In Mafia terms, to paint a house is to kill a man. The paint? The paint is the blood that splatters on the walls and floors. Over the course of three decades, Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran claimed to have painted over twenty five houses. His story is now becoming a movie.
Sheeran’s book, I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and the Closing of the Case on Jimmy Hoffa, is the basis of Martin Scorsese’s newest movie, “The Irishman” to be released on Netflix this fall. To tell this story, Scorsese is reuniting with his all star cast of Robert DeNiro, and Joe Pesci. In what will probably be the trio’s final film together, “The Irishman” is the coda to a legendary series of gritty films (all based on true stories) they have created over their careers. Past endeavors include: “Goodfellas” based on the book Wiseguys, Casino based on the book of the same name, and Raging Bull based of the 1970 memoir, Raging Bull: My Story.
So as the world waits for the release of the Irishman, you can binge everything Scorsese, DeNiro, and Pesci with the help of your library.
Here are their classic collaborations:
Raging Bull (Hoopla or DVD) – Robert De Niro won a Best Actor Oscar in this acclaimed masterpiece as Jake LaMotta, the controversial 1940s prizefighter whose brutality transcended beyond the ring. Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci co-star.
Goodfellas (DVD) – Based on the book “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi. Based on a true story. Details the rise and fall of Henry Hill, a Brooklyn kid who grows up idolizing the “wise guys” from his neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero. In his teens, Hill distinguishes himself as a “stand-up guy” by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his partner Tommy, he rises through the ranks to become Paulie’s lieutenant. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters.
Casino (ebook and eaudiobook)- The true story behind the Martin Scorsese film: Focusing on Chicago bookie Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal and his partner, Anthony Spilotro, and drawing on extensive, in-depth interviews, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Mafia classic Wiseguy-basis for the film Goodfellas-Nicholas Pileggi reveals how the pair worked together to oversee Las Vegas casino operations for the mob.