Cast and Crew:   Joe Pesci

What It’s About:  Calogero “C” Anello (Lillo Brancato and Francis Capra) grows up with two father figures:  his biological father, bus driver Lorenzo (Robert De Niro) and mobster Sonny LoSpecchio (Chazz Palminteri, who adapted the screenplay from his own play).  As he gets older, will he choose the honest but unglamorous world of his father, the criminal underworld of Sonny or his neighborhood friends whom neither man approves.

Why Watch it Today?: Robert De Niro turns 69 years old today.  De Niro is best known as an actor, but today’s film, his directorial début, showed that he wasn’t asleep while he was working with greats like Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola.

Other Choices:  Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Machete, Jackie Brown, or The King of Comedy