Do women not like "Goodfellas"? Why do critics hate the Ricky Gervais stand-up? We mourn the greatness that is Ray Liotta, but Sarah has her eyes on someone else. Who cares if he's 78?
Might I offer a gentle pushback to the memorial day discussion? It is very important to me that this is about those who died in action. I am a Navy brat and I work at a service academy and have lost former students in terrorist attacks and combat. I suggest that Dia de los Muertos (Oct 31) and All Souls Day (Nov 2) might be more appropriate for memorializing civilians.
Point taken. When I was the Milan Town Hall, the Naval officer leading the proceedings made a point of saying, there's Veterans Day, when we honor all vets, and Memorial Day, when we honor those who've died protecting our freedoms and the freedom of others
Finished the podcast. ... good show notes as always ... I did read "The Queens of Montague Street" a couple of months ago and recommend it. Not expensive. ... "Goodfellas" -- never seen it, would rather avoid a lot of violence. But: the way y'all talk about it I suspect I should give it a look. Maybe I won't like it but I'll know more than I do now. ... You talked about the review on Apple Podcasts -- I think that's just right -- it is like eavesdropping on two smart gals talking and having a lot of fun back and forth. And no, I don't have to agree with everything, but it's smart and reasoned and funny as all getout. Love the chemistry you have. ... Baseball -- I think it's both guys and gals who like it, but really don't know the breakdown. I loved it growing up, didn't play, but loved the analytical side of it. The games were getting too long, but I still followed, until -- 1994. There was a marvelous season going on, and then there was a mid-season strike and they threw it all away. That was the end for me: since them I'm an extremely casual, at-a-distance observer. Thank you for the effort and time you put into these podcasts.
"It is like eavesdropping on two smart gals talking and having a lot of fun back and forth. And no, I don't have to agree with everything, but it's smart and reasoned and funny as all getout" ❤️❤️
Rapidly becoming one of my favourite podcasts. Thanks to the 5th column for introducing me to both Nancy and Sarah. Thanks for the balance on Depp vs Heard. I think I need it as so horrified by Heard and bewitched by Vasquez.
Also love the David Foster Wallace references (for the record the biggest DFW fan I know who has studied every line he ever wrote is a Texan woman) … agree with another poster who enjoyed Sarah pinpointing the ambiguity and ambivalence at the heart of Goodfellas. I have watched it probably over 30 times in my life and I still can’t work out if it is pro or anti gangster. Scorsese seems simultaneously in thrall and repulsed by his characters in most films but he walks the line exquisitely in Goodfellas and I think it’s the secret to the film’s appeal.
Ray Liotta was perfectly cast, never had another good role (except for the Chantix ads 😂).
Jun 2, 2022·edited Jun 2, 2022Liked by Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
Me and my sister loved Goodfellas. We were latchkey kids and would watch it on loop. I would’ve been around 12, she was 15. My grandma dated Paulie for a bit when they were growing up. the real guy, not Paul Sorvino. My family knew some of the others from the neighborhood. Hands down my most significant movie.
P.S. Ray Liotta was adopted so he might have some Irish in him.
I wish I had more detail but my maternal grandpa came to NYC when he was 8 and ran errands for Murder Inc (in Brooklyn). My paternal grandpa ran errands for Dutch Schultz in Harlem. He got paid partly in prostitutes (he was barely a teenager). Wild times
I needed this podcast! I love it so much that I’m resisting bingeing the whole thing to make it last.
One small respectful note - as a military spouse of 20 years who saw a lot of loss, Memorial Day is an important day. It’s true that only 1% of our population serves, but most of us see that as a problem, and Memorial Day as the one small reminder that volunteers still risk their lives so that we don’t need a draft. Also all officers and senior enlisted, about 1/3 of the force, have college degrees but now I am just getting picky so I will shut up.
Thanks for the opportunity to share. Love love love you guys.
A few random points I've been saving up for the moment when I at last figure out how to go to your substack page:
* Proposed subject for the two of you to address sometime: The Shitty Media Men list. What do you think of it as a mode of effecting change? Is it still around, being updated as new transgressions occur? And did either of you ever see it?
* Another proposed subject: Why does everyone on Twitter hate/make fun of Maureen Dowd so much? (I think she's unique and gifted.)
* Finally, re GoodFells: My older brother was the biggest GoodFellas fan I knew -- he could recite long passages verbatim. Then one day a friend told me that he was the biggest GoodFellas fan in the world. So I decided to watch the movie while taking notes so I could make a quiz for them, and see who scored the highest. My favorite question from the quiz--and this relates to Sarah's point about how peerless the opening is--was "What is the first word spoken in GoodFellas?" The answer, you will be delighted to hear, is "Fuck."
Have watched Ronin multiple times. I love that movie. It comes at a very interesting time for the spy/action genre (end of the Cold War, Global War on Terror still over the horizon), has a killer cast, and dialogue by David Mamet (as this retrospective notes (https://youtu.be/J0zkQiU8Byo) “Everyone is impossibly clever and talks like heavily educated thesaurus machine-guns”). The YouTube retrospective also does a good job about covering what an amazing “car chase” movie this is and how it was made real with hundreds of stunt drivers and having the terrified actors really in the cars (actually one was a semi-pro driver and probably had a great time, but that was not De Niro). Would watch Ronin again.
I owe you a review in Apple Podcasts (after all, I am otherwise a complete freeloader).
Your conversations always make me reflect on my life as you talk candidly and often intimately about your own. Often I find that my time has been a lot quieter (and some might say more boring) than both of yours, but mostly I just appreciate that it has been different, with highs and lows and some unusual experiences, some triumphs and a few too many tragedies. With no shade on Sarah, I often find myself nodding more in line with Nancy, just because we’re both at about the same stage of life (I have two adult children and I have been married once, at the age of 22 and we’re coming up on 32 years together and still making it work).
I deeply appreciate your conversations, the things I don’t think I’ll be interested in, the things I’m very interested in, and all the things with which I agree or don’t.
It is the illusion of being friends to a certain extent (that strange closeness of having someone’s voice in your ear frequently for excellent conversation), but even if we’re not likely to be actual friends or ever meet in person, you are windows onto the world, honest brokers making sense of our crazy world and sharing your thoughts, discussions, disputes and laughter in a way that certainly brightens my day.
PS I am very partial to the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is almost no dialogue and you can watch with the sound off, and understand everything that is happening because Spielberg really understood the language of cinema and elevated the pulp/Republic Serial material to art.
Sarah, you made a wonderful point about Good Fellas that got me thinking. You mentioned how there are two sides to the movie. On one side it makes you want to inhabit that cool male fantasy world of gangsters. On the other side it does not shy away from portraying the dark side of that life.
This is one of the things I love about it. It does not shy away from the fact that the dark side of life has it’s appeal (See “the Heart of Darkness). But it also doesn’t pull any punches on the sinister side. Witness Jimmy (Robert Deniro) trying to lure Karen into an alley to have her wacked when his paranoia takes over.
This just dropped, so I haven't listened to your podcast yet, but I *did* watch Supernature and I laughed a lot. He and Chappelle are killing it right now. Netflix seems to be turning the corner on the woke-curation of the past couple of years. And WTF why did Ray Liotta die? One of my 90s movie crushes.
Laura, don't ever shut up! We want it all, and always to be informed, corrected and/or have our store of knowledge added-to. We are happy to have you here and, alas and I suppose for the good, are addicted to recording to go ahead and binge! More offerings ahead xx
FWIW I’m very interested in the recall case and would love for it to be ya’lls next deep dive topic for discussion. I could hear multiple podcast episodes on the subject too. I very much appreciated Nancy’s in depth Portland coverage. The style you’ve established so far - one of you knows everything about a topic and tells the other one (while telling us) and then you both kick it around works well. You could just take turns with whatever you’re working on/ interested in.
Might I offer a gentle pushback to the memorial day discussion? It is very important to me that this is about those who died in action. I am a Navy brat and I work at a service academy and have lost former students in terrorist attacks and combat. I suggest that Dia de los Muertos (Oct 31) and All Souls Day (Nov 2) might be more appropriate for memorializing civilians.
Point taken. When I was the Milan Town Hall, the Naval officer leading the proceedings made a point of saying, there's Veterans Day, when we honor all vets, and Memorial Day, when we honor those who've died protecting our freedoms and the freedom of others
Getting ready for my 60 minutes commute and saw the new episode dropped. Now I wish my commute was 83 minutes 😎😎😎
Finished the podcast. ... good show notes as always ... I did read "The Queens of Montague Street" a couple of months ago and recommend it. Not expensive. ... "Goodfellas" -- never seen it, would rather avoid a lot of violence. But: the way y'all talk about it I suspect I should give it a look. Maybe I won't like it but I'll know more than I do now. ... You talked about the review on Apple Podcasts -- I think that's just right -- it is like eavesdropping on two smart gals talking and having a lot of fun back and forth. And no, I don't have to agree with everything, but it's smart and reasoned and funny as all getout. Love the chemistry you have. ... Baseball -- I think it's both guys and gals who like it, but really don't know the breakdown. I loved it growing up, didn't play, but loved the analytical side of it. The games were getting too long, but I still followed, until -- 1994. There was a marvelous season going on, and then there was a mid-season strike and they threw it all away. That was the end for me: since them I'm an extremely casual, at-a-distance observer. Thank you for the effort and time you put into these podcasts.
"It is like eavesdropping on two smart gals talking and having a lot of fun back and forth. And no, I don't have to agree with everything, but it's smart and reasoned and funny as all getout" ❤️❤️
Rapidly becoming one of my favourite podcasts. Thanks to the 5th column for introducing me to both Nancy and Sarah. Thanks for the balance on Depp vs Heard. I think I need it as so horrified by Heard and bewitched by Vasquez.
Also love the David Foster Wallace references (for the record the biggest DFW fan I know who has studied every line he ever wrote is a Texan woman) … agree with another poster who enjoyed Sarah pinpointing the ambiguity and ambivalence at the heart of Goodfellas. I have watched it probably over 30 times in my life and I still can’t work out if it is pro or anti gangster. Scorsese seems simultaneously in thrall and repulsed by his characters in most films but he walks the line exquisitely in Goodfellas and I think it’s the secret to the film’s appeal.
Ray Liotta was perfectly cast, never had another good role (except for the Chantix ads 😂).
Fifth Column was my gateway to Sarah and Nancy as well. Such a great discovery 😎
Me three!
Also the career destroying Liotta movie on a plane is Turbulence. Has to be seen to be believed.
Me and my sister loved Goodfellas. We were latchkey kids and would watch it on loop. I would’ve been around 12, she was 15. My grandma dated Paulie for a bit when they were growing up. the real guy, not Paul Sorvino. My family knew some of the others from the neighborhood. Hands down my most significant movie.
P.S. Ray Liotta was adopted so he might have some Irish in him.
Wowza! re: Paulie. Yes, I do think Liotta's got some or even a lot of Irish to him
I wish I had more detail but my maternal grandpa came to NYC when he was 8 and ran errands for Murder Inc (in Brooklyn). My paternal grandpa ran errands for Dutch Schultz in Harlem. He got paid partly in prostitutes (he was barely a teenager). Wild times
OMG NYC. "He got paid partly in prostitutes." [jaw drop] -- SH
I needed this podcast! I love it so much that I’m resisting bingeing the whole thing to make it last.
One small respectful note - as a military spouse of 20 years who saw a lot of loss, Memorial Day is an important day. It’s true that only 1% of our population serves, but most of us see that as a problem, and Memorial Day as the one small reminder that volunteers still risk their lives so that we don’t need a draft. Also all officers and senior enlisted, about 1/3 of the force, have college degrees but now I am just getting picky so I will shut up.
Thanks for the opportunity to share. Love love love you guys.
A few random points I've been saving up for the moment when I at last figure out how to go to your substack page:
* Proposed subject for the two of you to address sometime: The Shitty Media Men list. What do you think of it as a mode of effecting change? Is it still around, being updated as new transgressions occur? And did either of you ever see it?
* Another proposed subject: Why does everyone on Twitter hate/make fun of Maureen Dowd so much? (I think she's unique and gifted.)
* Finally, re GoodFells: My older brother was the biggest GoodFellas fan I knew -- he could recite long passages verbatim. Then one day a friend told me that he was the biggest GoodFellas fan in the world. So I decided to watch the movie while taking notes so I could make a quiz for them, and see who scored the highest. My favorite question from the quiz--and this relates to Sarah's point about how peerless the opening is--was "What is the first word spoken in GoodFellas?" The answer, you will be delighted to hear, is "Fuck."
SMM will be discussed, and yes, I saw it!
OMG I never saw that list, and now I'm jealous of you, Nancy. Ben, that is quality trivia! -- SH
Interesting note about GF. None of the three main characters were actually made men. They were gangster wannabes.
Ooh, good point. I never thought about that.
I started a deep dive into both of your writings as soon as I started listening to this podcast, so yea I’d be super into you sharing more of it!
I like Ronin. My favorite part is when De Niro takes out the thug played by Sean Bean using only a coffee cup.
Halfway through listening and don’t want to forget to say yes Nancy, please post your writing here on the recall. Safe travels!
Yes Please 😎
Hi! Guy here. I like Goodfellas.
Have watched Ronin multiple times. I love that movie. It comes at a very interesting time for the spy/action genre (end of the Cold War, Global War on Terror still over the horizon), has a killer cast, and dialogue by David Mamet (as this retrospective notes (https://youtu.be/J0zkQiU8Byo) “Everyone is impossibly clever and talks like heavily educated thesaurus machine-guns”). The YouTube retrospective also does a good job about covering what an amazing “car chase” movie this is and how it was made real with hundreds of stunt drivers and having the terrified actors really in the cars (actually one was a semi-pro driver and probably had a great time, but that was not De Niro). Would watch Ronin again.
I owe you a review in Apple Podcasts (after all, I am otherwise a complete freeloader).
Your conversations always make me reflect on my life as you talk candidly and often intimately about your own. Often I find that my time has been a lot quieter (and some might say more boring) than both of yours, but mostly I just appreciate that it has been different, with highs and lows and some unusual experiences, some triumphs and a few too many tragedies. With no shade on Sarah, I often find myself nodding more in line with Nancy, just because we’re both at about the same stage of life (I have two adult children and I have been married once, at the age of 22 and we’re coming up on 32 years together and still making it work).
I deeply appreciate your conversations, the things I don’t think I’ll be interested in, the things I’m very interested in, and all the things with which I agree or don’t.
It is the illusion of being friends to a certain extent (that strange closeness of having someone’s voice in your ear frequently for excellent conversation), but even if we’re not likely to be actual friends or ever meet in person, you are windows onto the world, honest brokers making sense of our crazy world and sharing your thoughts, discussions, disputes and laughter in a way that certainly brightens my day.
PS I am very partial to the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is almost no dialogue and you can watch with the sound off, and understand everything that is happening because Spielberg really understood the language of cinema and elevated the pulp/Republic Serial material to art.
In my opinion.
6495
Sarah, you made a wonderful point about Good Fellas that got me thinking. You mentioned how there are two sides to the movie. On one side it makes you want to inhabit that cool male fantasy world of gangsters. On the other side it does not shy away from portraying the dark side of that life.
This is one of the things I love about it. It does not shy away from the fact that the dark side of life has it’s appeal (See “the Heart of Darkness). But it also doesn’t pull any punches on the sinister side. Witness Jimmy (Robert Deniro) trying to lure Karen into an alley to have her wacked when his paranoia takes over.
Great art 😎
This just dropped, so I haven't listened to your podcast yet, but I *did* watch Supernature and I laughed a lot. He and Chappelle are killing it right now. Netflix seems to be turning the corner on the woke-curation of the past couple of years. And WTF why did Ray Liotta die? One of my 90s movie crushes.
We tried to listen to Supernature on our morning walk and we finally had to just sit on a bench and giggle like idiots. It’s hilarious!
Laura, don't ever shut up! We want it all, and always to be informed, corrected and/or have our store of knowledge added-to. We are happy to have you here and, alas and I suppose for the good, are addicted to recording to go ahead and binge! More offerings ahead xx
Will do! Also love that you meant it when you both said you are morning people haha!
FWIW I’m very interested in the recall case and would love for it to be ya’lls next deep dive topic for discussion. I could hear multiple podcast episodes on the subject too. I very much appreciated Nancy’s in depth Portland coverage. The style you’ve established so far - one of you knows everything about a topic and tells the other one (while telling us) and then you both kick it around works well. You could just take turns with whatever you’re working on/ interested in.