My favorite character of Romeo + Juliet

My favorite character of the film Romeo + Juliet is Mercutio, portrayed by Harold Perrineau. He serves as the comic relief of the story and turns the moments before and during the party scene enjoyable. Mercutio shows how he cares about his friend Romeo. During the battle with Tybalt, his emotions, mixed with a funny touch, do made me feel sad about him. In my opinion, the best interpretation of Mercutio yet.

My favorite actor: Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro is my favorite actor, portraying the best performances I've ever seen, as well as an imposing presence on screen. Besides the believable roles he achieved, Robert De Niro appears in several of my favorite movies: Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II, The Untouchables, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, and Heat. He is successful in portraying the roles in these films with unique style and smartness.

Why Goodfellas is my preferred film

Goodfellas is the best crime film I’ve ever seen and also my favorite one for several reasons. The film is ingeniously narrated, based on real life events. The actors in it beautifully perform their respective roles making it a believable experience. The director Martin Scorsese shows an amazingly, compelling story from start to finish, telling the events in a dynamic and inventive way. These reasons will make anyone fall in love with this fine piece of filmmaking.

First of all, the film is ingeniously narrated, based on real life events. It depicts the story of the rise and fall of three gangsters over three decades in New York. These “wise guys” were close friends, doing illegal jobs and gaining power all over the state. Their lives shattered when they could no longer control the power they had, filling their lives with excesses and wrong decisions. The experience of watching them crumble and the culmination of their lives is overwhelming . The film also shows how well-organized and operated the so-called gangster “families” were. They had control over the neighborhood and as the movie progresses, on several parts of the country. Becoming a “goodfella” in the family meant that loyalty and trust among the members were your ways now. It's thrilling watching the mafia's own rules, being capable of changing things at their will because of the power the had. The movie focuses in the life of the central character Henry Hill, which starts since he was a young boy. Henry Hill’s dream of becoming a gangster comes true as we witness the privileges he has when joining the “family”, but also the consequences of it among the years. This aspect is one of the strongest elements in the story, as the audience witness Henry's tragedy and becomes involved with it.

Secondly, the actors in Goodfellas beautifully and accurately perform their respective roles making it a believable experience. In the first place, Ray Liotta as Henry Hill does an outstanding job portraying an Irish-Italian man. He becomes a believable and likeable character and towards the end of the film he makes the audience feel the paranoia in which he falls on, as well as making them care for him and his family. Next, Robert De Niro’s portrayal as Jimmy Conway is marvelous. His violent, yet smart character has elegance and style, honorable of recognition. De Niro shows a cold, yet enjoyable character. Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Having won the Academy Award for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” for this portrayal, Pesci’s representation of the comic and over the edge gangster is captivating. He plays a twisted man that thinks every action he chooses is the right one. The film has must-see performances that are worth watching.

The director Martin Scorsese shows an amazingly, compelling story from start to finish, telling the events in a dynamic and inventive way with the use of several techniques. Firstly, Scorsese uses the first-person narrator technique; Henry Hill relates his life since he was a boy and as the story goes on, we hear Henry’s thoughts about the choices he had in his life. Thanks to the narration, we can understand how a “wise guy” mind worked, as well as the priorities he has. At the end of the film, thanks to Liotta’s performance and narration, the audience can think as Henry Hill thinks and experience the pain and confusion he feels towards the finale. Secondly, the music Scorsese uses timely helps joining all the scenes, making a wonderful soundtrack to listen. The director employs great classics that contrast with the shown scenes, turning it into a joyous experience. “Sunshine of Your love”, “Under the Sea” and “My Way” are some of the magnificent, well-used tracks heard in the film. Lastly, the director slowly expands parts of the mafia universe, showing new characters as the film progresses, everyday activities and various robberies the family plans. By expanding the levels of the family we get the whole picture of what being a “goodfella” implicates. The concepts of loyalty and trust are primordial in their life and we can understand why Henry Hill broke this principles at the end of the film, turning it into a joyous experience.

Goodfellas is well-narrated and magnificent told, based in the real Henry Hill’s life. The awesome performances of the leading actors truly excel, engaging the audience with the events depicted in the film. Martin Scorsese is successful in creating a believable, yet impressive film, being one of his greatest jobs. Goodfellas is acknowledged as the second best gangster film by the American Film Institute, supporting the previously mentioned arguments of the quality and greatness I had stated. With the forgiveness of The Godfather, I consider Goodfellas as the finest film ever made about crime drama, among with the previously mentioned reasons, being a movie I'll remember over the years.

Everything happens for a reason.

I opened my eyes, felt the harsh wind on my face, and the moist land I was lying on. I was lost. I didn’t recognize the place I was; full of tall, leafy trees, or the moment I get there. The only thing I was aware of was that I inexplicably failed to remember what exactly happened just before I opened my eyes, realizing I was unconscious. I got up and looked for any sign of civilization. Geez, it was really cold, making me shiver and wondering what the heck happened to me. After walking for a couple of days through the lush, desolate forest, I found a small, wooden cabin surrounded by a stream that apparently crossed the forest. Hoping to find any sort of help there, I ran towards the cabin as fast as I could.

It was kind of gloomy; apparently no one was living there, since everything was disorganized and dirty. Disappointed and hopeless I leaned against an old chair, trying to remember what could possibly happen that made me appear in an isolated place like this. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, I had a flashback of a recent event in my life. I remembered I was celebrating something, with my friends and colleagues, they offered me some kind of jelly-like appetizer but I just couldn’t figure out what was it, so I didn’t taste it. They promised me it was the most delicious thing ever made, but I didn’t trust them, as always. I think that’s a problem I’ve been struggling for a long time. I’ve never been a confident man. The way I learned to handle most of the issues that concerned me and, I suppose, of protecting myself was at all times mistrusting the advices and recommendations people gave to me. Being suspicious and distrustful of everything and was a method I’ve been using for a long time. I guess it was easier: without trust my decisions were limited and more practical. Having thought about this way of living I’ve been having, I decided to leave the lonely place I was in. Just as I was about to leave the cabin, I noticed a shiny, yellow parchment hanging of the roof. I took it and read it:

I’ll be waiting at the dock near the solid eyes.

Follow the stream and don’t look back.

What was going on in here? I certainly didn’t know for who the letter was, but if there was a dock somewhere, maybe I could reach it and finally find some kind of help. Funny how things turn out; My whole life I’ve been avoiding decisions and now I not only have to make a choice, but also to trust in a piece of paper written by a stranger. I think in this kind of situations you realize that the only way to survive is to trust. I started following the river, not surely knowing where I was headed. It was still cold, and I was really hungry. Luckily, there were trees with some fruits and mushrooms by the stream. Again, I had to wash away the feeling of poisoned mushrooms and trust in the food I was eating. While tasting the delicious apples I found, I noticed a hill with two small rocks, one facing the other. Finally I got it. Those rocks were the eyes in the parchment! Excited, I ran to the hill, passed the rocks and arrived to a beach. The dock was there, with a wooden raft and a small, mysterious person on it. I approached to him. He was an old, yet imposing character. We both stared at each other. He slowly raised his head, and asked me:

“Well, are you ready to go?"

Now I think that journey was necessary for me, thanks to the reflections I had in it, I realized the reason I was there was to learn how to trust. Trust in him.

I looked at him, smiled and said: "Yes, yes I am."