Results tagged “donniebrasco”

he succeeds.

There is an awesome NY Times story about how the police "covertly join in" various city protests, possibly to rile things up. Gothamist knew that those ads for NYPD recruitment were to attract a hipper, younger force, sort of like a 2005 version of 21 Jump Street! It seems that the operation has been to surveil crowds ever since the start of the Republican National Convention, back at the end of August 2004. The NYPD claims that the undercover officers are trying to keep the peace, not "investigate political activities." The Times looked at some footage that showed "at least 10 officers...incognito at the events," seeming to affirm what civilians are saying:

Ryan Kuonen, 32, who took part in a "ride of silence" in memory of a dead cyclist, said that two undercover officers - one with a camera - subverted the event. "They were just in your face," she said. "It made what was a really solemn event into something that seemed wrong. It made you feel like you were a criminal. It was grotesque."

And there's a bit in the article about a mysterious blond protester who might just be a police officer (he's not handcuffed when others are). Dunh dunh DUNH. This comes at the NYCLU is trying to get the NYPD to stop videotaping demonstrations. And can you imagine the police officers who get this undercover duty? Is it like Donnie Brasco, where they start to really feel for the protesters? And remember the Fox show, New York Undercover?

It seems many film critics think Burton’s “darker” Willy Wonka bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jackson clad in Austin Powers’ wardrobe. E! reports that “a PG-rated kids' fantasy--linked to a fallen pop star with longish black hair, pale skin, a whisper for a speaking voice, a penchant for military garb and a recent acquittal on child-molestation charges is likely not what the Hollywood studio had in mind when it turned Burton.” Depp insists his Wonka’s look and demeanor was not inspired by Michael Jackson, but by Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers (??) and that “everyone is entitled to think what they want, even while being violently wrong.” While we agree Jacko-Wonka is slightly creepy, we find the connection odd as anyone who even skimmed Amazon’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory customer feedback would know that Dahl’s Wonka dislikes children and would sooner grope a balding Oompa Loompa before sharing his marshmallow-fluffed bed with little boys.

The FBI's site about organized crime and Court TV's Crime Library on the Gambino Crime Family. It's true that the public has an unhealthy fascination with the mob, but how can when we not, when it's like a microcosm of society, with more guns and Italian food? The Goodfellas new two-disc DVD has commentary by Henry Hill, the gansgster whose life story the movie is based on. Other good mob movies: Carlito's Way, Donnie Brasco, and of course The Godfather. And two TV shows: Wiseguy and The Sopranos

The Post also talks to blogger Scott Lapatine and describes him as running "a popular media Weblog in Manhattan (he requested we not divulge the name so as to protect his identity)." Gothamist does not approve of anonymous blogging: We believe all bloggers should stand behind their posts with their real names. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be blogging. Scott Lapatine, while we will not out you publicly in this post, we recommend that you out yourself at your earliest convenience. The jig is up! Let your freak flag fly! As They Might Be Giants say, Scott Lapatine, you can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding. In other words, if you want to play Donnie Brasco and go all deep-cover, it's best to avoid giving interviews to the New! York! Post!

The best cop movie Gothamist has seen this year, Infernal Affairs, has been chosen as Hong Kong's official selection for Best Foreign Film consideration for the 2003 Academy Awards (meaning, the Academy Awards that will honor films from 2003, but will be broadcast in 2004). The premise is simple and complicated, as the plot description from IMDB indicates: It's surprisingly sophisticated, given it is from Hong Kong (but that doesn't mean there aren't lapses into cheesy interludes when women are around). Truly, the four main performances, of the undercover, his supervisor, the mole, his mob boss, are what drive the film. And Brad Pitt bought the remake rights to the film, but Gothamist doesn't know what that means.

">Vittorio De Sica (�The Bicycle Thief�). Plus Radcliffe's been listening to the Sex Pistols and what Newsweek calls "edgy new acts" like the Strokes and the Dandy Warhols, 'cause he's young and cool - he's not JUST Harry Potter! The Daily News also looks at Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which opens next summer on June 4, 2004.