Music N' More: January 2012

-1983 American cult hit crime drama
-Directed by Brian De Palma, produced by Martin Bregman
-Starring Al Pacino, Steven Bauer.
-Contemporary remake of the 1932 movie of the same name

From the Scarface: The World is Yours video game

-Known for it's graphic violence and language.
-Widely criticized by the Cuban community of Miami, basically they said the movie made it look like all Cubans were associated with drug traffickers and criminals.
-This movie has been made a particularly special icon in the hip hop community, inspiring posters, clothes, and other references. The grainy black and white poster is known worldwide

Did You Know?
-The character Tony Montana was named after Oliver Stone's favorite football player joe Montana
-In the final shootout scene, Tony grabs the gun by the barrel. Even though blanks were used, Al Pacino badly burned his hand and production was cut a few weeks to allow Pacino's hand to recover

-The f word is used 226 times
-While writing this movie, Oliver Stone fought cocaine addiction
-Out of all the cast members, Steven Bauer is the only real Cuban born cast member along with Angel Salazar, who played Chi-Chi. Other than that, the majority of the cast is Italian-American, such as Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio and Robert Loggia. Salazar and Bauer were there to help coach on Cuban culture and attitudes

-Miriam Colon, who played Tony's mother, is only 4 years older than Al Pacino
-The gun Tony uses in the end is an M16 with an M203 grenade launcher beneath the barrel
Plot
-In 1980, Tony Montana(Al Pacino), a Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, Florida during the Mariel Harbor boatlift. He and best friend Manny Ribera(Steven Bauer), along with friends/associates Angel(Pepe Serna) and Chi-Chi(Angel Salazar) are sent to a refugee camp. But Manny manages to make a deal with a wealthy drug dealer named Frank Lopez(Robert Loggia) to obtain green cards in return for killing a former Cuban government employee who murdered Lopez's brother long ago. Following the murder and their release, they agree to take a job for Frank's henchman Omar Suarez(F. Murray Abraham) to buy cocaine from Columbian dealers. The deal goes bad, with the Columbians dismembering Angel in the bathroom of a motel with a chainsaw. Before they can do the same to Tony, Manny and Chi-Chi storm the apartment and kill the Columbians. Suspicious of a set up, their trust for Omar goes down. Tony and Manny take the money and cocaine to Frank personally. Frank likes their style and hires Tony and Manny to work for him. This is how Tony meets and develops a crush on Frank's girlfriend, Elvira Hancock(Michelle Pfeiffer)

-Months later, Tony visits his mother, Georgina(Miriam Colon) and his younger sister, Gina(Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio), of whom he's fiercely protective. Gina is excited to see him again, but his mother suspects him of a life of crime and throws him out. Manny is waiting in a car outside, and he comments to Tony about Gina being beautiful and Tony angrily warns him to stay away from her.

-Frank sends Tony and Omar to Bolivia to make a deal with a cocaine kingpin named Alejandro Sosa(Paul Shenar). The tension between Tony and Omar comes to a head when Tony begins to make unauthorized deals on behalf of Frank. Omar agrees to head back to talk to Frank personally, while Tony stays with Sosa. Afterward, Sosa tells Tony that Omar is a police informant and has Tony witness Omar being pushed and hanged from a helicopter. Tony states that ne neve liked or trusted Omar, but vouches for Frank. Sosa and Tony part ways with a mutual understanding. But Sosa gives him a warning: Tony is to never betray him. After returning to Miami, Frank is angry with Omar's demise and Tony's deal, which cause the end of their business relationship. Tony starts some of his own operations and he starts to pursue Elvira more, eventually asking her to marry him

-One night, at a local nightclub, Tony is met by Miami detective Mel Bernstein(Harris Yulin), who is corrupt, and asks Tony to "tax" on his transactions in return for police protection. Tony sees Elvira and sits with her to talk about his proposal, but Frank arrives and demands that Tony leave. Tony insults Frank instead, causing Frank to leave with Elvira. Tony sees his younger sister Gina at the Babylon Club with a strange man, who just so happens to be a drug dealer. He sees them disappear and he follows them to the men's room where Tony finds the man giving Gina cocaine. He throws the man out of the bathroom and slaps Gina after she confronts him. Manny, being the sympathetic one, comforts Gina and takes her home. Gina reveals her crush to Manny, but he says he would basically get into trouble if he started dating her, fearing what tony would do if he caught them together. Back at the club, Tony is attacked and wounded by 2 gunmen, but he escapes, killing them. Suspicious of Frank sending Bernstein and the hitmen, Tony and Manny confront Frank at his office, finding him with Bernstein. With the help of of one of his associates, Tony exposes Frank as the person behind the failed hit. Frank begs for his life before Manny puts 2 rounds in him. Tony then shoots Bernstein. Having power now, Tony takes over what Frank had, and marries Elvira. Sosa then becomes Tony's supplier.

-Over time, problems begin to develop. Tony and Elvira become addicted to cocaine, and drift apart, Tony becomes increasingly paranoid that people are watching him and this is driving him and friend Manny apart. Tony is eventually charged with money laundering and tax evasion after police stage a sting operation. Tony is arrested and makes bail, but his lawyer explains that there will be a huge fine and up to 3 years in prison. Sosa flies tony to Columbia to get him a way out. In exchange for the use of Sosa's government connections to keep him out of jail, Tony must fly to New York with Sosa's henchman Alberto(Mark Margolis) to help kill a Bolivian journalist intending on exposing Sosa during a speech to the United Nations. During dinner at a fancy restaurant, a depressed and drunk Tony and stoned Elvira fight. While Tony is in New York, an unhappy Manny is asked to stay behind and run things. Tony accuses Elvira of being a junkie, whom he could never have kids with, which ends in a fight, with her announcing she is leaving him

-Tony arrives in New York with Chi-Chi, Ernie and Alberto. They sit outside the hotel where the journalist is staying and Alberto wires the man's car with a bomb. The next morning, upon seeing the journalist in his car with his family, Tony tries to call it off, at the sake of the wife and kids. Alberto states that Sosa's explicit rules are to tail the journalist and blow up his car in front of the United Nations building. Before Alberto hits the button to detonate the bomb, Tony shoots him in the head. Furious, Sosa calls Tony later that night and he reminds Tony of their first conversation, where he warned Tony to never betray him.

-Then Tony sets out to find Gina. Tony's mother tells him that Gina is now at an address in Coconut Grove. Tony finds there is a mansion at this address and when he rings the doorbell, Manny answers it. He finds Gina coming out of an upstairs bedroom and he immediately kills Manny in a fit of rage; unfortunately Gina has planned to tell Tony and surprise him with the announcement of their marriage. Tony and his men bring a nerve racked Gina back to his mansion. As Tony snorts a pile of coke, Sosa's men are busy surrounding the compound. They are heavily armed, and are quietly killing all guards on the premises. At this point, a heavily drugged Gina enters Tony's office with nothing but a robe on, and accuses Tony of wanting her for himself, before shooting him in the leg. One of Sosa's men busts in and opens fire on Gina. Tony kills the man and upon seeing Gina's corpse, falls in to heavy grief. Chi-Chi is then killed when Tony fails to open the door despite his pleas.

-Finally in a fit of cocaine controlled rage. he makes his last stand, using an M16 armed with an uner barrel M203 grenade launcher, and extended magazines, opens fire, saying the famous line "Say hello to my little friend!". Tony takes hit after hit, the only thing keeping him alive is the cocaine. But he takes one shot to the heart from a shotgun blast from the back by one of Sosa's hitmen, known simply as The Skull. tony falls into the fountain below in a splash of blood and water, near a statue that says "The World is Yours."

Cast

Al Pacino as Tony Montana
Steven Bauer as Manny Ribera (Credits list as "Manny Ray")
Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Gina Montana
Robert Loggia as Frank Lopez
F. Murray Abraham as Omar Suárez
Harris Yulin as Mel Bernstein
Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa
Ángel Salazar as Chi Chi
Michael P. Moran as Nick "The Pig"
Pepe Serna as Angel Fernandez
Míriam Colón as Georgina Montana
Al Israel as Hector "The Toad"
Michael Alldredge as George Sheffield
Mark Margolis as Alberto "The Shadow"
Geno Silva as "The Skull"

Music N' More

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Aerosmith: Boston-based Hard Rock

30 Day Movie Challenge, 22-30

Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark

Scarface(1983)