Another 5-star movie in a (barely) 4-star release... ****UPDATED 12/31/2010 for new 20th Anniversary BluRay***
There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about "Goodfellas"... it's one of the best movies ever. To hell with the AFI, this is arguably one of the top 10 American movies ever made! Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco: five top-notch talents operating on all 8 cylinders in this story about three decades of life in the mob.
Now, you'd think that Warner Brothers would give this movie the most complete Warner DVD release that's ever existed. A fervent popular following, a high level of anticipation for a special edition, and the current booming state of the DVD industry should've made this a no-brainer slam dunk for Warner's marketing and home video departments. And so, after years of having to flip over the old disc, after years of almost crushing that flimsy snap case, after years of listening to that 5.1 surround that sounded suspiciously like 2-channel, should you get this new version?? The answer is a...
Good Blu-Ray Transfer
Goodfellas has long been one of my favorite movies. I've watched it many times since I saw it in the theater. I've seen it on tape, on laserdisc, on the original "flipper" DVD and the remastered anamorphic DVD, and now, Blu-Ray Disc.
I'm happy to report that the Blu-Ray is a significant improvement over the remastered DVD. The picture is brighter, the colors are more vivid, and many scenes have much more detail and clarity. Of course, the overall picture is much sharper.
Goodfellas is not the kind of movie that is a showcase for high-resolution video, however. It has a lot of dark indoor scenes; very little takes place outdoors (something I never noticed before). I noticed some graininess, which has a lot to do with how Scorcese shot the picture. It's just more noticeable in the higher resolution.
There are some minor problems with the audio in one scene. The dialogue drops in volume and then jumps back up in the following scene. Other than...
Great Movie! Mediocre DVD!
After Godfather I and II, Goodfellas has to be the best "mob" movie out there. But I was disappointed in the DVD for one BIG reason. I had to flip the damn thing over halfway through the movie! I stayed away from laserdisc for this very reason. C'Mon Warner Brothers! There is no reaon that this couldn't have been created as a dual-layer DVD. I'd even spend a couple extra bucks for it.
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