NEW SEGMENT! "Don't Watch That, Watch This"

    Yet another reason to read this epic blog.   "Don't Watch That, Watch This" is a new segment I'll start doing twice a month, where I basically give you, my faithful readers, my opinion on two similar types of movies, and tell you which movie is not a waste of your time.  I almost named it, "I Watch the Crap So You Don't Have To", but that was too long and not catchy enough.  

Two Scorsese films kick us off!

Don't Watch That:

Watch This:

     Both of these movies encompass the mob scene, starting in low-level susceptible blue-collar neighborhoods and ending in the hierarchy of organized crime, with every ounce of cocaine and semi-automatic weaponry that comes with it.  People like power; power corrupts them.  People like lots of money; money corrupts them.  Scorsese is a great director, and both of these films are founded in both of those beliefs, but honestly, it's the execution of each film that makes Goodfellas the superior film. 

Where Casino Loses:
     Casino, first of all, is just too damn long.  Most of the movie is exposition, which I absolutely despised.  In fact, that is what hurt this film the most.  Exposition at length is hard to handle anyway, but 3 hours of it??  You tune out after awhile.  Sharon Stone's acting starts out good, then turns to bad, and then ugly, and then way, way over the top.  The plot becomes a little shaky and seems to plateau about two thirds of the way into the movie, which means there is literally an eternity hour left that honestly feels like filler time.
Where Goodfellas Wins:   
     Ray Liotta is just such a badass in this movie.  This film also has exposition, but it's mostly only at the beginning, where it's needed, and after that, the actual ACTION takes control.  The dialogue is more engaging, the pacing and length is just right, and Joe Pesci is still funny when he cusses out someone while smashing their face into the floor.  The ending is a lot more poignant, because the plot stays strong throughout the entire film.  You actually feel sorry for the characters as the law and karma finally catch up to their Cadillacs and weekend mistresses and drug operations.  When it comes to the reality of how crime does not pay, Goodfellas packs the harder punch.