Wiseguy

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This is an overrated book. But don't worry, all is not lost. It just needs to be re-purposed and moved into a different genre. Part of me wishes that I had read this book, which directly inspired Goodfellas, without having seen or even having any knowledge of the movie. There’s so much about Goodfellas that seems outrageous and over-the-top and made up, so it was almost weird to learn that Henry Hill was a real person, and that everything he describes in his memoir actually happened. Having seen the movie created this weird mental disconnect where even though I knew I was reading a memoir, it still felt kind of like a novel. (It also doesn’t help that the narration in Goodfellas is practically lifted word-for-word from the text of Hill’s memoir, to the point where I hope he got a screenwriter’s credit for the movie)

I think this could have been a very jarring book had I not seen the movie Goodfellas so many times I practically have it memorized. As with the Godfather book/film, Goodfellas is an extremely faithful representation of Wiseguy. The next Den of Geek book club choice is The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. Kaci will be reviewing it on Monday 15 th September. Goodfellas (1990) Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21.Reading this book about 30 years since it first published almost seems anticlimactic since we know about it in so many ways. People don't stop watching and reading shit and some of them writing shit... but some are very good writers... some movies are marvelous and make great impact in people's life.

Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-12-12 17:36:29 Boxid IA120121212-IA1 Boxid_2 CH114201 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York, NY Donor Warners’ first original feature of the Warner Bros. Discovery era is here … and it’s a period mobster drama fronted by two Hollywood veterans. As many people have pointed out previously, what sets this book apart is the outright bluntness in the delivery. It wastes no time trying to water the cold, hard facts down or romanticize the lifestyle of a mafioso. We're talking about people who would murder their best friends and probably not feel too guilty about it afterward. It's a very chilling thought and it makes Henry's desire to want to be a part of the life absolutely mystifying. The original concept for Alto Knights has been discussed and passed around by different Hollywood production companies since as early as the 1970s, with many significant players opting to turn down the project. It is incredible to think that it took until 2022 for the green light to be given on the film, especially when one considers its successful sister movies in the genre. The official plot synopsis of Alto Knights reads as follows: The book is focused primarily on Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, the notorious casino strongman and "skimmer" who, with the help of Frank Culotta, Tony Spilotro, and others managed to make himself and the Chicago outfit a fortune with his thumb on the gambling operations at The Sands and The Fremont during the 1970's.

I'm gonna rewatch Scorsese's Casino because I'm sure I'll like it more as an adult and I know for a fact that I get the messiness I was craving from the book...Sharon Stone plays Geri! I read this book because of how much I love "Goodfellas," and I was not at all disappointed. Overall, the book parallels the film "Goodfellas" quite well. There are famed film lines that are pulled directly from quotes in the book, which furthers the authenticity that I see in the film. The book is an excellent crime saga, like the movie. I would recommend reading this book if you want to connect the dots and look for the tie-ins after you see the movie. Then watch the movie again and apply the real names to the characters on the screen and see how much of a difference it makes.

Henry survives, and thrives, in an environment that kills many, and he has an amazing street-sense. He can make money at just about anything without stepping on the toes of important people. Mafia boss Paul Vario takes him under his wing, and he becomes part of a crew that includes very frightening people such as Jimmy Burke and Tommy DeSimone. He sees they are dangerous, but he walks the tightrope of appeasing them and watching out for himself so successfully that he really does seem to be untouchable for a while. But, of course, none of them are. And second is just how similar this story is to the movie. Honestly, even if you take the fact that this guys worked with Scorsese in the movie and the fact that these kind of writers always change a couple of details here and there for narrative purposes, it's pretty impressive how are entire scenes that were adapted completely untouched. I can relate to Frank. Frank was smart yet spontaneous at times. I can relate to Frank in the way that I am spontaneous and random at times. My favorite character was Tony, however. When Frank was spoken about in the novel I found him boring and dry. Tony was described as tough, aggressive, and random. I found Tony’s personality and actions much more enjoyable to read about. As bad of a person Tony is, he is still enjoyable to read about. I think the author didn’t intend for Tony to be seen this way. I think Tony was intended to be seen as a guy with bad anger and little smarts. I think Tony is seen like this but he is also seen by many as an interesting character. When Tony is talking to another character named Anthony Tony says “Listen to me Anthony. I got your head in a f***in’ vise. I’ll squash your head like a f***in’ grapefruit if you don’t give me a name.”(Pileggi). Tony is intended to seem like a guy only used to fix “problems”. I enjoyed Pileggi’s other true crime mafia tale Wiseguy, which was the basis for the movie Goodfellas. Whilst reading it, it is soon very obvious why Martin Scorsese was so attracted to this story, indeed I can almost imagine his excitement, as he works out how to structure key scenes and who to cast.

This is the story of Henry Hill, who was part of the mob in New York City from the 1950s-80s until he was arrested and became an informant for the FBI. This book chronicles Henry's involvement with the mob, how he got in, how he became successful, and how he got out. He is oddly likable and it's funny because even knowing he was basically a crime lord, I was very disappointed in him when he started cheating on his wife. In Wiseguy we don’t meet these incidental characters immediately. In Goodfellas Scorsese leads with them. Here’s where the film has a real advantage. Robert De Niro plays Jimmy and Joe Pesci plays Tommy (the surnames are different in the film), and they bring immediate appeal that gives way to a depth of emotion. Although, to be honest, terror is still my overriding emotion, particularly when Joe Pesci appears on screen. Their drive to stay alive and stay on top, and the damage they have inflicted on themselves as well as on other people as they age, can be read in their faces as the film progresses. It’s brilliant casting, not just in those roles, but throughout. But it also means that Scorsese has us from the opening moments. These are actors who provide instant watchability. Nicholas Pileggi's non fiction book, ' Wiseguy', is the basis for the film, GoodFellas, directed by Martin Scorsese (1990). It's the true story of Henry Hill, a member of the Lucchese organised crime family in New York. Henry's heyday takes place during the 1960s and 1970s when he works under the protection of mob boss Paul Vario in the Brownsville-East New York section of Brooklyn.

The book “Wiseguy” is about Henry Hill a member of the Lucchese crime family.The book itself tells a different perspective of the “Mob”. Its seen through the eyes of Nicholas Pileggi the author but told to by Hill himself . It displays an interesting outlook,Mob movies books characters have fascinated the world for so long and its the belief that their is another world more exhilarating and exciting fast paced and the common person is just looking to escape the real world into a book or another life. Speaking of character names, this is by far the biggest weakness of this entire book. For whatever reason, author Pileggi feels obligated to name every single minor character in the book. This is not at all necessary when the characters really don’t add anything to the story. This only manages to confuse the reader since one’s brain really shouldn’t have to be forced to assimilate so many names of people throughout the course of the book. Let’s look at an example of what I mean. I would propose the following statement is ideal:Wiseguy even has some advantages over its still-more-brilliant offspring. A two-and-a-half- hour biopic must necessarily simplify and omit events. In Henry Hill's case, a lot of those events are interesting.