Posted on 12/03/2019 12:38:51 PM PST by Rummyfan
A lot of movie stars are on the short side — Robert Redford, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Dreyfuss. Despite being only about 5-8;, Paul Newman always managed to get himself described as “lanky.” Al Pacino is one of the few who always seemed shorter than they were. (About 5-7;, I think.) Maybe that was because Pacino always seemed to be fighting uphill, having to try harder than anyone else. Even in the Godfather pictures, he was the little squirt of the family. Until he wasn’t. He wouldn’t have been Michael Corleone if he had been tall and imposing.
Being compact has proved critical to Pacino’s success. His combustibility, his pugnaciousness, his scorching sarcasm, his intelligence, and his toughness all played off against his tortured hangdog eyes, his mild speech impediment in the early films, his vincibility. Along with Jack Nicholson, Pacino is the most essential American actor of his generation, endlessly watchable even in shameless-hambone mode, pumping electrifying craziness into his lines. Al Pacino has not always been blessed with great scripts but he always shows up for work. He pursues new variations on a theme. If nothing else, he makes you smile.
By contrast, consider a randomly chosen example such as, say . . . Robert De Niro. The two are frequently compared, but there is no comparison. De Niro ran out of acting ideas 30 years ago and has been coasting ever since.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Many may disagree but IMO a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece like Goodfellas is a very hard act to follow.
DeNiro is a loser has been
I saw it and it gives some history on the union, Hoffa, Mafia, brings up murder of JFK, the Kennedy’s and Old man Joe and mafia getting JFK elected. How much Hoffa hated Bobby and vice versa. Bay of Pigs, and the reason why mafia had to take out Hoffa. It also tells of Frank(DeNiro) who claims before he died he killed Hoffa in a house near the restaurant where Hoffa’s car was last seen.
I found it interesting.
DDAfternoon, yes
Panic in Needle Park is a sleeper. It is very good.
I agree.
He was great in The Devil’s Advocate.
The Irishman was godawful, sad to say
I liked him in Insominia with Robin Williams. Pacino was like the walking dead.
Al’s remarkable in that he manages to become whomever he’s playing, a real talent.
Pacino and I spent about 2 hours in a room together. No one else. It was for work. The details don’t matter, but he was the nicest guy I have ever met who was “in the business” and it wasn’t close. I wish him all the best (not that he needs my help).
Those lifts are stilts! DeNiro is a scum bag.
His stature needs more than stilts. He is a small man in every sense of the word.
They're using a new computer imaging tool. I saw it on Nicole Kidman on a movie my wife watched, "Aquaman." She had been getting copious doses of botox and her skin was all puffed up.
But now they can do it in the editing room.
Sort of like when they cloud the lens on the closeup shots on people's noses to hide the pores in their skin.
A. Just look at those Elevator Shoes! Don’t twist your ankle.
B. Pacino looks like (a modern day) Matthew Broderick here.
The film is a Netflix production. It had a limited theatrical release purely to qualify for the Oscars. It wasn't supposed to be a box office hit. It's a prestige project for Netflix, one that sets them apart from Hulu. Amazon, and the rest.
Duvall turns up in the damnedest places....”Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1978),”Slingblade”....
There will never be another Goodfellas.
Enjoy this for what it is, a violent Scorsese gangster period piece. Don't expect Goodfellas and you won't be disappointed.
I'm watching it little by little. I'm about halfway through. DeNiro and Pesci pretty much play the by-the-numbers Scorsese gangster roles they always play but Pacino really steals the show as Jimmy Hoffa.
Their only contribution to society is standing in front of a camera and pretending to be someone they are not......
I agree. Pacino was great portraying Jimmy Hoffa. I thought DeNiro was just going though the motions as the lead.
The best, underrated Pacino performance was in Donny Brasco. Johnny Depp and he were tremendous. But Pacino was perfection.
Pacino and Charlize Theron, in her first breakout performance, saved that ridiculous movie. Keanu Reeves was just bad. So bad.
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