Robert De Niro Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The thing I've always loved about Martin Scorsese is that the man lives to tell you a story. He piles on the details and approaches every angle -- and as a result he creates living breathing people -- and thanks to him, his crime flicks are about as close to the mob as I need to get. When Casino was released in 1995, it was considered Scorsese's return to the world of crime after taking a little diversion with films like Age of Innocence and Cape Fear. But, the comparisons between Casino and Goodfellas were inevitable, and unfortunately Casino was branded the inferior film. Now I'm not denying the genius of Goodfellas, but I stand by the fact that Casino is a kick-a** film in its own right.

The predictably and sadly stinky Righteous Kill, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as cranky old cops trying to solve a possible serial killer case and make old rights wrong etc. etc ad infinitum, has a video game. No, I didn't know it either! Probably because it was put out by Merscom and Starz Media and is a downloadable PC game that can be yours for just $6.99 via Big Fish Games. And now there's a sequel called Righteous Kill: Revenge of the Poet Killer, which can also be yours for $6.99.

Both games have the barest connections to the actual movie. Here's the description of the first game:

"Step into the shoes of Erica Dean as she investigates crime scenes in New York City. It`s a man hunt for a vigilante on a killing spree through 16 locations containing over a thousand hidden objects. With the help of Sergeant Vasquez, Erica will use clues she collects in a number of detective-themed mini games. Inspired by the motion picture film, Righteous Kill features clips from the movie and 15 animated levels."

It's no secret Robert De Niro has fallen on hard times in recent years, especially insofar as "hard times" are defined as "choosing to appear in terrible movies almost exclusively." But he's played several iconic characters in the past, including Al Capone in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables.

This film has many famous scenes. Here's one of my favorites, in which Capone has a friendly meeting with his associates, discusses his love of baseball, and then hits a line drive up the middle. His speech leading up to it is great ("Enthusiasms... enthusiasms... enthusiasms"), and the tension is unbearable -- especially if, say, you first watched this movie years ago and know how the scene will end but don't remember exactly when it's going to happen.

The scene is based on a legend about Al Capone that may or may not be true. Albert Anselmi, John Scalise, and Joseph Giunta were found dead in May 1929, all of them shot and horrifically beaten. Years later, the story would emerge that they'd been lured to a dinner by Capone (they were all associates of his), who had turned on them with a baseball bat before other Capone henchmen stepped in to finish the job. I don't know if it's true, but I like to think it is.

By the way, while the violence here isn't as explicit as I remembered it, it's still pretty harsh. It might be considered "not safe for work" if you work in a place where the bludgeoning of ineffective team members is frowned upon.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro finally co-starred together last year in Righteous Kill, and now they're teaming up again: to sue the film's distributor, Overture, and the Tutima watch manufacturer for allegedly misusing their names to sell watches. Yes, these two will appear in terrible films until the cows come home -- but don't you DARE suggest they endorse a particular brand of wristwatch.

According to the Reuters news service, a series of ads last year (such as the one pictured) used the actors' names, voices, and faces to endorse Tutima watches. In addition to print advertisements, a clip from Righteous Kill appeared on Tutima's website. The actors claim they never gave permission for such an endorsement, and that they'd have said no if they'd been asked.

In the words of the lawsuit, De Niro has only ever endorsed a product "under very specific and compelling circumstances," and Pacino "has never commercially endorsed any product or service in the United States." The stars of 88 Minutes and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle have standards, you know. (I suspect one of those standards is that they'll do whatever you want; you just gotta pay them.)

Actors do have the right to control when their names, images, and voices are used for commercial purposes, of course. If Overture really didn't make the proper arrangements with Pacino and De Niro before allowing Tutima to use them, well ... they're gonna be in trouble. According to the Associated Press, Overture was surprised by the lawsuit, takes all legal action very seriously, etc., etc.

Now that it looks like Soderbergh and his crew are finished with the Ocean's series, perhaps some Scorsese veterans can pick up the torch and roll with it. The New York Post's Page Six reports that during a recent Oscar party hosted by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joe Pesci were off huddled in a corner talking shop. What kind of shop, you ask? Well, supposedly they were discussing a possible film they'd all co-star in; an "Italian-flavored heist" is how Page Six puts it.

It's hard to imagine these three guys coming together for a film without Marty Scorsese behind the camera, but the director seems pretty busy with other projects (like Silence), though one imagines nothing is set in stone until, well, it's set in stone. Then again, maybe they're coming together for another director (De Niro, perhaps?), without Scorsese? Either way, I'm definitely intrigued to not only watch De Niro and Pesci reteam on the big screen, but also to see DiCaprio (who co-starred with De Niro in This Boy's Life) thrown into the mix. And for a slick heist film, no less. Of course it's all rumors and speculation right now, but we'll let you know if any more news comes our way.

When bad movie ideas hit the wire and then seemingly dissolve into thin air, there's a chance to breathe that sigh of relief over what could have happened, but didn't. Unfortunately, sometimes months or even years later, we're slapped with the news that silence doesn't necessarily mean death, and that our worst nightmares are coming true.

Fox News has "released" word that a sequel to Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers is happening. We already knew that was the case, since it was confirmed last year, but the news piece does add to it -- Blythe Danner and Robert De Niro are returning. This means that last year's news wasn't a dream, and that Ben Stiller hasn't forgotten about it, no matter what other projects he is busying himself with. We are getting more Fockers. We just don't know if Babs and Dustin are in for the ride as well.

Not that it matters. There are those that love the original, and those who actually like the sequel more, but can't we all agree that a third installment is pushing it. I mean, what're they going to do? Have Gaylord actually try milking a cat for his kid? Do any of you actually want to see that? Are you eager for more Focker hijinx?

Okay, so Righteous Kill (381 screens) wasn't the world's greatest movie. At best it was rudimentary -- and at worst, it was outright stupid. But I have to admit, I got a giant-sized kick out of seeing Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together for the first time (aside from not appearing together in The Godfather Part II and appearing together only briefly in Heat). They had a wonderful banter going that suggested they'd been pals for 30 years. However, we had a right to expect more from two guys who are considered among the greatest screen actors of all time.

This label, I think, has only hurt their careers, because now we tend to think of them in terms of hot and cold. Everyone remembers De Niro in Taxi Driver and Raging Bull and Pacino in The Godfather films and Scarface, but what have they done for us lately? And why on earth did Pacino win an Oscar for Scent of a Woman, of all things? Then we have their most recent films to contend with, De Niro's amiable but lightweight What Just Happened? (36 screens) and Pacino's ultra-lame 88 Minutes. But let me suggest that we ignore the hot-cold concept and concentrate instead on some warmth? After all, both actors have given terrific performances in recent years that deserve some consideration.

(Barry Levinson's "What Just Happened?" opened in limited release this weekend, so here's our Sundance review from last January.)

By: Scott Weinberg

If you're a ravenous movie nerd like me, then there's very little in Barry Levinson's "inside baseball" Hollywood movie What Just Happened? you don't know already. If, on the other hand, you don't know a whole lot about studio politics, the angst of test-market screenings, and the tricks that movie-makers (or, more specifically, movie-sellers) will pull just to get a festival screening and a huge opening weekend, then you'll most likely get a whole bunch of chuckles out of the flick. To those who know about this stuff all too well, the comedy should still make for an interesting enough diversion -- thanks mainly to a massive, colorful cast and a few solid jabs that hit Hollywood right in the kisser.

Based on producer Art Linson's book What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line, the film version tells the story of one very successful Hollywood producer, and the ways in which he juggles multiple professional crises, as well as some prickly domestic issues at the same time. Robert De Niro is our movie producer, doing his best "sly" comedic work since (probably) Wag the Dog. John Turturro is the archetypal agent: skittish, shifty, and packing a nasty ulcer. Stanley Tucci is the writer who needs our protagonist for professional reasons, but pursues his ex-wife (Robin Wright Penn) for other activities. Michael Wincott is the drug-infested director whose ultra-edgy film is being mangled by horrifying studio boss Catherine Keener.

Here at the Indie Spotlight, we treat your multiplex woes with a healthy dose of limited-release independent flicks. Being an indie film doesn't automatically make it better than a mainstream movie -- but if it's bad, at least you know it didn't cost $100 million to make. Frugality is important in these trying economic times.

It's a rather light week for indies, with just four for our perusal: The Elephant King, Filth and Wisdom, Tru Loved, and What Just Happened. There's also Morning Light, a documentary about competitive open-sea sailing, which, while not an indie (it's from Disney), is opening on a limited number of screens. Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson has a review here.

And now, the rundown!

What Just Happened
What it is: Barry Levinson directs an all-star cast (Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro) in this Hollywood satire about a fading producer.
What they're saying: Cinematical's Scott Weinberg gave it a lukewarm review at Sundance, basically saying that if you're a big movie buff who already knows how Hollywood works, there won't be much new to laugh at. At Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews are 2-to-1 in favor of the flick.
Where it's playing: A few dozen screens in several major markets: New York, L.A., San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix.
More info: The official site has a complete list of theaters, as well as where it's opening next.

The Elephant King
What it is: A drama about two American brothers sexing their way through Thailand one summer.
What they're saying: All four reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are scathing, calling it naive and desperate. But Variety's review, for some reason not yet posted at RT, has high praise for the acting and says the movie "deserves to find an audience."
Where it's playing: New York City (Angelika Film Center).
More info: The official site.

I already smell Oscar nominations for this one. According to Variety, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are re-teaming for I Heard You Paint Houses, based on Charles Brandt's book. And another Scorsese alumni is writing the script -- Steve Zaillian, who not only scripted Gangs of New York, but won an Oscar for Schindler's List. See what I mean? A contender for Best Picture, and it isn't even filmed yet.

The topic is familiar stomping ground for Scorsese and De Niro -- organized crime. De Niro will play the main man of Houses, Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran, who reportedly committed more than 25 mob murders. One of these was supposedly Jimmy Hoffa, who he confessed to killing and dismembering on the orders of mob boss Russell Bufalino. And if you're wondering about the title, it has a wonderfully gruesome origin: it's mob slang for a contract killing, due to the mess left behind on walls and floors when you carry one out.

Sheeran confessed all to Brandt, who befriended him before his death in 2003. While this seemed to clear up the mystery surrounding Hoffa's disappearance, controversy still reigns. Other hitman have confessed to the crime since Sheeran, and lacking conclusive DNA evidence or a body, nothing can be proved or denied. The FBI stopped looking for Hoffa's body in 2006. But Hoffa's fate is like the identity of Jack the Ripper -- no one will ever stop confessing, wondering, or looking.

As I said at the start, this movie has a perfect pedigree. But for the sake of argument, do you think it's just too safe? We all realize Scorsese knows a mob thriller like the back of his hand, and we know De Niro can play a guy who, well, paints houses to chilling perfection. I'd love to see Scorsese court some of that Last Temptation of Christ controversy again, but perhaps that's just too cocky of me to question.