"Now go home and get your f*ing shine box!"

Years ago, in one of the dumbest Oscar decisions ever (and trust me, there've been some doozies), "Dances With Wolves" won the Academy Award for best picture.

But at last, justice is served. "Goodfellas" - the film that was shafted by that boneheaded call - has just been named the greatest movie of all time by a panel of British film experts.

Now, calling this movie the "best ever" is perhaps a bit of a stretch. But it definitely ranks up there, and not just because of the acting - although that was awesome, IMHO, with all of the leads and most of the supporting players hitting home runs - and according to this, a number of scenes were improvised by the actors.

You also have to consider some of the techniques that Martin Scorsese used. I'm thinking especially of the famous long tracking shot, where Henry and Karen go through a side entrance to a nightclub, go all the way through the back rooms, the kitchen, etc and end up at a table brough in just for them, right in front of the stage where Henny Youngman is starting to perform. Just awesome.

If you want to check out some of the reasons why "Goodfellas" was named best-ever, check out this site, which has some of the best quotes from the movie. (Since I try to run a family-friendly blog 'round here, let me warn you that some of the language is a little, shall we say, salty - hey, it's a movie about the mob, what do you expect?)

That said, reading the quotes doesn't do "Goodfellas" justice - you've just gottta see it to appreciate it.

More later.