Vinnie Travisano is an ad man by profession. For fun, he's a movie critic. Not just any movie critic: a movie critic for the common man. A self-confessed "dyed-in-the-wool movie addict" as well as an "Italian guy from New Jersey," Travisano reviews movies as soon as he gets out of the theater -- right from inside his minivan. He calls his off-the-cuff reviews, which he publishes on YouTube, Vinnie's View.
Born and bred in Glen Ridge, where he still lives, Travisano is the son of a famous ad man, Ronald Travisano, who was a member of Ronald Reagan's famous Tuesday team, which created the famous "Morning in America" ad -- and, some argue, the Reagan myth itself.
Since Vinnie Travisano is a local movie critic, we thought it was relevant to ask where he likes to watch the pictures. "I've been going to the Garden State Plaza lately," he said "Best screens and the best sound and the best seats." Otherwise, it's either Clifton Commons or Essex Green.
What about the Clairidge? "It's everything a movie experience shouldn't be," he said, complaining of inadequate leg room and a screen size just slightly bigger than his home TV. "I saw 'Milk' there and it was literally on a 45 degree angle. That theater is atrocious. So is the Bellevue."
Although Travisano prefers mainstream movies, he counts "Juno" as one of his all-time favorites. His most recent review is of "Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen." Long review short: "It wasn't great."
We're delighted to present some of Vinnie's Views, and we welcome yours too.
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Comments (27)
Vinnie comes across as a likable guy, but I was expecting an actual movie review when I watched the 10 minutes on Youtube.
I'll agree that the seating at the Clairidge is pretty abominable, but what's wrong with the Bellevue? I find it to be a perfectly fine alternative to trekking all the way out to Clifton Commons or any of the larger complexes.
If a movie's good, I can watch it anywhere.
If it's bad, no amount of THX, 3D, IMAX or Meagan Fox (Well...) is gonna make me care.
But I hate all the pre-movie stuff, which has made my living room, with it's large plasma and great sound my go-to screen.
Only well-reviewed, exciting big movies, or movies I think I should see before dvd will get me out to a theater.
And when I go, weekday lunch is best.
Clifton Common is great for me.
I'm not, yanno, gonna give ya da kind o' review you'd get from some o' dose, yanno, educated critics, yaknowhaddimean? Yanno, like where they're like articulate and all? I not gonna do dat. But I am gonna get excited.
Yay! Vinnie's the best! And Walleroo, way to go with your stereotyping of Italians.
Hi, sorry you thought my introduction video was a review. Check out my site for ALL of my reviews, let Baristanet and me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtravisano
Vinnie
Thanks for defending me!
Speaking of people who should not necessarily be allowed unlimited access to both YouTube and the Internet....
And does anyone remember an occasional skit during the Eddie Murphy years on "SNL," where he played a black movie-goer? One of his constant complaints was that there simply weren't enough Fred Williamson moovies. That was a funny idea (although most of the NY Times's reviews the last year or two are also funny enough in a sense, too).
Oh, and what about that crazy Reagan "Myth" that ended the Cold War?
And all that mythical prosperity... Thank you Peggy Noonan!!
Obama would be thrilled to leave office with a a Myth like that.
But unlike Reagan, Obama came INTO office as a myth..... Something tells me, he might just leave as what he is: an inexperience guy with a lot of (unrealized) potential-- kinda like Corzine....
(Sorry Vin, didn't mean to co-opt your post here, but I couldn't resist. That "myth" comment was not needed and untrue.)
There he goes again Prof. If you ever go just 1 day without a Obama put down I,ll be shocked
yo, dr doom, we need more courageous americans like the prof...obama is a myth and will go down in history as the worst president, a catastrophe for the american republic. yo, ya know what i'm sayin?
I love Vinnie's reviews, even when I don't agree with them. I hope Baristanet will keep posting them.
Icebrain
I,ll buy you a one-way ticket to Texas so you can live next to the worst american President in history BOO-YA
Though I haven't seen any of the movies Vinnie mentions on his site, I still found some of the reviews to be quite entertaining. I'll check back in the future, for sure.
Francis Ford Coppola's new film Tetro will be coming to the Claridge on July 17th. Can't wait! His last film, the little seen Youth Without Youth (2007) is the best thing he's done since Apocalypse Now. He's seems to be experiencing a creative resurgence and gone back to making small, personal films like The Rain People and The Conversation.
Yo, Vinnie, you gots to review it.
Yes, Vinnie, I watched your introduction and a couple of your reviews (or at least parts of a couple of your reviews). I didn't find them very interesting, sorry.
As for stereotyping, I'm just taking the cue from Vinnie himself, who goes out of his way to present himself as a regular Italian guy from Jersey.
You should not have to "apologize" in any way, shape or form, walleroo. Vinnie is simply attempting to create a persona for himself, which he will then attempt to market as a new, refreshing voice on today's cinema. More power to him there for doing so unashamedly.
That it is a cliched, shopworn and wheezily unfunny voice, however, is his corresponding problem. And in all my years in Jersey, I have known very few people who actually speak in the tones Vinnie imagines he is wittily mimicking.
Hi, this is Vinnie from Vinnie's View. I appreciate all of the comments that have been thrown around over the past day, even the negative ones. They will only help me become a better movie reviewer. I just wanted to clear up one misunderstanding on Cathar's part. Contrary to his comments about my so called mimicking, the way I am talking on my video is really how I talk. I'm not a good enough actor to put on a fake voice. So, sorry to say, that is really how I talk. It's not the Queen's English, but it gets me through the day. Check out my other videos, you'll see how consistent I am in how I talk. Also, I'm not "creating" a persona. What you see "is" my persona. I'm just trying to present a different point of view as a regular guy doing reviews...who happens to do them in his mini-van right after the movie. Nothing fake, phony or put on..just an honest, gut reaction.
Hope this clears some things up.
Vinnie
Vinnie, I think thou doth protest far too much. Especially about the creation of a commercial persona. I find it hard, in other words, to believe you really just felt the world was waiting for a "workingman's" take on film reviews and decided out of the goodness of your big Italian heart to supply one.
And while I've never met you, I did meet your father a few times if in fact he was the "Travisano" in Della Femina, Travisano & Partners. And if you are in fact then the son of that Travisano, you really didn't get your "Jersey accent" from him, since to the best of my recollection he spoke very well (and was far better mannered than his partner at the time as well). Nor, I'm betting, did you even get it from growing up in Glen Ridge.
(This comes too, Vinnie, from one in fact professionally assessed as a college freshman as someone whose speaking voice was replete with "substandard regionalisms," meaning a genuine NJ accent. Which sounded in no way like that you claim as your own. That a good college would never dare offer up such assessments in these days if diversity in no way affects the accuracy of that long-ago diagnosis. I know a Jersey accent when I hear one, I think, and I know a stretched-out, hokey take on one.)
Who farted in here?
Relax, I believe it was the windbag.
I don't know what to say Cathar, I guess you got me. I will now revert to my real accent which is an English Cockney accent. Cheers!
Vinnie you'll soon recognize that whiff in the air and just pull a polite hanky over your nose. Or alternate the appropriate gesture. There's no purpose in engaging Baristanet's own Joseph Pujol.
Congratulations, Vinnie, for not rising to the bait. Good luck.
If you really sound like that, Vinnie, fine. It certainly makes you fit company fdor someone who imagines herself "jerseygurl."
As for Git2itGal and the others above, really, you're just like second-string versions of mikey.
(And the "bait," walleroo, would be Vinnie taking elocution lessons, no?)
My Lord. It can,t be true. I had to get my glasses to be sure. The Doctor of words, The dictionary mouth of Baristanet has misspelled a word.cathar Has made a written error O MY
I want to thank everyone for checking out my video this week, I got a lot of great responses. Look for my review of Public Enemies next week...looks like it will be a great movie!
Vinnie from Vinnie's View