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AMC Empire 25
234 W. 42nd St.
New York, NY 10036
Category: Movie Theaters
Region: West 40s
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Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn
Directed by Paul Borghese
Lionsgate
Opens May 3, AMC Empire
Directed by Paul Borghese
Lionsgate
Opens May 3, AMC Empire
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In one scene of Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn, a woman seduces her boyfriend by playing him a lite-R&B song she recorded. The film itself also comes across as a demo for director-writer Paul Borghese and actor-writer William DeMeo's talents rather than art to be enjoyed on its own merits. The cinematography shows a fine eye for light and color, but the film's take on the gangster genre seems like slumming. The script jumps back and forth in time, using two separate voiceovers to fill in details that a better screenplay could show, rather than talk about. Bobby Baldano (DeMeo) is considered a loser by his father (Armand Assante), a legitimate businessman who works in the construction industry. At the opening, Bobby has just been released from jail, and he wastes no time re-involving himself in thug life. Borghese and DeMeo's script evokes themes from The Godfather, as well as James Gray's films, but it never gives Assante enough screen time to make a case for his character's version of family life. Borghese uses a huge ensemble cast, but the name actors—Cathy Moriarty, Ja Rule, Ice-T—only appear in a few scenes. Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn's vision of the Mafia comes filtered through a needlessly complex screenplay, as if the creators felt the need to prove they've seen a few Arnaud Desplechin films alongside Goodfellas. The title's nod to Sergio Leone seems rather pathetic.
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3 comments
I attended the premier last night. I believe the movie was well written and performed very well. How someone like yourself can sit their and say that this was pathetic is truly sad. Not only did DeMeo have charisma he is also a very good actor. For the amount of money that was spent to make this movie the finish product was divine. The only thing that is pathetic is yourself. Next time you look in the mirror take a good look at yourself and tell me what you see. It is very easy for you to critics someone else's work. You truly do not know how hard it is to make a film. The only thing you know how to do is to be a negative person. Shame on you
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