Let the snide cynics drone on all they please, cinema is not dying. It’s true that we’re living in a relatively scary time as far as media as a whole goes (thanks to the advent of AI and streaming glut), but anyone who cares enough to look knows that rich stories are landing at our feet every day. 6o4fc

But even then, it’s easy to long for the heyday of filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, two directorial legends who have been changing the cinema game since the 70s, and who are still pulling off home runs today. And now, as the Max charts begin to make way for the inevitable influx of holiday classics, two defining features of the pair’s careers are making a last stand.

Per FlixPatrol, Jurassic Park, the dinosaur blockbuster and a vanguard of movie magic, and Goodfellas, the relentless, hard-hitting dramatization of the borderline-mythological Henry Hill’s life, are harmoniously falling down the Max charts at the time of writing. Goodfellas shores up sixth place, while Jurassic Park trails at seventh. Both were casualties of the rising popularity of Elf (first place), The Polar Express (fourth place), and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (fifth place).

Jurassic Park follows the plight of a group of scientists (one of whom has visiting grandchildren) after a theme park full of genetically resurrected dinosaurs is compromised and results in a prehistoric prison break, while Goodfellas follows the life of American mobster Henry Hill, who falls in love with the world of organized crime before, during, and after it kicks the ever-loving crap out of him.

What’s there to say about these two flicks that haven’t already been sung from the highest mountain and back again? Jurassic Park, beyond its precedent-setting special effects and the way they were utilized in the framework of Spielbergian set pieces, is among the prime examples of cautionary tales involving man’s relationship to science. Its classic phrase, “life finds a way,” importantly works as a double entendre. Not only is it impossible for us to outrun the whims of nature using science, but we’d also be wise to consider what we lose as we move further and further away from our kinship the land.

Goodfellas boasts a not-dissimilar throughline. Ray Liotta’s bullish narration initially romanticizes the crime life, with Scorsese taking extra-special care to frame it in a way that tells us “actually, it’s quite horrifying.” Henry’s foray into the world is exciting enough, he eats at great restaurants, he’s respected (read: feared) within the neighborhood, and he’s got more money than he knows what to do with. But, before he knows it, he’s fallen into the trap of what the mob life does to you emotionally; the high stakes and the excess inherent in the world means he and his colleagues grow up far faster than their minds would prefer, and comion is routinely traded out for violence as a result.

Like Jurassic Park, then, Goodfellas warns us to keep a firm grip on our humanity, lest a too-loose one destroys the immediate world. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is just one reason why Spielberg and Scorsese are so important.

After 62 years of Martin Scorsese’s films, we’ve become accustomed to the director’s unique gimmicks and quirks — especially his penchant for bringing real crime stories to the screen. One of the most infamous cases that Scorsese adapted for the silver screen was that of Jimmy Conway, also known as James Burke.

That’s right — Jimmy “The Gent” Conway from Goodfellas isn’t actually called Jimmy Conway. Robert De Niro’s character in the film is inspired by the real-life gangster James Burke, who is believed to have orchestrated the 1978 Lufthansa heist — one of his many crimes. Burke was convicted in 1982 on charges related to his involvement in the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal, but before he could become eligible for parole, the felon ed away. Here’s how it happened.

How did Jimmy Conway die in real life? 4r3j20

The real-life Jimmy Conway, James Burke, ed away from cancer on April 13, 1996, at the age of 64. By that time, Burke had already been convicted of three felonies: extortion, conspiracy, and second-degree murder — though he was believed to have been involved in many more crimes than those for which he was convicted.

In 1985, after being sentenced to an additional 20 years for the 1979 murder of drug dealer Richard Eaton, Burke would have been eligible for parole in 2004. However, after being diagnosed with cancer, the convicted felon ed away at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, while still serving his sentence at the Wende Correctional Facility. In Goodfellas, we don’t see this fitting ending for Conway, but we do see him finally behind bars — which is just as befitting to a crime lord.

There were so many great candidates all vying for the Best ing Actor award this year. It ultimately went to Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Oppenheimer, meaning legendary actor, Robert De Niro left the ceremony empty-handed last night.

Has Robert De Niro won an Oscar before? 6m4at

Missing out on the award on Sunday night for his role in Killers of the Flower Moon probably wasn’t that much of a big deal for the Taxi Driver star. He’s been in countless brilliant films, from The Godfather Part II, to Goodfellas, If you’ve seen any of his greatest films you’d probably expect that he’s won an Oscar for at least one of them.

What roles has Robert De Niro won Oscars for? 5x572u

De Niro has two Oscar awards in total. His first came in 1975 for Best ing Actor in The Godfather Part II, his second came six years later when he won the Best Actor award for Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. All in all, the actor has been nominated nine times since 1975, five times for Best Actor, three times for Best ing Actor and once as a producer. His nominations for Best Actor were for Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Awakenings, Cape Fear, his nominations for Best ing Actor were for The Godfather Part II, Silver Linings Playbook, and Killers of the Flower Moon, and he picked up a Best Picture nomination for The Irishman.

So whilst he may have missed out on an Oscar this year, let’s not forget, few actors have as many awards and nominations as De Niro. And besides; Robert Downey Jr. was long overdue for some recognition from the academy.

With the arrival of Killers of the Flower Moon, the topic of Martin Scorsese’s past historical dramas inevitably springs to mind. Specifically, the true crime tale that could almost be considered a Western of sorts and starred Robert De Niro, Casino. I hold a controversial opinion about Casino: I think it’s actually better than the film that preceded it, Goodfellas.

I know you’re probably saying to yourself, “Wait, that’s not true. Goodfellas came first and then Casino was just a carbon copy of that, but set in Las Vegas.” But friends, let me tell you why Casino is so much more than just “Goodfellas in the desert.”

Now, I will it, I understand why people believe this. After all, it’s the same director, Martin Scorsese, re-teamed with the same co-screenplay writer, Nicholas Pileggi, and they’re both mobster movies starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. However, those series of facts don’t lessen Casino‘s greatness.

A worthy character study 1b6b39

Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco will forever enter through the kitchen in “The Copa Shot”. One of cinema’s touchstone moments for its technical achievement in serving as the magic doorway into Henry Hill’s exclusive world. Scorsese has the couple walk in a circle to achieve depth. pic.twitter.com/d3jh4jSRDW

— Reconsidering Cinema (@coenesqued2) May 26, 2022

You see, I as a kid seeing the poster for Goodfellas and being disappointed that the most prominently featured actor from a visual standpoint, Robert De Niro, was more of a ing character in the film itself when I finally got around to watching it. Rather, Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill is our main character. While the late, great Liotta gives an all-time great performance in the role, the character himself is less interesting than the protagonist in Casino, De Niro’s Sam “Ace” Rothstein.

Henry Hill is just a bit basic. His motivations amount to wanting the glamour he saw in the life of the mob, as he says in the opening line, “As far back as I can , I always wanted to be a gangster.” He’s also not particularly intelligent or deep and often acts selfishly. Ace, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same flaw of being too dislikeable. In fact, we’re hypnotized by his tendency toward paradoxical self-destruction despite enormous skill, intellect, and talent.

The best kinds of De Niro characters we see under Scorsese, like in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, work because of fascination with the likes of loner Travis Bickle or boxing champion Jake LaMotta having such contradictory personalities that they destroy their own lives unknowingly. Ace in Casino is the same way, only it is from the doomed romance of the film through which he makes decisions that are completely counter to his character outside of that context.

Sharon Stone gives a career-best performance 6f4q

Despite being an expert gambler whose skill in the mob promotes him to running a crooked casino like a well-oiled machine in Las Vegas, the doomed nature of Ace’s friendship with Joe Pesci’s Nicky Santoro and marriage to Sharon Stone’s Ginger McKenna slide right past his blind spot. It’s tragically obvious to us as an audience that both the friendship and marriage would’ve ended in torment almost from the outset. And yet, it makes for an interesting character study for us to watch someone who isn’t aware of that same insight.

Henry from Goodfellas just comes across as shallow compared to Ace. But even when you look around at other aspects of the film, Casino keeps scoring points in my head-to-head tally. Take Stone’s Oscar-nominated role as Ginger. She absolutely deserves recognition for her performance anchoring the dramatic tension of the movie as much if not more than De Niro himself. We see the tragedy of her own story as a woman controlled by both her substance abuse and her former pimp, James Woods’ Lester Diamond. On top of all of that, Ginger married a man, Ace, whom she blatantly told up front she did not love, leading to a life devoid of true affection for them both.

I love Goodfellas, applaud Lorraine Bracco’s brave performance as Karen Hill, Henry’s wife, and I will always praise the film for that classic moment when the voice-over narration changes to Karen’s point of view, with a female perspective in the narrative being a rarity for Scorsese. However, Stone’s gutwrenching and physical performance of a drug addict slowly killing herself will always be seared in my mind as the most memorable.

Impeccable and unforgettable 63b6t

I will it, Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas is quite similar to the Nicky character in Casino. You could almost say it is a spiritual sequel of a role. However, there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with watching that for sheer entertainment value. Do the similarities between Pesci’s roles mean that Goodfellas is more original than Casino? Absolutely. But is it any less entertaining to watch Pesci chew the scenery as a hot-headed mobster with a penchant for psychopathic-level violence in Casino? Not one bit, I could watch six more hours of this.

I also prefer the cinematography and iconography in Casino over Goodfellas. True, the Copacabana one shot in Goodfellas is a legendary piece of cinema that is one of the best examples of watching characters get immersed in the seedy underworld. But on the other hand, I ire the concision of ideas in the close-up of Ace’s face in Casino as Nicky’s car drives through the desert, lifting up a veil of sand reflected in his sunglasses. Plus the unique way in which Scorsese and cinematographer Robert Richardson achieved that glowing effect from light sources during night scenes in Casino, as they did in another collaboration, Bringing Out the Dead, will always stand out to me as memorable.

All in all, both Goodfellas and Casino are excellent films. But personally, I think Casino deserves recognition outside the shadow that Goodfellas has cast as its predecessor. In many important ways, Casino achieves more of what Goodfellas initially set out to do, like something perfected from a prototype.

Although his movies are most closely associated with two themes – the culture of New York and the trappings of organized crime – Martin Scorsese’s career as a director now spans half a century and over 40 films of all types. Anyone wondering where to start with his voluminous filmography will therefore be spoiled for choice! Here are 10 of his very best.

10. The Departed 642j4d

The film for which Scorsese finally received an Academy Award for Best Director pitted Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon against one another as police informant and inside man in a Boston organized crime gang. Although it has been criticized for its occasionally on-the-nose direction – some critics scoffed at the final shot, which showed an actual rat traversing a window ledge in a not-so-subtle nod to DiCaprio’s character’s role – The Departed is solid Scorsese fare, with good turns from Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Alec Baldwin, and Jack Nicholson’s Whitey Bulger-esque character proving as unpleasant (and violent) as any Mafia main man in Goodfellas.

9. After Hours 6j1p4y

New York yuppiedom proved fertile ground for comedy in the 1980s, with the Crocodile Dundee franchise, Big, and others poking fun at the self-obsession and inflated sense of importance that went with the territory. Scorsese duly got in a few blows of his own with this tightly plotted 1985 farce, in which An American Werewolf in London star Griffin Dune’s beta male, Paul, has the worst of nights in New York, involving lost money, the death of an acquaintance, and being chased by punks. Scorsese did better work in the comedy genre, not least 1983’s The King of Comedy, but the laughs stand up today, and Rosanna Arquette is delightful as Paul’s would-be hookup.

8. The Wolf of Wall Street 7453r

This 2013 adaptation of New York stockbroker-turned-fraudster Jordan Belfort did huge box office, raking in a cool $400 million across all markets, making it by far Scorsese’s most successful movie at the time. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Belfort, but Matthew McConaughey packs just as heavy a punch as his mentor, a broker whose up-and-at-’em approach gives Belfort inspiration, and Jonah Hill makes hay as the originator of a “dump and dump” racket. The general debauchery of the lifestyle described in the memoir is at times painful to watch – it’s not so much the excesses, but the height from which Belfort has to fall that generate the unpleasantness – but discovering precisely how he fell from grace is worth the price of ission, and Margot Robbie is unmissable in her breakout role as his wife.

7. No Direction Home 1w424b

He may have returned to the subject of Bob Dylan’s career in 2019’s Rolling Thunder Review, but Scorsese’s original 2005 documentary about Dylan’s early years as a 1960s Greenwich Village folk singer is the pick of the two, and arguably his finest documentary feature to date. Over three hours in length, Scorsese approaches his subject matter at a leisurely pace, and gathers a remarkable collection of interviewees: Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Allen Ginsburg all contributed with memories of Dylan from his emergence in 1961 to his much-criticized adoption of electric instruments in 1966. A must-see for fans of 60s music.

6. Raging Bull 4s2b3s

Robert De Niro won his second Academy Award for his depiction of boxer Jake LaMotta in this 1980 classic. It is, perhaps, just as well that Scorsese opted to shoot in black and white; some of the fight scenes are nothing short of eviscerating, as a washed-up LaMotta absorbs punch after punch on the ropes, all the while protesting his ability to take punishment from his opponent, Sugar Ray Robinson. But Raging Bull’s more compelling drama can be found out of the ring, as LaMotta’s jealousy sees him accuse his wife Vickie (played here by Cathy Moriarty in an Academy Award-nominated performance) of infidelity. The film also saw De Niro’s first work onscreen with Joe Pesci, who plays LaMotta’s brother and manager Joey in only his second film appearance.

5. The King of Comedy 636a1z

This 1983 film was one of Scorsese’s rare box office bombs, but amply repays a rewatch. Robert De Niro shows his range as a borderline delusional would-be comedian, Rupert Pupkin, who bumps into an actual famous comedian (Jerry Lewis) and becomes obsessed with him. De Niro has a ball as Pupkin, with his cheap suit and shiny shoes, hatches a preposterous plan to kidnap his quarry and achieve the only sort of fame it seems he is capable of – notoriety. As a critique of the American obsession with celebrity, The King of Comedy can hardly be bettered; in a curious inversion of roles, De Niro would go on to channel Lewis’ character opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Pupkin-esque Arthur Fleck in 2019’s Joker.

4. Taxi Driver 4o4w1p

The movie that brought Scorsese to the attention of the wider public is disturbing and compelling in equal measure, and earned its stars – Robert De Niro and a 14-year-old Jodie Foster – Academy Award nominations. The story traces the life of Travis Bickle (De Niro), a depressed loner who drives a taxi around the streets of New York at night, and predicts, as the famous line has it, that “someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets”. Weaving together a story including a slick political candidate, Foster’s child prostitute character Iris, and her pimp (played by a grimly manipulative Harvey Keitel), it also marks one of the first collaborations between Scorsese and Hollywood’s greatest composers. For Taxi Driver, Scorsese secured the services of Academy Award winner Bernard Herrmann, whose experimental jazz score perfectly complements Travis’s deteriorating mood as the film progresses. Herrmann never lived to see the finished product, or to receive the BAFTA he was awarded for his score, dying of a heart attack the day after the score was recorded.

3. Gangs of New York 5t141t

There is more than a touch of artifice about this 2002 historical epic, but what it lacks in verisimilitude is more than made up for in stylishness. Scorsese tapped Leonardo DiCaprio for the pair’s first collaboration to play the part of Amsterdam, a young man living in 1850s New York whose father (Liam Neeson) was killed in a brutal gang riot by Bill “The Butcher” (Daniel Day Lewis) years previously. Unaware of Amsterdam’s true identity, Bill allows the young man to his organization, leaving the viewer to wonder: will Amsterdam get revenge? ed by a fabulous cast including Cameron Diaz as the pickpocket Jenny, Jim Broadbent as a corrupt Tammany Hall politician, and Brendan Gleeson as a would-be challenger to Bill’s position, Gangs of New York was lent additional poignancy by the lingering final shot of the World Trade Center over the modern-day New York skyline: a commentary on the nature of violence in the Big Apple that landed differently in a post-9/11 world.

2. The Aviator 4l38b

This 2004 biopic is a lavish evocation of America between the wars, and fully deserved the five Academy Awards it received. Leonardo DiCaprio is effortless as the legendary filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, whose obsession with getting his war epic Hell’s Angels into cinemas results in massive budget overruns, a lot of ruffled feathers in Hollywood – and a massive box office hit. Before long, Hughes has drawn the attention of Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett); but the compulsions for which he became infamous were by then already beginning to take their toll, and much of the second half is devoted to an exploration of his declining mental health, all set against the backdrop of his quest to build the world’s biggest plane, the Spruce Goose, and prove its flying capabilities. Look out for pitch-perfect ing turns from Ian Holm, Alan Alda, and Brent Spiner.

1. Goodfellas 3h6r5t

Scorsese was overlooked for the Academy Award for Best Director for his impeccable 1990 gangster epic, which relates the rise and fall of Henry Hill and the Mafia mob to which he attaches himself in 1950s New York. Covering a span of 25 years, Goodfellas depicts in lurid fashion both the glamor and grunginess of gangster life, and benefits from career-defining performances from Ray Liotta as Hill, Robert De Niro as Jimmy the Gent, Joe Pesci as Tommy, and Paul Sorvino as Paulie, the Mafia high-up they work for. From Henry’s rapid rise through the ranks to his romancing of his soon-to-be-complicit wife Karen (played first with giddiness and then with bitterness by Lorraine Bracco), Goodfellas shows Scorsese in the form of his life. Shots that might come across as tricksy in the hands of lesser directors, such as the glacially slow dolly zoom in the diner during the final act, or the famous single-camera scene in which Hill leads Karen into a nightclub through the kitchen, are pulled off with adroitness. It’s no wonder that, a third of century after its release, Goodfellas continues to top critics’ list as one of the greatest movies of all-time, and spawned countless imitators.

For many, actor Michael Imperioli is a “hero” because he acted in epics like The Sopranos — anyone here who does not Christopher Moltisanti? — and The White Lotus, but today he became one for real when he slammed the Supreme Court for its widely derided recent decision. 

On June 20, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a blow to LGBTQ+ rights, issued a decision in favor of a web designer who refused to create websites that celebrate same-sex marriages as she opposes the same, seemingly allowing businesses to discriminate on the basis of someone’s sexual orientation. 

Michael Imperioli hailed for choosing who to ban from watching ‘The Sopranos.’

The ruling has been bashed from all sides, including The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli who took to Instagram to thank the SCOTUS for giving him the right to “discriminate” against “bigots and homophobes” and allowing him to forbid such individuals from watching any of the past, present, or future projects starring the actor. 

Based on Imperioli’s personal ruling, “bigots” have not only been banned from the above-mentioned titles as the actor’s resume includes lauded roles in Watchmen, New York Undercover, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Life on Mars, NYPD Blue, Hawaii Five-0, The Simpsons, etc.

Of course, there are a few who are already twisting and misunderstanding Imperioli’s sentiments, but many are celebrating the actor for boldly choosing a side. 

This is not the first and not the last time when the Goodfellas actor has raised his voice against anti-LGBTQ+ decisions. Back in March 2023, he took a stand against the anti-trans bill by sharing the transgender flag and motivating the trans community to not let the naysayers overpower their rights. 

The Bechdel test is the most popular tool for assessing female representation in film. To , a movie must have two named women converse about something other than a man. It sounds simple, but nearly half of surveyed films fail. With female faves like The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire failing the test, it’s easy to assume that virtually all “guy movies” are Bechdel bombs. The following films prove the contrary. Let this be a lesson on not to judge a film’s feminism by its lass-less cover.

No Country for Old Men (2007) n3w1q

A film with “men” in its title is not a safe bet to the Bechdel. “Old men” less so. But leave it to the Coen brothers to expertly thread some femininity into the cinematic equivalent of bloody dungarees. Carla Jean is the female lead of this out of control plot involving a botched Texas drug deal and a cattle gun-wielding hitman, and while she’s often the sole woman in the fray, her mother s for a bus station squabble about prescription pills. It’s not much, but it counts.

Goodfellas (1990) 5zl22

Like “men,” if you see “fellas” in a movie title, you’re probably not expecting equal representation. Indeed, Goodfellas is an Italian sausage fest save for a clammy Karen and the mob wives who devour her with demoralizing conversation. The topics include Miami being “Jew heaven” and the drinking habits of a poor, unseen woman named Jeanie. The banter isn’t pretty but it’s Bechdel-approved.

Porky’s (1981) 6w436

Porky’s is a gratuitous sex comedy considered the peak of ’80s cinematic misogyny. Despite this, many people believe it es the Bechdel thanks to a minute-long argument between Coach Honeywell and Coach Balbricker. They trade insults before Balbricker threatens to fire Honeywell for “moral turpitude.” The only way the argument could be disqualified is because it’s caused by Balbricker catching Honeywell canoodling with a guy on the stairs. It starts because of a guy, but does it continue being about a guy when Honeywell calls Balbricker a “frigid hippopotamus” and Balbricker threatens Honeywell’s employment? Considering that the man tries to intervene and they literally push him away, we’d say no.

Joker (2019) 4563y

Although it seems straightforward, the Bechdel test can be mired in subjectivity over what constitutes a woman, a man, a named character, and a conversation about a man. In lieu of an amendment to the original definition, Bechdel scholars have expanded the test to cover females and males of all ages, species, and dimensions (cartoon characters qualify), as well as characters unnamed in the film but named in the credits, but this is not without controversy. For example, Joker, a movie so toxically male that the U.S. Army warned that it could inspire incels to shoot up theaters, contains dialog between Arthur’s neighbor Sophie and her daughter GiGi about their apartment building. Because of this conversation, Bechdeltest.com gave the film a dubious with caveats that one of the “women” is a child, the undisputed woman is named only in the credits, and Arthur, though silent, is involved in the exchange.

Die Hard (1988) 69516o

With a heist, gunfights, fistfights, explosions, a foreign villain, and a prime-of-his-career Bruce Willis, Die Hard is the quintessential “man’s movie.” Hell, “man” is in the name of the villain’s actor (Alan Rickman). Yet there’s a spattering of female dialog throughout the film, enough for it to the Bechdel. The most qualifying exchange is between Holly Gennaro-McClane and her pregnant secretary Ginny:

“Holly: Ginny, it’s 5:40. Go the party. Have some champagne. You’re makin’ me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Ginny: Thanks a lot, Ms. Gennero. Do you think the baby can handle a little sip?

Holly: That baby’s ready to tend bar.”

It can be argued that Ebenezer Scrooge, a fictional man, invalidates the first part of the conversation, but the second part stands because the baby’s sex is never mentioned.

American Psycho (2000) 97373

If there’s a movie that shouldn’t the Bechdel test, it’s American Psycho, which is about misogyny in its most violent form. However, it qualifies on the tightest of margins. Elizabeth, one of Patrick Bateman’s eventual victims, asks another of his future victims, Christie, if she summers in Southampton. “No,” Christie replies. Though it’s certainly a conversation about something besides a man, the name component is complicated by the fact that Christie isn’t a real name; it was forced on the woman by Bateman. Alison Bechdel couldn’t have foreseen that problem.

The Godfather (1972) 3g3k3m

The Godfather is often cited as a Bechdel failure because its female characters don’t talk about anything other than (made) men. That’s a falsehood . . . they also talk about bread. While preparing dinner to celebrate Vito’s homecoming, Sandra Corleone walks up to her sister-in-law Connie, who is cutting bread. “Oh, hey, that’s enough bread,” she says to her. “But I like bread!” Connie replies. “I know, but how much can you eat">Bechdeltest.com gave The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) a fail. Doodoo better.

In 2009, paranormal researcher Fiona Broome first coined the term “Mandela Effect,” which, at its most basic, can best be described as a collective false memory shared by a large group of people. This was named after her observation that she and thousands of other people recalled vivid news coverage of Nelson Mandela’s death in the 1980s (Mandela, of course, didn’t away until 2013).

We can’t quite trace the source of any such false reports, nor are we entirely sure they existed in the first place. But, if such a journalist exists, we imagine the term for collective gaslighting will receive its name in due time. Until then, it shall be simply known as the “Tumblr effect.”

And the latest victim of the Tumblr effect is none other than Martin Scorsese and, by extension, those who adore or even keep up with his work; according to the recently-reignited social media website, Scorsese released a film back in the 1970s titled Goncharov; a homoerotic Russian-Italian mafia film.

Goncharov suffers from a unique hurdle, as the film does not exist and, as far as we know, has never existed even on the edges of Scorsese’s imagination. But, the Tumblr effect is in full swing, and it seems to be getting to a point where we’ll all just have to accept that Goncharov occupies a reality-adjacent space, if for no other reason than hoping that accepting this will cause the gaslighting to die down.

So, for those of you looking to make a biopic about Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov, you’ll have your work cut out for you; beyond the already monumental amount of effort that goes into making a biopic, you’ll have to figure out how you’ll manage to market your movie in a way so that no one confuses it with Goncharov, the timeless Martin Scorsese classic that, against the impossible odds of not existing, continues to be one the storied filmmaker’s most beloved works of all time, somehow.

Film buffs on Reddit never rest, taking it upon themselves to start the most exciting discussions on the movies subreddit. This time, Runj0n sparked a new debate: What’s the best 1990s movie?

Adding the importance of the ’90s when it comes to cinema, as it was the year when many high-profile directors started making movies professionally, the went ahead and left enough room for blockbusters and indie movie lovers to share their opinions.

One of the most popular replies included The Silence of the Lambs, adding that it was “[their] favorite movie of all time not just the 90s.” The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 intergenerational thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, two beloved actors in Hollywood. This psychological horror film directed by Jonathan Demme is known for reinventing camera work and close-ups in cinema, as well as an in-depth look into the psychosis of a woman in the workplace.

Heat and Goodfellas were also incredibly popular responses among generational film enthusiasts after myonlyfriendtheend84 shared their own thoughts. These ’90s dramas, which coincidentally starred Robert DeNiro, were directed by Michael Mann and Martin Scorcese, respectively. Both directors, to this day, have hundreds of films under their directorship, coming off as no surprise that anyone would consider their flicks to be among the very best.

The 1993 romcom Groundhog Day was also among the responses in the thread. This fun and introspective picture starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell plays with time loops and the concept of free will in a rather innovative way, especially for the ’90s. This unique take on romantic comedies still places this timeless movie on everyone’s favorite ’90s list.

With two vastly different responses, a mentioned Gattaca and Se7en as their favorite flick from the 1990’s. Gattaca is a sci-fi romance featuring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, whereas Se7en is a mystery blockbuster led by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, and directed by David Fincher. Both these films touch on several divergent themes from one another, but one thing is for certain, they have made their mark as two of the best films from the ’90s.

One also mentioned practically every blockbuster from the ’90s, which are undeniably a part of everyone’s life. Whether it is animated films like Toy Story or The Lion King, or historical movies like Schindler’s List and Titanic, this movie buff definitely knows a thing or two about good films from the 1990s.

With the enormous amount of movies from the ’90s, it comes as no surprise that so many people have adhered to the discussion, each sharing their two cents on what film is the best.

In 1967, French literary theorist Roland Barthes published The Death of the Author, an essay that brought a brand new school of literary analysis to the forefront, forgoing attempts to determine the author’s intent behind the piece and instead putting the weight on the individual’s interpretation of the text.

Similarly, in 1999, the film Fight Club graced cinemas, expanding the storied feminist work to an even wider audience, many of whom, unfortunately, would go on to worship Tyler Durden.

It’s rare that widespread misinterpretation of a film ends up being anything but exhausting for those in the know. So, in honor of Fight Club, the gang over at r/movies have delved into debate over the films that everyone seems to get wrong.

The initiator took the opportunity to mourn American Psycho, which they hilariously, cynically dub the “sigma grindset movie,” as it’s come to be understood by some of the film’s more ignorant viewers.

One suggested a popular interpretation that often gets falsely applied to movies instead, namely the glorification of war and the military, listing Apocalypse Now as an example.

Other responders followed suit with this idea.

Another finger was pointed at films involving the mob, with an extra special nod to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, where so often, the life is meant to be shown as a miserable one and is taken to be something to aspire to, almost.

Sticking with the Scorsese theme, several folks pointed to The Wolf of Wall Street, which, of course, has spawned many a painful mockup of Gordon Gecko in some viewers.

ittedly, art’s fluidity in the realms of escapism and interpretive indulgence has never been truly harmful in and of itself. Still, with that in mind, we recommend some ground rules such as “Don’t be Gordon Gecko” or “Don’t be Tyler Durden” be affixed to the forefront of filmgoers’ consciousness.

Paul Sorvino, a legendary actor known for his imposing presence in films like Goodfellas, has died at 83.

Sorvino, who also starred in Law & Order and was the father of Oscar-winning actor Mira Sorvino, ed away from “natural causes after suffering health issues over the past few years,” according to Deadline, who cited a statement released by Sorvino’s publicist, Roger Neal.

The publicist’s statement was on behalf of Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee Sorvino, who was right beside the actor when he took his last breath. Dee Dee wrote,

“Our hearts are broken. There will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage.”

In addition to Dee Dee and Mira, Sorvino has two other children, including an actor and producer, Michael Sorvino, TMZ reports.

Although the Brooklyn-born Sorvino would later go on to star as an actor in the entertainment business in an acclaimed stage, film, and television career spanning 50 years, he originally started out his work life as a copywriter at an ad agency before getting his big break on Broadway with the 1964 musical Bajour.

Sorvino was said to be musically-inclined from an early age, which brought him to attend school at The American Musical Dramatic Academy in New York. It was there his first connection to the theater was formed, according to The Washington Post. Six years after Sorvino’s debut on Broadway, he would go on to make his first appearance in a film with the Carl Reiner-director movie Where’s Poppa? from 1970.

Arguably, Sorvino’s most prolific period was in the 1990s, where he played the mobster Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s iconic gangster epic Goodfellas, as well as a number of other roles in movies and TV, including Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer, Nixon, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, and The Firm, the latter of which garnered him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

After his daughter Mira became a public acc of notorious movie producer Harvey Weinstein, amidst the #MeToo movement, Sorvino was reportedly incensed on her behalf, according to TMZ.

Sorvino was also reportedly moved to tears decades earlier when Mira picked up an Academy Award for Best Actress in a ing Role for 1995’s Mighty Aphrodite.

Rest in peace, Paul Sorvino.

It was only about a week and a half ago that we lost Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Liotta, leaving many to mourn the talent who gave us such performances as American mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas and lawyer Jay Marotta in Marriage Story.

Among his mourners was lauded filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the director of the aforementioned Goodfellas. In a piece written by the director for The Guardian, Scorsese reminisced about first getting involved with Liotta after the actor’s landmark performance in Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild and wanting to recruit him for the character of Hank Hill.

“I was stunned by his performance in my friend Jonathan Demme’s ‘Something Wild.’ Halfway through the picture, he walked in and more or less took it over. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. But Ray’s role in ‘Something Wild’ was finite, and I wondered if he could carry a whole picture… My producer, Irwin Winkler, did not see Ray in the role. He didn’t think he had enough charm to counterbalance all the violence and the excess.”

The role, of course, would ultimately go to Liotta after the actor managed to convince Winkler to take the chance on him. Goodfellas would go on to be considered one of the greatest films of all time, in no small part to Liotta’s performance.

Sadly, the two never worked together again after Goodfellas, which Scorsese would go on to say that he regrets.

“We had many plans to work together again, but the timing was always off, or the project wasn’t quite right. I regret that now. When I watched Ray as the divorce lawyer in ‘Marriage Story’ – he’s genuinely scary in the role, which is precisely why he’s so funny – I feeling that I wanted to work with him again at this point in his life, to explore the gravity in his presence, so different from the young, sprightly actor he was when I met him.”

Liotta’s final film appearance will be in Clash, a thriller film set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Currently, there is no information regarding its release date. He will portray Lowell in the film, the father of characters Dennis and Riggin Bigby.