Saw this at a film festival last week. Wonderful premise for the story, and it builds over time rather than going flat. The audience laughed all the way through and cheered at the end. Johnny's a great character, narcissistic, naive, optimistic, a genuinely nice guy, and a perfect New Jersey-style lounge singer. The film's generously loaded with physical and verbal humor, slapstick violence, delightfully atmospheric (read: dingy) locations, and songs - songs with meaning, passion and, well...meaning, as it turns out. The comedy's paced very differently from sitcom humor, more like stand-up comedian work - that is, lots of jokes, fast paced, comin' at ya before you've squeezed the last chuckle out of the previous one. The print they showed needed much work but the producers/writers present swore they have better ones in the back seat of their car. Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits could be one of these great little indies that has legs. See it if you can!
9 Reviews
Wannabe lounge singer turns out to be hysterical!
Liz-42112 January 2007
This movie is hysterical from the get go! Johnny Slade who is a wannabe lounge singer, is brilliantly played by John Fiore, who is not only funny but charming as well. His character really draws you in and it's fun to watch him and Mr. Samantha played by Vincent Curatola interacting together. There are quite a bunch of Soprano characters in it which of course added the perfect spice in the film as well.
What a brilliant idea for a movie and would love to see a sequel. We definitely need Johnny Slade to get on the big screen. Hopefully this film will get picked and shown in theaters nationwide. Definitely worth watching.
What a brilliant idea for a movie and would love to see a sequel. We definitely need Johnny Slade to get on the big screen. Hopefully this film will get picked and shown in theaters nationwide. Definitely worth watching.
Have FUN and LAUGH
worthley-115 August 2005
John Fiore and Frank Santorelli - as well as the rest of cast - are a RIOT to watch (call the cops!) in this wonderfully crazy comical adventure. Portnow, Curatola, Sirianni are terrific as their characters play off of Fiore's goofy, self-absorbed importance. Sirianni adds the right touch of toughness and assuredness in the midst of this group of harebrained individuals. Red Peters shows what it's really like to be a stand up comic! Santorelli is hysterical...(you just gotta see to see what I mean!) Blaire is sultry and seductive. VERY CLEVER AND CONVINCING CONCEPT...we are talking FUN! - enjoyable - good time to be had.....this is a classic!
My new favorite mob movie
ikaros-327 May 2008
I seem among commenters to be alone as someone who came into this movie not as a Sopranos fan, but as a Larry Blamire fanI've only seen The Sopranos once. It was good, but not enough for me to get cable hooked up again.
So no, I come in as a rabid Skeleteer, a fan of "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". And I was *going* to quote my IMDb review of Lost Skeleton, wondering what Blamire's directing style was like when he was shooting for himself and not emulating a style or genre, but looking at it, I see I never actually made that query in that review, so apparently I'm going to have to quote a hallucination.
It is *definitely* a question I had in mind after one of my (large but still finite number)th viewing of Lost Skeleton: if he's shooting a movie for its own sake, how would he do it? The answer is: extremely well. When you take the camera off lockdown, he moves it sensibly, a welcome relief from the vertigo-inducing roller-coaster Peter Jackson used on 'King Kong' or the attention-deficit jump-cuttery of Michael (spitspit) Bay. Personally, I found his technique reminiscent of Altman: the camera moves with purpose, not just because it can. The violence is handled with care: real enough to underscore the plot, not so real as to derail the comedy.
I'm looking forward to further non-genre projects in addition to The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, Dark and Stormy Night, and whatever else he may have in mind.
The writingheck, I'm still giggling over "Some of the biggest comedians in the world have done comedy!" It's perfect. Some of the well, it's too twisted to be a simple 'turn of a phrase'. Some of the phrasing is very reminiscent of Lost Skeleton. Like the directing, however, when freed from the restrictions of the genre, we see whole new dimensions to Blamire's work.
John Fiore dove in all the way to the character of Johnny Slade. I can't even begin to think of how many takes it required in studio to get a clean take on those lyrics. He's completely committed to the character, and so is Vincent Curatola as the mysterious and weirdly creative Mr. Samantha, and watching their interactions as their relationship evolves over the course of the movie is terrific.
Highly recommended, whatever the title (it'll always be "Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits" to me"Meet the Mobsters" just doesn't swing). It's funny all the way throughI had several 'pause for an extended gigglefit' moments.
8/10
So no, I come in as a rabid Skeleteer, a fan of "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". And I was *going* to quote my IMDb review of Lost Skeleton, wondering what Blamire's directing style was like when he was shooting for himself and not emulating a style or genre, but looking at it, I see I never actually made that query in that review, so apparently I'm going to have to quote a hallucination.
It is *definitely* a question I had in mind after one of my (large but still finite number)th viewing of Lost Skeleton: if he's shooting a movie for its own sake, how would he do it? The answer is: extremely well. When you take the camera off lockdown, he moves it sensibly, a welcome relief from the vertigo-inducing roller-coaster Peter Jackson used on 'King Kong' or the attention-deficit jump-cuttery of Michael (spitspit) Bay. Personally, I found his technique reminiscent of Altman: the camera moves with purpose, not just because it can. The violence is handled with care: real enough to underscore the plot, not so real as to derail the comedy.
I'm looking forward to further non-genre projects in addition to The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, Dark and Stormy Night, and whatever else he may have in mind.
The writingheck, I'm still giggling over "Some of the biggest comedians in the world have done comedy!" It's perfect. Some of the well, it's too twisted to be a simple 'turn of a phrase'. Some of the phrasing is very reminiscent of Lost Skeleton. Like the directing, however, when freed from the restrictions of the genre, we see whole new dimensions to Blamire's work.
John Fiore dove in all the way to the character of Johnny Slade. I can't even begin to think of how many takes it required in studio to get a clean take on those lyrics. He's completely committed to the character, and so is Vincent Curatola as the mysterious and weirdly creative Mr. Samantha, and watching their interactions as their relationship evolves over the course of the movie is terrific.
Highly recommended, whatever the title (it'll always be "Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits" to me"Meet the Mobsters" just doesn't swing). It's funny all the way throughI had several 'pause for an extended gigglefit' moments.
8/10
great movie
terrynsteve27 August 2006
one of the best movies i've seen in a long time! would love to see a sequel to it, the soprano men were good but i have to disagree with the last comment on having more hot babes,Charlie Payne was not only sexy and hot but i would LOVE to see "more" of her and that body! And of course those amazing piercing green eyes,no sequel would be complete without that babe.It was refreshing to see a cleverly made movie with such talented actress's and actors,this movie was funny,intriguing, suspenseful and fun all at the same time.It's to bad we don't see more movies like this. thoughts of a television sitcom come to mind, I'm sure a lot of people would tune in regularly, especially if the actress portraying Charlie Payne is leading!
Great Flick!
wyoda23 July 2006
I saw this movie at a film festival the other day, it was so good i tore up my ticket to the next movie and went home! This movie is so funny! It is a low budget movie, but it doesn't show. Johnny Slade is a decent lounge singer who gets hired to sing at a mob bosses new club, without giving too much away, Johnny gets mixed up in it all, hilarity ensues. I enjoyed seeing how Slade acts like pre-Madonna, even though he's probably less popular than a local news anchor. If you're into Sopranos it has a bunch of the characters in it. If your not it doesn't matter, it's still a movie that's laugh out loud the whole way through! I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and doesn't mind seein' someone get whacked in a kind of silly way.
down and out singer 's gig turned out to be more than bargained for
balzo115 July 2005
i enjoyed it quite much. the actors from the sopranos ,my favorite show,made it all that much better.John Fiore, Vincent Curatola, and Richard Portnow get it done. i believe it is a refreshing take on a tried and true genre.the songs are fabulous and hysterical. i would love to see a sequel with a bigger budget and some hotter babes. i saw it at a screening in la...definitely worth a look. The story idea was at the very least a genius concept. With budget constraints,i'm certain, they still managed to shoot on 35. the supporting cast was strong.The audience reaction at the screening i attended was nothing less than favorable..with some genuine guffaws.
This is a great movie..
darkorion9830 July 2007
I just watched this movies and I thought it was hilarious. John Fiore does a great job in the role of Johnny Slade a wannabe lounge singer who ends up working for a mob boss in his new club unknowingly for awhile helping him do his dirty work. The songs are hilarious and the outcomes is funny. Although this movie is low budget you couldn't tell. The filming and the directing are well done and the acting is very professional with great team of actors like John Fiore, Richard Portnow and Vincent Curatola that make this movie worth seeing. I recommend this movie to anyone who would loves comedies. Looks for this movie at your local video store or buy a copy from Amanzon
Killing me softly with his song !
elshikh42 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A mafia boss transmits his orders to his men through bizarre songs which he writes to be sung forcibly by a poor lounge singer. This is an original idea. I believe (Martin Scorsese) was jealous!
(John Fiore) looks great with noticeable wit (and noticeable heavy weight as well!). (Vincent Curatola) did wonderful as a funny mafia boss / poet. Did you see him in that disguise? Hilarious. Like being Groucho Marx and Harpo together. The rest of the cast were OK. But what wasn't OK is how that original idea was treated.
For more than half of the movie, we watch nothing but a song, a hit, and a doubt. That's not bad, but it becomes bad when the movie gets sloppy, and stops showing us the droll songs anymore. It's how it loses a real factor of comedy. Plus, the matter of the competitor gangster wasn't used well; just a 5 minutes sequence about anti-Italian song. Then, the third act was unbelievable as the best of jumble. The event of singing to the gang to make them give themselves up is idiot. Why that mafia boss doesn't ever attend his songs being performed in his club? And that climax; it's hard to satisfy, especially with so indifferent directing which, to tell you the truth, was the worst element at all. One point was in favor of the director though; the scenes of the lead and the boss meeting before every song; seeming more like meetings for planning crimes, or attempting murders more than an artistic collaboration.
Speaking of which, that reminds me of the potential depth of it; the one that might have tempted (Scorsese). It says a lot about the importance of art; it can kill, or give life. The performer is just a tool in the hands of more imperious artists. And, consequently, it's where the bad relationship between 2 artists generates bad result. The dictatorial domination of the boss made ugly or, at best, too-terrible-it's-laughable art. And see how it's, in its core, a story of down-and-out lounge singer that nobody ever listened to, and how he becomes the one that everybody listens to, and - magically - executes whatever, and I mean whatever, he says. I Loved the moment when he uses "the power" of his voice to chastise a standup comedian he hates! Also I loved the touch of the policemen wanting desperately to be part of the showbiz by any mean. However, all of that with big price that must be paid. It's like a creative new treatment for Faust in a comic crime movie, or a mafia spoof where violence gets done by killer songs.
The last scene, with the boss so unexplainably out of prison, sums up the careless way this original comedy, along with these good ideas, were made. I wanted to give it 7, but it has to be only 6 out of 10. It's for a short wintry afternoon, nothing else. There is a fine movie there, but not made finely though.
PS: The title (Meet the Mobsters) is pointless, most probably they made it so close to (Meet the Fockers) one year earlier. (Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits) is better. And somewhat my title too!
(John Fiore) looks great with noticeable wit (and noticeable heavy weight as well!). (Vincent Curatola) did wonderful as a funny mafia boss / poet. Did you see him in that disguise? Hilarious. Like being Groucho Marx and Harpo together. The rest of the cast were OK. But what wasn't OK is how that original idea was treated.
For more than half of the movie, we watch nothing but a song, a hit, and a doubt. That's not bad, but it becomes bad when the movie gets sloppy, and stops showing us the droll songs anymore. It's how it loses a real factor of comedy. Plus, the matter of the competitor gangster wasn't used well; just a 5 minutes sequence about anti-Italian song. Then, the third act was unbelievable as the best of jumble. The event of singing to the gang to make them give themselves up is idiot. Why that mafia boss doesn't ever attend his songs being performed in his club? And that climax; it's hard to satisfy, especially with so indifferent directing which, to tell you the truth, was the worst element at all. One point was in favor of the director though; the scenes of the lead and the boss meeting before every song; seeming more like meetings for planning crimes, or attempting murders more than an artistic collaboration.
Speaking of which, that reminds me of the potential depth of it; the one that might have tempted (Scorsese). It says a lot about the importance of art; it can kill, or give life. The performer is just a tool in the hands of more imperious artists. And, consequently, it's where the bad relationship between 2 artists generates bad result. The dictatorial domination of the boss made ugly or, at best, too-terrible-it's-laughable art. And see how it's, in its core, a story of down-and-out lounge singer that nobody ever listened to, and how he becomes the one that everybody listens to, and - magically - executes whatever, and I mean whatever, he says. I Loved the moment when he uses "the power" of his voice to chastise a standup comedian he hates! Also I loved the touch of the policemen wanting desperately to be part of the showbiz by any mean. However, all of that with big price that must be paid. It's like a creative new treatment for Faust in a comic crime movie, or a mafia spoof where violence gets done by killer songs.
The last scene, with the boss so unexplainably out of prison, sums up the careless way this original comedy, along with these good ideas, were made. I wanted to give it 7, but it has to be only 6 out of 10. It's for a short wintry afternoon, nothing else. There is a fine movie there, but not made finely though.
PS: The title (Meet the Mobsters) is pointless, most probably they made it so close to (Meet the Fockers) one year earlier. (Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits) is better. And somewhat my title too!
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