Report Card---"The Irishman".

"The Irishman" is the "Forrest Gump" of gangster films.  Everything that everyone knows about
gangsterial events in the 1950's, 60's, and 70/s, come up in "The Irishman".
From the point of view of the perpetrators.
That's the main problem with it.
The less you know about the era and gangsters, the more you should like this movie.
I knew way too much.
There were virtually no surprises.
Yet, there are great performances with an all-star cast---Pacino, DeNiro, Pesci, Keitel.

On to the scoring.

Is it interesting?

The first hour is.  Until you realize that you know exactly where it's going.  Then it's all about enjoying the acting.

B+.

Compelling even?

It's as well told as a gangster movie can be.  But still not compelling.
B+.

Is it good storytelling?

First rate.

A+.

Is. it well written?

Very. 

A.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Extremely.  And really nice turns by Steve Van Zandt as Jerry Vale, and Jim Norton as Don Rickles.
A+.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

It reeks of Scorcese.
A+.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately.  It flips around from the 50's to the 70's.  You can tell by the cars.

A+.

Is it too long? Too short?

It's 3 and a half hours, but I didn't feel any length at all.
A+. 

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?.

Totally, and totally.

A+.

.

Is it predictable?

Totally.
C.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Not really.

C.

  

Is it funny?

It has it's moments.
B.

.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

It's on Netflix, so not an issue.

No grade. 

Is it impressive?

Extremely.

A+.

Overall grade: A.

I wish I was a little less gangster-literate.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My books, "Show Runner" and "Show Runner 2" can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store,

along with newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".

They are all compilations of blog entries have since been removed from the blog.

So this is the only way you can find them.,

You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.

Check them out.

You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.

Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.

The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.

But they are available for people without Kindle.

I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.

If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.

And now, there's my reading of my screenplay of my unmade "Laverne and Shirley" movie on "YouTube".

One Of My Worst Things.

James O'Keefe died this week.
I worked on a couple of Garry Marshall series with him.
He was an assistant on "Happy Days", and a line Producer on "The New Odd Couple".
He was a very affable guy, and very competent at his job, which did not require any creativity.
That's about all I can tell you about him, as I never had an extended conversation with him.
This is my fault.  I never had an extended conversation with anyone whom I didn't consider my equal
in stature.  I was never chatty with any member of any of my crews.
I'm not proud of this.  I just didn't have a talent for it.
I am in fact, ashamed of it.
Garry Marshall was great at it.  And he got on my case a lot because I was the way I was.
He told me that the guy who was on Camera A on the original "Odd Couple" complained about me for this.  I felt badly about it but wasn't able to fix the situation.
I don't know what James felt about me, if anything, but I never really changed my ways.
In his obituary, I learned that he was the son of Dennis O'Keefe, the movie actor.
I knew a lot about everybody's credits, including Dennis O'Keefe's.
If I knew that at the time, I would have had a reason to chat up James, and actually enjoy it.
I'm sure Garry knew.  But I didn't.  Even if he wasn't Dennis O'Keefe's son, I should have found a way.
Just another one of my regrets.
There have been, unfortunately, far too many James O'Keefe's in my life.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My books, "Show Runner" and "Show Runner 2" can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store,

along with newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".

They are all compilations of blog entries have since been removed from the blog.

So this is the only way you can find them.,

You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.

Check them out.

You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.

Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.

The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.

But they are available for people without Kindle.

I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.

If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.

And now, there's my reading of my screenplay of my unmade "Laverne and Shirley" movie on "YouTube".