R.I.P. Ray Liotta 1954-2022

The world was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Ray Liotta at age 67. The New Jersey native was immortalized in the role of real-life gangster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's mob masterpiece "Goodfellas". I consider it the greatest film of the 1990s and I know I'm not alone in that assessment, but there's more to Ray than airport robberies and imaginary helicopters. After landing his first significant job as Melanie Griffith's psycho boyfriend in Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild", he memorably met up with Kevin Costner as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the cornfield classic "Field of Dreams". Liotta brought his unique talent and energy to everything he did- "Unlawful Entry", "Copland", "Hannibal", "Narc", an Emmy-winning 2004 episode of "ER", "Killing Them Softly", "Marriage Story", and most recently, the "Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark". We may never get another actor as hardworking and unpretentious as Ray Liotta.

Complete filmography- "The Lonely Lady"(1983), "Something Wild"(1986), "Dominick and Eugene"(1988), "Field of Dreams"(1989), "Goodfellas"(1990), "Article 99"(1992), "Unlawful Entry"(1992), "No Escape"(1994), "Corrina, Corrina"(1994), "Operation Dumbo Drop"(1995), "Unforgettable"(1996), "Turbulence"(1997), "Copland"(1997), "Phoenix"(1998), "Muppets from Space"(1999), "Forever Mine"(1999), "Pilgrim"(2000), "A Rumor of Angels"(2000), "Hannibal"(2001), "Heartbreakers"(2001), "Blow"(2001), "Narc"(2002), "John Q"(2002), "Ticker"(2002), "Identity"(2003), "The Last Shot"(2004), "Control"(2004), "Revolver"(2005), "Slow Burn"(2005), "Even Money"(2006), "Take the Lead"(2006), "Local Color"(2006), "Comeback Season"(2006), "Smokin' Aces"(2007), "Wild Hogs"(2007), "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Seige Tale"((2007), "Battle in Seattle"(2007), "Bee Movie"(2007)-voice, "Hero Wanted"(2008), "Powder Blue"(2008), "Crossing Over"(2009), "Observe and Report"(2009), "The Line"(2009), "Youth in Revolt"(2009), "Crazy on the Outside"(2010), "Date Night"(2010), "Snowmen"(2010), "Chasing 3000"(2010), "Charlie St. Cloud"(2010), "The Details"(2011), "The Son of No One"(2011), "All Things Fall Apart"(2011), "Street Kings 2: Motor City"(2011), "The River Murders"(2011), "The Entitled"(2011), "Wanderlust"(2012), "Killing Them Softly"(2012), "Breathless"(2012), "The Iceman"(2012), "The Place Beyond the Pines"(2012), "Yellow"(2012), "The Devil's in the Details"(2013), "Pawn"(2013), "Better Living Through Chemistry"(2014), "Muppets Most Wanted"(2014), "The Identical"(2014), "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For"(2014), "Revenge of the Green Dragons"(2014), "Stretch"(2014), "Kill the Messenger"(2014), "Blackway"(2015), "Campus Code"(2015), "Sticky Notes"(2016), "Flock of Dudes"(2016), "Marriage Story"(2019), "Hubie Halloween"(2020), "No Sudden Move"(2021), "The Many Saints of Newark"(2021) "Cocaine Bear"(2023), "Fool's Paradise"(2023)

Underrated Movies Vol. 7

1. "Lifeboat"(1944) Alfred Hitchcock's most underrated film was mildly controversial for it's perceived sympathy of a German U-boat captain(Walter Slezak) during WWII. This first in the fabled director's "limited setting" stories belongs in the top half of his filmography. Theater legend Tallulah Bankhead had her best movie role as one of eight survivors in the Atlantic Ocean with no musical score.

2. "Somebody Up There Likes Me"(1956) Paul Newman punched his way to stardom as middleweight boxing great Rocky Graziano in Robert Wise's uplifting biopic. Twenty years before Sylvester Stallone redefined the ring, this '50s gem had audiences cheering and deserves an introduction to 21st Century fight film fans.

3. "Love in the Afternoon"(1957) Audrey Hepburn was 27, Gary Cooper was 55. Try not to let that ruin this Paris-set Billy Wilder romcom, the first of his TWELVE collaborations with screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond("Some Like It Hot", "The Apartment"). "Afternoon" is good for your next free one, I prefer it's black-and-white bliss to most of what's on Netflix.

4. "The Alamo"(1960) Are we still allowed to talk about John Wayne? I'm doing it anyway. The 1836 Battle between Texas and Mexico that made Davy Crockett the "King of the Wild Frontier", was directed with epic scope by The Duke himself. At two hours and 47 minutes, it's been called the most personal project of his long, storied career. But 1960 critics were split on his expensive efforts, and an aggressive awards campaign largely backfired. Wayne would never direct again.

5. "The Collector"(1965) Terence Stamp's lonely Londoner kidnaps his longtime crush(Samantha Eggar in an Oscar-nominated performance) and keeps her in his basement. She's going to stay there until she learns to love him. This is the scariest movie you've never heard of. That shouldn't be the case with a master filmmaker like William Wyler("Ben-Hur") at the helm.

6. 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes"(1970) There's a lot of "Apes" movies. The 1968 original is easily the best, and it's sequels are better than you may remember. James Franciscus replaces Charlton Heston(appearing briefly), and mute babe Nova(Linda Harrison) surely appealed to the young male demo. A subterranean city, telepathic humans, and an atomic bomb made for summer fun way before "Jaws" and "Star Wars".

7. "Foxy Brown"(1974) The 1970s version of Pam Grier is everything you've ever heard and more. This cult classic, coupled with "Coffy", tells you all you need to know about the blaxploitation era. "Foxy" had a far-reaching impact on pop culture, most notably in rap music and Quentin Tarantino's 1997 team-up with Grier.

8. "The Gauntlet"(1977) Clint Eastwood made six movies with his actress-girlfriend Sondra Locke. This holiday hit(that he also directed) is the best one. A hard-living cop and a fugitive prostitute are on the run from the mob in Phoenix and Las Vegas. The practical action-packed gunplay cost $1 million(a lot in those days).

9. "The Rose"(1979) Singing sensation Bette Midler became a movie star in this memorable 1969-set musical drama, loosely based on the self-destructive life of Janis Joplin, and directed by Mark Rydell("On Golden Pond"). Frederic Forrest lent his unsung talent to the role of Rose's ex-army boyfriend. If you had Cinemax in the '80s, Midler's lively stage presence stopped your channel-surfing.

10. "An American Werewolf in London"(1981) The first-EVER Oscar for make-up was awarded to Rick Baker(he'd win a total of seven times) for John Landis' cult classic. David Naughton and Griffin Dunne are American college students that shouldn't have gone back-packing during a full moon. But then we wouldn't have Michael Jackson's ground-breaking "Thriller" video and the best horror film of 1981.

11. "Mrs. Soffel"(1984) Diane Keaton is a great actress. Her warden's wife Kate Soffel actually fell in love with a brooding Pittsburgh prisoner in 1901 and helped him escape. That's Mel Gibson, about to become one of the biggest stars in the world. I have no idea why this one isn't better known.

12. "Marie"(1985) We have another Oscar winner with an intriguing true story over here. Marie Ragghiati(Sissy Spacek) was a single mother and parole board administrator that exposed Tennessee's "clemency for cash" scandal in the late '70s. Roger Donaldson is one of the best directors that never gets talked about, and Fred Thompson makes his acting debut(as himself). Jeff Daniels costars as a shady political aide.

13. "No Mercy"(1986) Richard Gere's hard-ass cop(is there any other kind?) has to protect Kim Basinger from gangsters in Chicago and New Orleans. This oh-so '80s thriller has sex and violence and a cool vibe(and an Alan Silvestri score). It's an easy hour and 48 minutes for old-school fun seekers.

14. "The Lost Boys"(1987) Joel Schumacher's best film should shut down any suggestion that he was a bad director. If only his infamous "Batman" films had been this well-contructed. Kiefer Sutherland's sexy vampire is synonymous with the VHS era, and the Coreys(Haim and Feldman) hadn't lost their innocence to endless drug-fueled partying yet. Michael Chapman's cinematography makes this horror-comedy a pleasure to revisit.

15. "September"(1987) Before Woody Allen and Mia Farrow were a tawdry tabloid lover's dream, they made some movies you should know about. Their seventh collaboration is about depression, trauma, and unrequited love, and takes place entirely in a country house in Vermont. Unsurprisingly, this film was a financial fiasco for Allen, with a $486,484 gross on a $10 million budget. The controversial writer-director couldn't care less.

16. "Rambo III"(1988) Sylvester Stallone got in the best shape of his life and tore through Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in this violent, undervalued threequel. The most expensive movie ever made circa 1988($60 million) was lambasted by Stallone-hating critics during a very competitive summer, but first-time director Peter MacDonald put that money up on screen. The subsequent rise of the Taliban continued the "Rambo" trend of touching on real world events.

17. "See No Evil, Hear No Evil"(1989) Richard Pryor is blind, Gene Wilder is deaf. I'm already sold. Arthur Hiller's manic buddy movie was an unintended farewell. The aging duo would never have another successful film. For my money, it's faster and funnier than "Stir Crazy", with a politically-incorrect premise that wouldn't pass by the woke crowd today. It's even got Kevin Spacey(!) in his first substantial role.

18. "I Love You to Death"(1990) You'll love Kevin Kline and his Italian accent as a philandering pizza-man who dodges death in Lawrence Kasdan's kooky comedy that faced insurmountable odds at the spring '90 box office, with "Pretty Woman" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" happening at the exact same time. The stacked supporting cast alone is worth a look- Tracey Ullman, River Phoenix, Joan Plowright, Keanu Reeves, William Hurt, and Phoebe Cates. The fact that this film is based on a wild true story adds to the anarchy.

19. "The Doors"(1991) A fully-committed Val Kilmer deserved Best Actor Oscar consideration for his full-throated depiction of 1960s rock icon Jim Morrison. This performance is right up there with Iceman and Doc Holliday for Kilmer enthusiasts. Director Oliver Stone was really in the zone, managing this mad biopic the same year as "JFK". Meg Ryan put aside her good-girl image as The Lizard King's controversial companion Pamela Courson.

20. "Of Mice and Men"(1992) Gary Sinise was the best-kept secret in Hollywood when he directed and starred in this sterling John Steinbeck adaptation. I can't believe this was the 36 year old Chicago theater great's first significant movie. John Malkovich is typically strong as his tragic, mentally-challenged companion during the Great Depression. As of this writing, you can catch up with the criminally-overlooked pair on free streaming sites.

21. "Short Cuts"(1993) Robert Altman's three-hour Los Angeles-set epic, loosely based on the writings of Raymond Carver, may be among the maverick "MASH" director's five best films. Jack Lemmon and Julianne Moore are the standouts in a staggering ensemble that includes Robert Downey Jr., Andie MacDowell, Frances McDormand, and Tim Robbins. This was Gene Siskel's favorite film of 1993.

22. "Greedy"(1994) Is this the most underrated comedy of the '90s? Considering the fact that it never, ever gets talked about, I'd say it might be. Michael J. Fox is the only honest family member of Kirk Douglas' rich, old patriarch. Uncle Joe is the retiring legend's last good role, and the Lowell Ganz-Babaloo Mandel screenplay should please fans of "Parenthood" and "City Slickers".

23. "Hard Eight"(1996) Character actor par excellence Philip Baker Hall led a great cast(Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. Reilly, Sam Jackson) in debuting writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's little seen Las Vegas-set indie gem. I like to think that Hall's cool customer 'Sydney' is the same character he played in the 1988 classic "Midnight Run".

24. "Ghosts of Mississippi"(1996) Civil rights activist Medgar Evars was assassinated in 1963 by KKK member Byron De La Beckwith. Sadly, Christmastime audiences in the middle of the Clinton era just didn't care. Siskel and Ebert weren't even supportive. Rob Reiner's fact-based account of the 1994 trial that finally brought justice deserves to be grouped in with his good movies. Alec Baldwin had an underrated leading man run, Whoopi Goldberg was the busiest actress of this decade, and an Oscar-nominated James Woods steals his scenes as the slimy white supremacist.

25. "Apt Pupil"(1998) Brad Refro was a real talent and should still be here healthy and making movies. This Stephen King adaptation has his 1984 California high school student stumbling onto a fugitive Nazi war criminal, played by Ian McKellen whose about to achieve huge fame at age 60. Controversial director Bryan Singer may be canceled, but his filmography is not.

26. "Baby Boy"(2001) John Singleton's second-best film had first-time actor Tyrese Gibson looking like a movie star. The late "Boyz n the Hood" writer-director takes another honest, unflinching look at a Los Angeles community where irresponsibility, jail time, and turbulent interpersonal relations are often the norm. The results are frequently electric, with Taraji P. Henson, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg, and Adrienne-Joi Johnson in supporting roles.

27. "The Man Who Wasn't There"(2001) Remember when Billy Bob Thornton was the coolest 45 year old man alive? Joel and Ethan Coen(and Roger Deakins' cinematography) gave the Arkansan more street cred to go with "Sling Blade", "Monster's Ball", and Angelina Jolie's blood with this 1949 California-set neo noir. Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, and Scarlet Johansson costar in a quality crime flick that was out of step with the post-9/11 national mood.

28. "Down with Love"(2003) I'm down with Renee Zellweger. "Ant-Man" director Peyton Reed's colorful throwback to early-'60s "no-sex" comedies really had no chance at the May box office against eagerly-awaited sequels "X2" and "The Matrix Reloaded". Zellweger's three-minute monologue to Ewan McGregor, filmed in a single unbroken shot, is as good as any CGI action set-piece.

29. "Vera Drake"(2004) English writer-director Mike Leigh("Secrets & Lies") made his presence felt in the U.S. once again, with this quietly-provocative period drama about illegal abortions in 1950s London. Imelda Staunton is outstanding as the title character, in a story that's intimate and expansive at the same time.

30. "Corpse Bride"(2005) Johnny Depp and Tim Burton made so many movies together(eight), that's it's easy to let one or two slip your mind. This charming stop-motion animated musical is an easy and inventive 77 minutes, and better than that year's Oscar-winning "Wallace & Gromit" in my opinion. Burton's then-wife Helena Bonham Carter plays the ghoulish bride.

31. "Find Me Guilty"(2006) Vin Diesel's best movie finds the "Fast & Furious" superstar with a head of hair and a worthwhile story for a change. Jack DiNorscio was a foul-mouthed Mafia soldier who defended himself and 19 associates in the longest federal trial in U.S. history(21 months) in the late-'80s. Legendary director Sidney Lumet("12 Angry Men", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The Verdict") kept me glued to the onorthodox legal proceedings.

32. "A Christmas Carol"(2009) Don't we miss Jim Carrey? The fabled funnyman's last good movie(okay, "Mr. Popper's Penguins") was the last of the Bob Zemeckis mo-cap trilogy that began with "The Polar Express", another undervalued Christmas gift. The box office and critical response was soft, but I don't think the kids will mind if you sneak this version of Scrooge into the December rotation.

33. "Game Change"(2012) John McCain disqualified himself from the presidency in '08 with his infamous VP pick. Alaska governor Sarah Palin got dangerously close to power, and Julianne Moore's Emmy-winning depiction of the Republican's comical crusade is among her career highlights. Jay Roach's HBO drama has hearty support from Ed Harris and Woody Harrelson.

34. "The Master"(2012) Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Thomas Anderson. Those three names carry even more weight now, than they did in 2012. This ambitious 1950-set story, loosely based on the birth of Scientology, was a welcome return to form for Phoenix following a four-year absence from acting, and tragically, the last major performance from Hoffman. That could be why Anderson has called it his favorite film.

35. "Danny Collins"(2015) Al Pacino was back in the good graces of critics as an aging rock star on the road to redemption. This is one of the better "old man" movies I've seen(a popular subgenre btw). Dan Fogelman's directorial debut attracted the talents of Annette Bening, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Garner, and Bobby Cavannale.

36. "Hello, My Name is Doris"(2016) Sally Field is one of the finest actresses we've ever had. The social/romantic plight of her 60-something year old recluse reminded me of that, and should register with anyone with a beating heart. "Doris" did well enough in a limited release, relative to it's budget($1 million). Writer-director Michael Showalter is one of the better talents to emerge in recent years.

37. "Arrival"(2016) This smart, slow-burning sci-fi tale, based on a 1998 Ted Chiang short story, marked the arrival of Denis Villeneuve as a brand-name filmmaker. The amazing Amy Adams is a linguist summoned by the U.S. Army to make contact with twelve alien spacecrafts hovering Earth. Many critics consider "Arrival" the best film of 2016, I don't think it will be on "underrated" lists for long.

38. "The Big Sick"(2017) It's Michael Showalter again, with the most pleasant surprise of 2017. Kamail Nanjiani(who also cowrote this romcom with a twist) is very likeable as a struggling comedian in an unlikely relationship with Zoe Kazan's college grad. Will cultural differences keep them apart? Holly Hunter and Ray Romano steal their scenes as her parents.

39. "Detroit"(2017) Kathryn Bigelow, please work more. The tragic 12th Street Riot of July 1967 is intensely depicted by the director of "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty", her writer on those great films, Mark Boal, and a cast that includes John Boyega, Will Poulter, and Algee Smith. The 143-minute "Detroit" failed at the summer box office. Present-day events were probably depressing enough.

40. "American Made"(2017) Barry Seal was a TWA pilot and a daring drug smuggler for the Medellin cartel from 1978-1985. Director Doug Liman's fast fact-based drama reminded me of "The Wolf of Wall Street", and is definitely one of Tom Cruise's best non-"Mission Impossible" roles in the 21st Century.