The Midlife

Dear readers, I am indeed that lone unicorn/dummy that had never seen Goodfellas, until last night. Well, I made it through 3/4 before my DVD froze much in the same way of this menacing picture above. What I saw confirmed what I already knew: Goodfellas was all about Ray Liotta.

Not for the faint of heart, Goodfellas is a masterful and bloody cinematic view of mobster life, following Henry Miller (played by Liotta) as he enters this crazed life as a teen. It’s based on the non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, which I plan to compare it against.

Ray Liotta died this week, and my initial thought was I had hoped he and Joaquin Phoenix would have filmed something together. Is it me or could you see Ray playing Joaquin’s father in something? They both have the looks that take you from piercing eyes’ handsome to scary monster within the same breath.

For me, one of my favorite Ray Liotta films was Unlawful Entry, with Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe. If you can get your hands on this movie, it is worth a watch. This is the film that forever sealed my sister’s take on Ray Liotta: “He scared me.” He plays a corrupt cop obsessed with Madeline Stowe’s character. It’s a heart-stopping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. (I tried unsuccessfully for the last 25 minutes to attach a trailer. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it’s worth the watch.)

In later years, he played JLo’s dad on Shades of Blue. While I only caught bits of it while flipping channels, I’m convinced Hollywood’s casting agents have a thing for a great head of hair and piercing blue eyes. No doubt he had those in spades.

What is your favorite Ray Liotta movie? Leave it here in the comments. Hope your week ahead is quiet and fulfilling. -C:)