Goodfellas (1990) (4K Ultra HD) [4K UHD]

A classic! One of my favorites

Last week I watched “Goodfellas” for perhaps the 40th time since its release in 1990. Needless to say, it ranks very high on my “Top 10” list of favorite movies, and places an extremely close second to “The Godfather” on my list of favorite mob movies.When I watched “Goodfellas” last week, there was one major difference: for the first time ever, I watched the 25th Anniversary edition on Blu-ray. This is an all-new 4K restoration of the film, and the difference between it and all previous versions was so dramatic that it seemed like I was watching the movie for the very first time.There’s not really much I can add to the plethora of reviews written about the quality of “Goodfellas” itself, so I won’t even try. Across the board, the rave reviews and high ratings for “Goodfellas” speak more eloquently about the sheer brilliance of this film than I ever could. The late, great Roger Ebert gave the film a rave review, calling it perhaps the best mob movie ever made.It was immediately evident that Martin Scorsese and his production team spared no expense and cut no corners in remastering “Goodfellas” for this 25th Anniversary edition. I found the video detail simply astounding from the very first frame! I saw colors that are perfect, images that are sharp and detailed (but with no edge enhancement) and film grain that’s natural but unobtrusive. I didn’t see any banding, crushing, dirt, speckles, or other anomalies anywhere throughout the film’s runtime. This Blu-ray version uses a lossless DTS 5.1 Master Audio sound track that completely filled my viewing space with 5.1 surround audio that’s completely immersive and life-like.The 25th Anniversary edition of “Goodfellas” is a two-disc “combo-pack” that contains the 4K restoration of the film on one Blu-ray disc, and nearly three hours’ worth of bonus features on the other. All of the special features that accompanied “Goodfellas” on prior Blu-ray versions have been retained; an all new feature-length documentary that includes interviews with Scorsese, Robert DiNiro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, and several others appears on the bonus features disc.If you’ve never seen “Goodfellas” in true high definition/surround sound, or if you’re simply looking to upgrade to the 4K restored version, this 25th Anniversary edition is the one to get. Highly recommended.

Fun movie for everykid in your house

Own this A+ film. This is a top 10 all time favorite!Do yourself a favor and own this movie. Replay value for a lifetime.

For as far back as I can remember, I wanted "GoodFellas" to look great on Blu-Ray. The 2007 Blu-Ray release, while a steady improvement over its DVD counterparts, disappointed in its failure to capture the movie's clarity, sharpness and densities. The contrast was uneven, the image looked too bright, the blackness too cumbersome and distracting, the colors looked relatively dim and, worst of all, there was a haziness that made the tiniest of all details unnoticeable. Whoever was in charge in putting "GoodFellas" on Blu-Ray deserved a good pistol whip to the face.But now comes the 25th anniversary edition of "GoodFellas", in which the movie has been given a 4K resolution from the original camera negative. The results? "GoodFellas" doesn't look great; it looks absolutely phenomenal! The image has a fine, naturally grain quality that gives the movie a documentary feel (which is appropriate since that was the filmmakers' intentions), there is greater detail in even the extreme long shots that weren't noticed in the previous versions (just watch Karen's wedding scene and the famous Copacabana long take in both this version and the 2007 one and the difference in quality is staggering), there are various shades of blackness and color that give the picture more depth (the burial and subsequent digging of Billy Batts, for example, looks even more detailed than before) and contrast, unbalanced in the previous version, is excellent. At long last, "GoodFellas" has come out in a presentation that would make the even stoic Paul Cicero crack a smile."GoodFellas" is a film that needs no explanation or even a sentence of exultation, but I'll do it anyway. It is a film that changed the way we look at gangster movies. "The Godfather", as brilliant of a film it is, was pure gangster mythology. "GoodFellas", however, went the opposite direction by depicting the life of organized crime as if it was real. These were people you could have met in the street; seemingly nice, likable people that just happen to be criminals.Scorsese's dramatization of Henry Hill's life as a gangster shows us the seduction, the allure and ultimately the sickness and fatalistic consequences of living the life as a somebody in a world of nobodies. By revealing the skulls behind the smiles, Scorsese shows us the dark side of corruption under such facile smiles. Rarely has violence been portrayed less glamorously, with more moral effectiveness and absolute repulsion. Rather it's the brutal murder of an innocent waiter, the slaying of a made man in the trunk of a car, the strangulation of a whiny but harmless hair wig owner or the senseless murder of all involved in a heist out of fear of being caught, these are senseless killings by senseless people - the work of scared, inadequate men.And yet, and what makes this film great, is that Scorsese makes us care for these characters. As demonic of a psychopath that Joe Pesci is, we are still shocked to see him gunned down. We sense Liotta's paranoia when he rightly feels that he is being chased around by a surveillance helicopter during his drug hubris. We feel De Niro and Sorvino's sense of betrayal when Liotta testifies in court. All this is a testament to the magnificent acting and Scorsese's flawless direction that shows us a group of human beings who become intoxicated in the glamour of gangsterism, only to be destroyed by it.Gangster movies make us admire such vile people because they go against the norm of what society dictates, functioning like outlaws who rebel against authority and do things their own way. The triumph of Scorsese's "GoodFellas", and the horrific irony, is that as much as we don't want to admit, we want to live that lifestyle too. We want to go to airports and make off with a couple of hundred thousands of dollars without taking hostages. We want to park in front of fire hydrant and not get tickets. We want to hijack trucks and use them for personal goods. We want go to restaurants without having to wait on line. We want to beat people up and make them stop complaining. In short, we want to rule. Maybe that's why some people prefer "GoodFellas" over "The Godfather".But is the life of a criminal worth taking? Scorsese clearly doesn't, but he shows us that criminality is a temptation for ordinary people. Lorraine Bracco's performance as the naive Karen is a perfect example of how anyone could be enticed into criminality. Karen doesn't understand the world she is getting herself into and only looks at the surface. It's only by the movie's third act when everything falls apart for her and her husband that she realizes the consequences of this deadly lifestyle.Having watched "GoodFellas" hundreds of times, I continue to marvel at the film's superb direction, outstanding performances, rich visuals and themes, moral ambiguity and its seamless blend of horror, drama and black humor. It's a film that 25 years after its release in 1990 continues to affect me as much as it does to everyone in my generation. Most movies grow dated after numerous viewings; not "GoodFellas". Now on a spellbinding 25th anniversary Blu-Ray set that restores the film to its original form, the movie's power has been enriched. You don't know "GoodFellas" until you've watched this set. Get it now while you stand can.

Great story. Watch the movie! You won’t be let down.