That’s Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
I hate to start off with sad news, but as I sat down to write this column, the news broke that actor Paul Sorvino had passed away at the age of 83. Sorvino made a career out of playing forceful types, most notably the coldhearted mobster Paulie Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas, died of natural causes.
But that means that since May 26th, we’ve lost Paulie (Sorvino), Paulie (Tony Sirico), Sonny (James Caan), and Henry (Ray Liotta). Um, could we go a week or two without losing another great actor who’s best known for their work in film or TV shows about the mafia? Please?
Here’s a little more on Sorvino as he had a very solid career that spanned a half-century. Sorvino portrayed James Caan’s bookie in The Gambler (1974), Claire Danes’ pushy father in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996), Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995) and a strung-out heroin addict in The Cooler (2003). He played a founder of the American Communist Party in Warren Beatty’s Reds (1981) and worked alongside the actor-director again in Dick Tracy (1990), Bulworth (1998) and Rules Don’t Apply (2016). Sorvino was a respected tenor who realized a dream when he performed for the New York Opera at Lincoln Center in 2006, and the Brooklyn native also starred for a season as Det. Phil Cerretta, the partner of Chris Noth’s Det. Mike Logan, on NBC’s Law & Order. In fact, if Sorvino didn’t leave that show after one season, we might never have had Det. Lennie Briscoe, played by the late, great Jerry Orbach!
Moving on to the big screen now as despite my initial thoughts last week, audiences responded with a resounding “yep” to Jordan Peele’s science-fiction thriller “Nope,” which topped the box office last weekend with its $44 million debut. According to Variety, “Nope” stands as the highest opening weekend tally for an original film since “Us” debuted more than three years ago. That includes Quentin Tarantino’s star-studded “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which started with $41 million in July 2019.
I’m still in the camp of “no” to “Nope”, but I will definitely check it out once it’s out of the theaters and on to my TV.
I almost did go to a movie last week though, as I want to check out “Elvis” before it leaves the theater. That and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” are two that I for sure want to see on the big screen and not just in my La-Z-Boy.
The two big films coming out this weekend (July 29th) are “Vengeance” and “DC League of Super-Pets”. The first movie is intriguing as it’s the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (“The Office”). “Vengeance” is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.
For “DC League of Super-Pets”, the description reads “Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the pot bellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.”
Super-Pets features Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, and Vanessa Bayer all providing voices for the animated film, so this one could be sneaky good. I can’t rank it ahead of my beloved Minions, but I could see myself watching this one in my house at some point!
Moving on to the streaming services now, as my girlfriend Susan and I watched “The Gray Man” on Netflix together. My review?” Eh…it’s okay.” I mean, I wanted this movie to be excellent because of the description. Essentially, it’s about a former prison inmate turned CIA contract killer (Ryan Gosling). I was even excited to see Billy Bob Thornton pop up on the screen early in the movie. And Chris Evans is excellent playing a rival hit-man with no moral compass. In the end though, the movie was just one location setup after another with no real depth to the dialogue or the writing. It was like each action sequence was designed to hopefully cover up the fact that no real plot was written! I know the folks that put this one out are hoping to jump-start a series like James Bond or Mission Impossible, but I would be hesitant to devote another two hours to a sequel, if one even comes out.
I think a better use of my time right now would be to check out The Last Movie Stars on HBO Max. Directed by Ethan Hawke, The Last Movie Stars traces the legacy of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in six parts. From Time magazine, “If you think Paul Newman is the coolest, Ethan Hawke’s superb multi-part documentary The Last Movie Stars is for you. And if you only sort-of know the work of his wife, Joanne Woodward, The Last Movie Stars is absolutely for you.”
Other streaming options I am watching include “McCartney 3-2-1” on Hulu and, of course, “The Old Man” on F/X & Hulu. The McCartney special came out in July of 2021, but somehow I missed it until now. From the Wikipedia description, “Paul McCartney sits down for an in-depth one-on-one with music producer Rick Rubin to discuss his groundbreaking work with The Beatles, the emblematic 1970s arena rock of Wings, and his 50-plus years as a solo artist; exploring music and creativity in a unique and revelatory manner, and giving a front-row seat to Paul and Rick in an intimate conversation about the songwriting, influences, and personal relationships that informed the iconic songs that have served as the soundtracks of our lives.”
Each “McCartney 3-2-1” episode is between 27-31 minutes. If you’re a BEATLES aficionado, like me, this is a MUST see.
Finally, with regard to “The Old Man”, I cannot lie, the Season 1 finale of this great series left me with more questions than answers. Literally when the credits rolled at the end of the 7th and final episode, I said out loud to no one, “that was IT…?” The Jeff Bridges / John Lithgow drama has already been renewed for a second season, so let’s hope that my questions are answered early when the series returns.
As always, if there’s something out there I’m not covering or discussing in this column, please feel free to email me at PBrooksT@aol.com
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Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:00pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
