not sure what all the fuss was about. It was OK, but it was no "Godfather" for sure.

Also, I have a question: If the main character, Henry Hill, is actually in the Witness Protection Program, why is his name/face all over the movie and bonus features on the DVD? Wouldn't that be kinda stoopid?

Bake

[Westegg]

As the movie suggests...

...Henry Hill's kind of a bad-ass. Quite possibly stoopid as well.

[TommyO]

8. His repeated, frequently drunken, appearances on the Howard Stern show

definitely show his "stoopidity"

[Wapsie B]

1. Henry left the program awhile ago.

All or most of his enemies are dead and he's in the clear about revenge from the Mob.

[LTR]

4. Got kicked out of the program in the early 90s

Lots of crazy grandstanding behavior and drug dealing. And like you said, he's not afraid anymore, since all his enemies are either dead or in prison.

Allegedly, Hill himself is in the movie, as a kitchen worker in the famous nightclub tracking shot.

[trof]

2. I knew guys like that. More 'real' than The Godfather.

Although I enjoyed The Godfather, I thought it was pretty romanticized and 'Hollywoodized'.

Used to stay at a motel back in the '70s and '80s near La Guardia with adjoining bar & grill.
It was ratty, but cheap.
The King's Inn, if you're familiar with the time and place.

It was common knowledge that the mob owned the place.
Money laundering, among other things, I think.
And sometimes I'd bump into what I could only suppose was a hooker in the halls at night.
"Want a date, honey?"

Actually gave you a feeling of security, because they tolerated no gangstas or 'street' toughs. You knew you wouldn't get mugged or robbed. At least not in the parking lot or your room.

Once in a while I'd have a few drinks and a burger in the bar.
Chat with the regulars.
They thought my southern accent was hilarious and wanted to know ALL about Alabama.
"Do you guys really burn crosses and hang niggers down there?"
Oh hell yeah.
:eyes:

[LTR]

7. Sounds like the book the movie was based on

It's called "Wiseguy," and it is a fascinating read.

According to it, the mob-controlled neighborhoods were very safe. Gangs, muggers, rapists, dealers etc. stayed the hell away.

The name King's Inn sounds familiar. I think it was mentioned in the book as a mob hangout. The mob kept pretty busy at the airports, though the ones in the book did most of their heists at JFK.

[trof]

10. The King's Inn was a dump. But a relatively safe one.

Pretty scuzzie.
I'll put it this way: I'd wear my socks walking on the shag carpet and only take them off when I was getting in bed.
:eyes:

I was an airline pilot commuting to NY from southern NH.
Between trips, before and after trips, I spent a lot of nights at the old KI.
It was really kind of a haven.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. I remember the King's Inn-- we used to...

hang out there every so often. Not so much, though, 'cause it wasn't the place to meet stewardesses.

(Unless they were moonlighting.)

[trof]

13. Nope.

If they were there, they were locked up in their rooms.

[mondo joe]

15. Absolutely. Godfather was the mob equivalent of one of those Glorious War movies - Goodfellas

was a more honest take.

Mind you, Godfather is great entertainment.

[Ano Genitus]

3. If you had seen it in 1990 when it was released, and before any Quentin Tarantino movies

had been released, and you too would have partaken in the fuss, I am sure. Seeing that movie was a thrilling experience, but I have no doubt that eighteen years of knock-offs have dulled the sheen somewhat. But it's a great, great film.

[Wcross]

5. Goodfellas was a great movie.

It was all about the plot in either case. The Godfather was more about the hierarchy of the Mafia whereas Goodfellas was more about the guy on the street. I enjoyed both movies despite the hollywoodization.:)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. It's more of a complement to The Godfather than anything.

Musically speaking, The Godfather would be like opera, Goodfellas would be like rock and/or punk music.

[Bake]

12. That's a good analogy.

Even though I'm not crazy about opera!

Good Fellas lost me a time or two - when Henry sort of stopped being a wise guy and just became another dope dealer, e.g. And Pesci's character was really annoying.

The bonus features were mostly just a huge tribute to Scorsese, which got old after about ten minutes.

Bake

[pokerfan]

11. Have you seen A Bronx Tale?

I liked it better than Goodfellas.

[Shell Beau]

14. I liked a Bronx Tale very much! But I also loved Goodfellas.

Scarface was the one I wasn't that crazy about. And Godfather III was pointless, IMO.