Unreal, TB. These coincidences have been going on for fourteen years now. Too fast for me. Anyway, yup, 8th Street Playhouse was an art house place. Same goes for the Waverly which was on Sixth Avenue and West Third Street. And oddly enough, you'd never think of the Rocky Horror Picture Show as high art. But it actually opened at the Waverly but ended up running for more than ten years at the 8th Street Playhouse. And let me tell ya, it may have been all in good fun, but living across the street from that freak show at midnight on a Saturday night was no picnic 😂.

I think Bufalino's laugh when Hoffa talks about Pro confronting him "while I'm eating my ice cream" was pretty much Pesci going off script, too.

Amazing, saw The Rocket Horror Picture Show in 1978 at The 8th St. Playhouse Nyc when I was 15yrs old.

Never forget it.

Wow. Another coincidence! And I was 19 in '78, DP. I kinda had a handle on your age from interacting with you here. Now I know for sure lol.

I rewatched THE IRISHMAN last night and enjoyed it even more a second time around. However, for those of us who weren't born yet, a question for those who were alive during this time: how do you feel about Hoffa, the Teamsters, and Unions in general? I know they pretty much got broken up back in the 1980's but if Hoffa had lived and regained control of the union, where do you think we as a country would be today in terms of the gap between employer/employee? And how and why after Hoffa's disappearance did union's in this country, not have the same "solidarity"/power as portrayed in the film?

My uncle was a Teamsters driver. He used to say that "Hoffa is no lamb," but he supported him because he got tangible benefits out of his membership in the union. Although Hoffa was in bed with the Mob, he was never under the Mob's thumb. He fought hard for his union, making the Teamsters the largest and wealthiest union in America in its day ,and wages/benefits greatly improved under him. He did engage in criminal activities, but so did the Justice Department--the "Get Hoffa Squad" sometimes used extralegal means to get Hoffa. On the negative side, Hoffa's notoriety hurt the Teamsters' image, and that of organized labor as a whole. The Mob grew stronger because of its ability to tap Teamsters pension funds and to put their own men in high places in the union.

Unions have been in long decline because of America's transition to a service economy, and because high tech industries were never unionized. I think the teachers unions are the biggest today, and they are losing ground to charter and private schools.

I was a Teamster, loading and unloading trucks on the freight docks in Dallas when I was an undergraduate. I didn't break legs, but I made good money. Apparently, Hoffa was corrupt, but as TB points out, he obtained some pretty good pay and benefits for working men. Unfortunately, he didn't know his limitations.

I was also a steel worker and a construction laborer both of which had unions I joined. At least in part because of unions, businesses learned to treat their employees better than they had. Will they continue to do so? If not, unions could make a comeback

And his son continues the work his father would be proud, Teamsters are still a powerful voice in North America for working families.

He confessed to killing Hoffa to three priests I read.

Did a fourth priest absolve him of the lies?😂

not a bad movie but definitely not the best either. IMO De Zero is a disgrace to all Italians ... a true FREDO!

DeNiro's haters must be happy that the Irishman walked away with no Golden Globes. The Atlantic believes it's because the industry is still salty toward Netflix. To add insult to injury Ricky Gervais said Pesci looked like Baby Yoda. Ricky Gervais is probably dead by now. 5 nominations still won't look too shabby on the Blu-ray case.

Anyhow, regarding the movie itself, I wonder if Bufalino actually bowled.

I've already watched The Irishman several times and will probably watch it several more times over the next few months. As has already been the case, it has generated an inventory of questions and speculations that I imagine will continue for years to come just as we ask questions and speculate about The Trilogy. So, I'll add one or two.

Why did Scorsese include the scenes of Frank disposing of his guns at the bridge and have Frank narrate about it? It would seem that once was enough if at all. In the same vein, why was there a scene with Frank deciding which gun(s) to use to murder Gallo and the scene of him disposing of them after the murder?

I thought De Niro wasnt right for the role, he was an unconvincing "hitman" and looked wooden throughout....whether this was him trying to appear physically bigger or just because hes an old guy now I dont know, but it was a poor, poor effort. Pesci and Pacino I thought were excellent though. Steven Graham as Tony Pro was alright, but possibly a slightly disappointing choice for a Scorcese movie and this role in particular.

The other annoying problem with the movie was that we are led to easily believe Sheeran hit Gallo....total bullshit, so what else is? and that hit was a big deal, although seemed rather played down in the movie...no doubt for obvious reasons. I read the book years ago and sheeran claimed about 20-30 hits I'm sure. I've still never heard or read his name anywhere outside of the book or movie. Regular contact with the bosses of other families, taking down Joe Gallo without any retaliation, Jimmy Hoffa and possibly 30 other people whilst maintaining an increasingly high profile in the teamsters union? Gimmie a break...

Casino and Goodfellas were more or less accurate portrayals of the characters, that life and those times and that's what made them classics. Yes, I know Henry Hill embelished stories but nothing as major as I reckon Sheeran did. I wasn't expecting an accurate documentary of any sorts having read the book, but something just didn't click...there were no "great" scenes that people will talk about for years after. That's why I think this film won't be up there with the other 2 and certainly shouldn't, and won't be considered as any sort of "trilogy" of great scorcese/de niro/pesci movies.

Scorsese could have made this like Goodfellas or Casino but he didn't want to. Pesci even said he was ready to play Tony Pro, and bring that Tommy D/Nicky Santoro energy to the role. Scorsese wanted to do this differently. I think the critics gave him a lot of crap for Casino being so similar to Goodfellas so he made sure that wouldn't happen again. The reviews are good. 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The goose egg at the Golden Globes was undoubtedly a snub. Probably a shot at Netflix.

Exactly Oak. Great film that will join the pantheon of mobster classics. As you point out, the critics loved it and so did I.

I didn't realise he was trying to make it different from goodfellas and casino. In fact, the steady cam one take scene right at the start of the movie seemed to be a deliberate attempt from the outset to make it similar to both, or at least persuade the audience that's what they were going to get.

The narration from the main protagonist throughout and music score also made me think immediately of both former movies. It just all felt a bit flat and a disappointing sign off. Certainly not a classic and at best the least good of the 3 movies.

Time will tell and everyone has different opinions on it. It's difficult to imagine it being up in the top 20, 50 or possibly even 100 movies of all time though.

The conversation between Scorsese, DeNiro, Pacino and Pesci available on Netflix is a must watch. They get into the differences between this and Goodfellas. This is where Pesci says he wanted to play Tony Pro but Scorsese insisted he play a more mild mannered character this time. If Scorsese wanted a Goodfellas-Casino feel to it he would have had Pesci play a more aggressive character, and he could have done it with the de-aging technology. It's not like he has to jump out of helicopters. All he has to do is pull a trigger and cuss a lot.

When you consider the lengthy demise of Sheeran and Buffalino (there's about 45 min. of movie left after Hoffa is killed) I think this is what Scorsese wanted to do differently this time. The frailty of an aging gangster. The isolation from a disapproving family. Once the money stops rolling in their friends are gone. The ones who die young just might be the lucky ones.

Good analysis Oak. That part of a gangster's life is typically ignored. Even Michael Franzese's interviews fall short of his expressing much in the way of regrets.

+1
That last 30 minutes was quite emotional and - the frailty of an aging gangster - describes it perfectly. My heart sank watching Pesci in those last few scenes. I also loved how Scorsese closed the movie with Sheeran asking the priest to leave the door open a little bit on his way out. All of his friends were dead and the only person he loved that was alive hated him but he still couldn't let that door get closed. Painfully beautiful.

I do 2 also miss u 2 Pizza...ur input is unsurmitible I don't know u much ..but when I 1rst came on-board,U were here all the time..then I know u had father (or should I say ..family biz 2worry about than this site)....alas...we luv your recent comeback & it makes the board all the more presentable...Hoodlum.

Maybe, but Netflix did have the most nominations so it's not that the streaming service was completely ignored. It's just a matter of time before they gonna win.

Netflix got a lot of nominations, but only one win. With the Irishman having 5 nominations, it's hard to believe that it could walk away with no wins without it being some sort of intentional snub, especially considering what movies they lost to. A well reviewed movie (97% on RT) filled with former Academy and Golden Globe winners going 0 for 5 just doesn't happen without biased judging.

This is interesting Fergie. Indicates we're both right and wrong. Points out the similarities in production style between this and Goodfellas but where the stories and themes drastically differ, especially at the end.

I also think it was interesting and innovative that Scorsese gave lots of time to gangsters' declining years--something you don't see in other films. But,did anyone else (beside me) come to the conclusion that Sheeran had no redeeming qualities whatsoever? That scene where the priest asks him if he has any remorse for his victims and his families was appalling. So was his feeble explanation to his daughter for his behavior. Michael Corleone tried something like that near the beginning of III, when he shouts at Kay: "I protected my family from the horrors of this world." And Kay nails him: "But you became my horror."

I agree TB about the aftermath of the gangster life not getting enough attention. At least Michael Franzese elaborates on it in his VLAD interviews. In fact, in another post I pointed out that Michael/Frank juncture which saw them both making excuses and alone and unloved. Even as a child, Peggy's instincts were right on target regarding her father.

Scorsese has alluded more than once to not believing in redeeming qualities, although some of his characters certainly have them. Scorsese likes to explore the gray area between good and evil. Bad people who really aren't that bad. Good people who really aren't that good. Their helplessness and apathy resembles society more than society wants to believe.

Most here probably know that DeNiro auditioned to play Sonny in GF. He was still in his Johnny Boy persona when he did the audition. Here is part of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tdgBlZc8Wc

For best supporting actor Al Pacino and Joe Pesci both can look forward to an Oscar Nomination.
Best film will probably 1917, Sam Mendes best director and Phoenix best actor.