Vito Antuofermo Movies
- 1999
In this bawdy Italian comedy, Nino (Alessandro Gassman) and his buddy Sergio (Enrico Brignano) are a pair of aspiring actors who decide to move to New York in hope of breaking into the business. Nino and Sergio meet another Italian expatriate at an audition, a sexy young woman named Daisy (Lola Pagnani), and when the trio meet up with part-time actor and most-of-the-time waiter Gaetano (Rocco Papaleo), they get a "brilliant" idea -- as an acting exercise and a way of making a few bucks, they'll pose as a powerful Mafia family that's just arrived in town. The truly remarkable part is that the venerable Don Vito (Vittorio Gassman) actually falls for the ruse, and to shore up his crime empire even tries to arrange a marriage between Nino and his chaste daughter Immacolata (Chiara Muti). A framing device turns most of the action into a movie-within-a-movie, even going so far as to report how well the internal movie did at the box office. Shelley Winters plays an acting teacher in a cameo; Winters and fellow cast member Vittorio Gassman were married from 1952 to 1954. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alessandro Gassman, Enrico Brignano, (more)
- 1992
Hank would probably have gone out partying even if he hadn't just heard that he won big in the state lottery, to the tune of two hundred million dollars. Just the fact that his girlfriend has given him the boot would be a sufficient cause to go out on the town, since he's the kind of guy who would turn a funeral into a celebration if he could. He is accompanied by his best friend, who has a stomach problem which keeps him from matching him drink-for-drink. It's not surprising that the news of his win has made his apartment into Grand Central Station for people hoping to profit from his win. However, the man his former girlfriend is seeing these days is somewhat unexpected, a very posh British type. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Kelly
Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, (more)
After a break of more than 15 years, director Francis Ford Coppola and writer Mario Puzo returned to the well for this third and final story of the fictional Corleone crime family. Two decades have passed, and crime kingpin Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now divorced from his wife Kay (Diane Keaton), has nearly succeeded in keeping his promise that his family would one day be "completely legitimate." A philanthropist devoted to public service, Michael is in the news as the recipient of a special award from the Pope for his good works, a controversial move given his checkered past. Determined to buy redemption, Michael and his lawyer B.J. (George Hamilton) are working on a complicated but legal deal to bail the Vatican out of looming financial troubles that will ultimately reap billions and put Michael on the world stage as a major financial player. However, trouble looms in several forms: The press is hostile to his intentions. Michael is in failing health and suffers a mild diabetic stroke. Stylish mob underling Joey Zaza (Joe Mantegna) is muscling into the Corleone turf. "The Commission" of Mafia families, represented by patriarch Altobello (Eli Wallach) doesn't want to let their cash cow Corleone out of the Mafia, though he has made a generous financial offer in exchange for his release from la cosa nostra. And then there's Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate and equally temperamental son of Michael's long-dead brother Sonny. Vincent desperately wants in to the family (both literally and figuratively), and at the urging of his sister Connie (Talia Shire), Michael welcomes the young man and allows him to adopt the Corleone name. However, a flirtatious attraction between Vincent and his cousin, Michael's naïve daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) develops, and threatens to develop into a full-fledged romance and undo the godfather's future plans. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, (more)
