ME & MY MOVIESALYX ENTWISTLE

GENRE: GANGSTER

GOODFELLAS

Director: MARTIN SCORCESEYear: 1990

Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

‘As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster’ are the words provided by the narrator and main character of the film, Henry Hill. The film follows him through his life, beginning with him quitting school at 16 to work under the Lucchese crime

family, right up to a middle aged Henry settled out of gangster life after enrolling in the Witness Protection Program.

TRUE ROMANCE

Director: TONY SCOTTYear: 1993

Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer

After what appears to be by chance, an Elvis-obsessed comic book shop worker named Clarence meets and falls in love with a call girl named Alabama. They marry a day later. Clarence goes over to see her boss to collect her stuff. They begin to fight and Clarence kills

him, taking a bag that he thinks is Alabama’s. It turns out it contains a large amount of cocaine, giving them a chance to make a lot of money – but the gangster’s that own it aren’t willing to let

it go without a fight.

THE GODFATHER

Director: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLAYear: 1972

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton

Vito Corleone is the aging don (head) of the Corleone Mafia family. His youngest son Michael has returned from WWII but he just

wants to live a normal life. Drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo is looking for Mafia families to offer him protection in exchange for a profit of the

drug money. He approaches Don Corleone about it, but he is morally against the use of drugs, and turns down the offer. This does not please Sollozzo, who has the Don shot down by some of

his hit men. The Don barely survives, which leads Michael to begin a violent mob war against Sollozzo which tears the Corleone family

apart.

Gangster Movies are my favourite kind of movies for a number of reasons.

As well as the violence, which most lads my age enjoy, the storylines are usually very good,

especially in the 3 examples I have chosen. Whether they provide a twist or just tell a

linear narrative, they always keep you engaged and interested in what’s going on.

The acting is usually superb too. The cast of these types of movies are predominantly

Italian-American, which provide an opportunity for a talented young actor to find a way into the

movie business. Some go on to have very successful and prolonged film careers, such as Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel and more

as well as the legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who both made their

breakthroughs by starring in crime orientated films.

Another thing I really like about Gangster movies are the sheer suspense that is apparent when watching. Sometimes there are certain

scenes where there is a lot of talking going on. During these scenes the tension builds and builds, coming to a head with a final verbal blow or even with a death. You never know when a person is going to be killed in these kinds of scenes because the suspense is so

huge.

Star theory sometimes plays a huge part in a films success.

Star theory basically means the power a famous actor or director can have in influencing a person’s choice to

spend their money to watch a film.

A film could have the best script in the world, but there is a possibility that it will fail at the Box Office because they don’t have the draw or the appeal of a high-profile

actor or director.

If you see a trailer of a film that has the name of someone you are a big fan of attached to it then it becomes more likely to succeed at the Box Office.

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are actors who would bring in a big audience to a crime orientated film. This is because they have made a career of starring in films of this genre as well as taking that success into more

mainstream films, such as family comedies.

An example of star theory in crime movies is the film Righteous Kill, starring both De Niro and Pacino. Prior to it’s release, it gained a massive buzz around it as it starred these two heavy weights in the same film. The critical response however was poor, so this proves that

sometimes having great actors doesn’t necessarily come hand in hand with having a great movie.

As well as star theory, there are many reasons as to why I may choose to watch a film.

I must admit though that I too was excited for Righteous Kill and was also disappointed with the

outcome. Nevertheless, it was still fascinating to see De Niro and Pacino share sufficient screen time,

something which only happened for two scenes in Heat and did not happen at all in The Godfather Part

II.

I do get attracted to films sometimes by reading a critics view beforehand. People might disagree with

this and say its better to watch it and gather your own opinion yourself, but I don’t really want to spend a lot of money these days on a film that has been panned

by every working film critic. It seems I dodged a bullet by not watching Movie 49, a film I liked the

look of by watching the trailer but by researching I find it to be described by some as ‘the worst movie

ever’.

It apparent that I am a big fan of gangster and crime films, so whenever a new one is released or I come across an old one which I haven't seen, I’ll always watch it. Gangster Squad has been released quite

recently and although it has a stellar cast, that wasn’t the reason I watched it. It made the film better

though by having a top drawer list of actors who made the film more believable with their fine

performances.

There are many ways I use to find out about a film’s release.

Trailers are a big way of finding out about a film’s release, and there are a few different methods of how to see one.

One way is by seeing a trailer being played at a cinema before your film begins. The trailers are usually screened a few months before the film’s release, sometimes even a

year before if the film is expected to be a huge blockbuster. Another way is by seeing a shorter trailer played during the advert breaks on the TV. These are

shown quite close to the release date, the furthest being a month before. Another way is by actually going onto a

film website and checking out any new trailers that they might have their hands on, usually shown a long time

before the movies release date.

You can also find out about release dates by reading the newspaper, magazines and the internet.

The internet is becoming more and more prominent in the movie business nowadays. Film studios find they can get any information widespread at a quicker pace by using

social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

Reception Theory is when someone’s opinion of a movie is based on their personality and likes. It’s basically a like or dislike for a movie determined from a personal experience or emotional connection. Someone who has a member of their family or a close friend who has suffered or suffers from cancer may really enjoy the 2009 movie, My Sister’s Keeper

because they may relate to the film’s narrative. In comparison, a person may know someone who was killed so therefore may not enjoy a film which features murder.

Romantic comedies tend to split the opinions of people – this is because on one hand, the storyline is relatable to many people over the world as almost everyone has experienced

heartbreak or tried to pursue someone they have feelings for. One on the other hand, they may enjoy comedy and could be in an emotional state where they require something

which makes them laugh and cheers them up.

I am a big fan of Gangster movies because I like the insight it gives into the lives of these people involved in the Mafia. The characters are always interesting and are very 3-

dimensional, usually with a very detailed back story, whether they are one of the main characters or just in a supporting role. Goodfellas is my favourite movie of all time and a

big reason for this is down to the fact that it is based on a true story – the characters, the plot, the settings – all of these things happened. I also enjoy watching documentaries about people involved in the Mafia or organised crime so this is why Goodfellas appeals

to me the most because it is almost like watching a documentary but with cinematic elements to it (with the fancy sets and great cast, etc.)

As this lifestyle isn’t one that I could or would get into, therefore making Reception Theory not relate to my opinion as I have no real life experience related to the genre, the

insight gathered from watching these characters is all the more enjoyable because it shows me how life would be if I was involved in this lifestyle. Also, people my age aren't

really the main target audience for these films. They are more aimed toward adult males. I prefer to watch movies like these because they are much more clever than a genre that

my demographic would be linked with. I prefer to watch a 10 minute scene of great dialogue and suspense as opposed to a scene that you may see in the Fast and Furious

franchise, for example.

RECEPTION THEORY