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March 28, 2024, 06:11:23 PM

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RIP Liotta

Started by zomgmouse, May 26, 2022, 11:44:23 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

zomgmouse

Reports coming in that he died suddenly in his sleep aged 67. He was filming something in the Dominican Republic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/movies/ray-liotta-dead.html

Shaky

Possessor of one of Hollywood's most terrifying faces, especially in recent years.

Genuinely great in Goodfellas, though.

Virgo76

Goodfellas is literally my favourite film of all time. His older co-stars De Niro and Pesci have both outlived him.
I think the real Henry Hill was a similar age when he died (Just checked - He actually died the day after his 69th birthday. Liotta was 67, a bit premature by modern standards). I almost wrote 'Harry Hill.'
I don't think anything else he did lived up to that one role. But he was strong in Something Wild, in a small role in Field of Dreams as well as Narc (perhaps less good in Turbulence admittedly).
Sad news nevertheless.
The last film I saw him in was apparently Marriage Story. A fine film, although I don't remember him being in it.

Sonny_Jim

Good memories of the time Miss Piggy tried to seduce daterape him in 'Muppets From Space'

zomgmouse

Quote from: Virgo76 on May 27, 2022, 08:19:39 AMThe last film I saw him in was apparently Marriage Story. A fine film, although I don't remember him being in it.
He was one of the prosecutors during the trial. I thought he was great.

Also one of the few good things about the recent Sopranos prequel.

Memorex MP3

One of the few things I liked about Marriage Story, perfect for the role.

Bit of a weird career overall, maybe the Godfellas lead messed up his trajectory permanently, having him always in bigger roles when he'd be a great piece of shit minor character actor.

Tempted to give Revolver a try, I remember it being totally shat on but Guy Ritchie was in the middle of his initial backlash then.

13 schoolyards

A lot of his later roles boiled down to "Henry Hill, but a bit shit in one way or another", which to be fair still resulted in a lot of great roles.

Just remembered he was excellent in Killing Me Softly as the mobbed-up guy everybody liked but who fucked up once so the next time something bad happened he had to take the fall.

dissolute ocelot

Pleased to learn he was in Spongebob, Hannah Montana, Bee Movie, The Simpsons, Muppets In Space, and Muppets Most Wanted. Something for the kids and grandkids?

Someone mentioned Something Wild in another thread, a great performance in a very entertaining and sometimes-underrated film, that's #4 in IndieWire's Best Ever Rom-Coms.

Quote from: Virgo76 on May 27, 2022, 08:19:39 AMThe last film I saw him in was apparently Marriage Story. A fine film, although I don't remember him being in it.
He is one of those actors whose names I see in the credits of something and go, "Oh yeah right, him!"

Virgo76

Quote from: Memorex MP3 on May 28, 2022, 01:33:53 AMOne of the few things I liked about Marriage Story, perfect for the role.

Bit of a weird career overall, maybe the Godfellas lead messed up his trajectory permanently, having him always in bigger roles when he'd be a great piece of shit minor character actor.

Tempted to give Revolver a try, I remember it being totally shat on but Guy Ritchie was in the middle of his initial backlash then.
Revolver is genuinely rubbish but rubbish in quite an interesting way. So sort of worth seeing. You get the impression Guy Ritchie may have thought he was genuinely making a great film.
Liotta isn't always great in Goodfellas. He laughs a bit strangely e.g. After the Tommy "funny" bit.
But he is generally great.
Amiable and charming - when dating Karen.
Terrifying and angry - the pistol shipping bit.
Convincingly rundown - towards the end.

Blumf

Quote from: Virgo76 on May 28, 2022, 02:03:05 PMRevolver is genuinely rubbish but rubbish in quite an interesting way. So sort of worth seeing.

I'd second that. It's a film you can get something out of, just picking it over, both within the story as well as how Ritchie put it together (must have borrowed one of Madonna's Kabbalah books). Not great, but interesting.

beanheadmcginty

Always thought he looked quite a bit like Freddie Starr.

Memorex MP3

Quote from: Virgo76 on May 28, 2022, 02:03:05 PMLiotta isn't always great in Goodfellas. He laughs a bit strangely e.g. After the Tommy "funny" bit

Was that potentially  deliberate though? Like, everyone is laughing loads at him but it's more out of fear of him than anything else


That description of Revolver sounds like what I was hoping to get from it tbh, cheers!

paddy72

Quote from: 13 schoolyards on May 28, 2022, 09:41:01 AMA lot of his later roles boiled down to "Henry Hill, but a bit shit in one way or another", which to be fair still resulted in a lot of great roles.

Just remembered he was excellent in Killing Me Softly as the mobbed-up guy everybody liked but who fucked up once so the next time something bad happened he had to take the fall.

He was very good in Killing Them Softly, among a largely excellent cast.

SOMK

Only watched 'Something Wild' yesterday, he's great in it, it almost spoils the film knowing he's going to show up as the ex husband (if only because the film itself would lend itself to being seen as an unpredictable ride, not knowing where it's going to end up, so to speak). Charismatic, wiry, sexual, menacing, all whilst in subtle eye make-up, a more compelling character than Henry Hill, don't know if he ever quite had a role like that again, apparently got the gig because he was in the same acting class as Melanie Griffith and she recommended him, it's a really unique performance, it comes out of nowhere almost in terms of how up to that point the films been carried by the performances of Daniels and Griffith. It really makes the film as the darker turn at roughly the halfway point gives the screwball aspect of the opening half a consequential edge, drama, violence, etc. A fantastic performance. R.I.P.

Cop Land is terrific and often overlooked. Liotta with De Niro, Keitel, Stallone, Edie Falco, Frank Vincent and a cameo from Debbie Harry.

Feels like something half way between Scorsese and Mamet. Liotta does addled and paranoid brilliantly, and Stallone is excellent in it, his best proper acting performance since the first Rocky.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: SOMK on May 30, 2022, 02:07:14 PMOnly watched 'Something Wild' yesterday, he's great in it, it almost spoils the film knowing he's going to show up as the ex husband (if only because the film itself would lend itself to being seen as an unpredictable ride, not knowing where it's going to end up, so to speak). Charismatic, wiry, sexual, menacing, all whilst in subtle eye make-up, a more compelling character than Henry Hill, don't know if he ever quite had a role like that again, apparently got the gig because he was in the same acting class as Melanie Griffith and she recommended him, it's a really unique performance, it comes out of nowhere almost in terms of how up to that point the films been carried by the performances of Daniels and Griffith. It really makes the film as the darker turn at roughly the halfway point gives the screwball aspect of the opening half a consequential edge, drama, violence, etc. A fantastic performance. R.I.P.

I did this Friday night as well. It's good innit, I didn't read the blurb properly so didn't know his role.

I've also got Unlawful Entry to watch but I have a suspicion I might've seen it before.

zomgmouse

just looked up his filmography to see what else he'd been in, came up with the recent Soderbergh No Sudden Move in which he plays a violent abusive fuck. typecast perhaps but he gave it his all and adds a different subtle flavour to each

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 31, 2022, 10:37:43 AMI've also got Unlawful Entry to watch but I have a suspicion I might've seen it before.

Never knew he did a porno.