The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2: BBOS?

[doom1701]

Jen had never seen any of the Godfather movies, so she checked them out from the Library and we watched I and II this weekend. I remember liking them when I first saw them a few years ago. But what I remember really liking was the acting and emotion--this time I tried to follow the storylines.

Man, was that a mistake. Yeah, I could more or less follow what was going on, but the storylines seemed so convoluted and meandering. I still enjoyed the young Vito sections of II, and the parallels/contradictions between Vito and Michael were interesting, but the "present" storylines left me unimpressed.

[heySkippy]

I dunno. I think both movies totally deserved their Best Picture Oscar wins. Great movies, both of them.

[mercurial]

I thought it was:

I = Great
II = Good
III = BBOS

[JediCowboyD]

. . . the "present" storylines left me unimpressed.

You broke my heart. You broke my heart!

[Turtleboy]

The present attention span of the American viewing audience is now nothing. We can no longer enjoy slow meandering stories like The Godfather.

Even the pacing on Star Wars seems slow.

[DMHinCO]

You gotta fast forward through the dancing at the wedding though. Sheeesh, it meanders on forever.

[Ludwig van Jaethoven]

The Godfather set is hands down the greatest blind purchase I've ever made. Took me over a year to finally sit down and watch all three. Merc's grading of the movies is spot-on, and I think fairly universal.

[Drewster]

I and II are each brilliant in their own ways. The Godfather saga is the only time that reading the book made me like the movie *more*, because it was so damned good of an adaptation.

(For those who haven't read it, Mario Puzo's novel covers the events in I, and about half the events in II.)

III, yeah, it blows.

[mercurial]

The Godfather set is hands down the greatest blind purchase I've ever made. Took me over a year to finally sit down and watch all three. Merc's grading of the movies is spot-on, and I think fairly universal.

The one film class I managed to take in college was on Coppola and Scorsese. It was interesting to see the "film-heads" really defend III. Of course their main line of defense was, "It's not as bad as people say..." :p

[Gus]

Man, was that a mistake. Yeah, I could more or less follow what was going on, but the storylines seemed so convoluted and meandering. I still enjoyed the young Vito sections of II, and the parallels/contradictions between Vito and Michael were interesting, but the "present" storylines left me unimpressed.You should watch some of Terence Malick's films. Compared to Days of Heaven or Badlands, the Godfather films seem like Michael Bay movies.

[Martin Tupper]

Man, was that a mistake. Yeah, I could more or less follow what was going on, but the storylines seemed so convoluted and meandering. I still enjoyed the young Vito sections of II, and the parallels/contradictions between Vito and Michael were interesting, but the "present" storylines left me unimpressed.You should watch some of Terence Malick's films. Compared to Days of Heaven or Badlands, the Godfather films seem like Michael Bay movies.
He made Thin Red Line...Woof, I hated that movie.

[Gus]

You should watch some of Terence Malick's films. Compared to Days of Heaven or Badlands, the Godfather films seem like Michael Bay movies.
He made Thin Red Line...Woof, I hated that movie.It wasn't great, but I thought it was very good. There was a lot of hype because Malick was coming back to film-making after a 20-year absence and people probably weren't aware of what his movies are like. He probably would have been better off leaving out the big name stars so that people wouldn't be expecting a big movie. There's no plot and no resolution, so it's not like it's going to be a blockbuster anyway.

[pseudonym]

Man, was that a mistake. Yeah, I could more or less follow what was going on, but the storylines seemed so convoluted and meandering. I still enjoyed the young Vito sections of II, and the parallels/contradictions between Vito and Michael were interesting, but the "present" storylines left me unimpressed.You should watch some of Terence Malick's films. Compared to Days of Heaven or Badlands, the Godfather films seem like Michael Bay movies.
He made Thin Red Line...Woof, I hated that movie.
I didn't much like it either. However, I went to see his most recent movie, The New World, at a good movie theater, and I really enjoyed it. I don't think I would have liked it nearly as much watching the DVD at home. His movies are so slow paced and atmospheric that you almost have to watch them on a giant screen with no distractions to get into it.

It amazes me that anyone still finances him. His stuff is so divergent from the ubiquitous trend in filmmaking of tight editing with rapidfire cuts and quick-moving cameras.

[Ludwig van Jaethoven]

The Godfather set is hands down the greatest blind purchase I've ever made. Took me over a year to finally sit down and watch all three. Merc's grading of the movies is spot-on, and I think fairly universal.

The one film class I managed to take in college was on Coppola and Scorsese. It was interesting to see the "film-heads" really defend III. Of course their main line of defense was, "It's not as bad as people say..." :p

My Western Civilization professor would go off on a long tangent about how he actually had obtained film from some obscure university history vault which shows the ancient Romans and their clientela system. He then very gently placed the VHS cassette into the machine, saying he had to be very careful, and hit play.

Paramount introduction screen.
"I believe in America...."

Goddamned brilliant. Sadly, I was the only one in the class that found the guy absolutely hilarious (on a fairly regular basis) and was the only one laughing.

[Turtleboy]

The book is trash.

There's this whole subplot about a woman whose Vagina is too big, and she can only enjoy sex with Sonny, who had a huge penis. (Incidently, I think it was the mother of the Andy Garcia character in III).

But Puzo goes on quite a bit about her, even detailing her surgery to have her vagina tightened. I know it's a metaphor for something, but I don't know what.

The movie is art. It's amazing how FFC made something so beautiful out of trash.

[JediCowboyD]

It's a metaphor for big dicks . . . Hence, Like a Virgin.

[Skanter]

When Godfather I came out in the early 70's, I was anxious to see it. There was an unusual 1 AM showing at an upper East side theater here in NYC. Being a night owl, that was perfect for me, even though the movie was close to three hours.

I went with a friend, and we toked up a bit first, as we did before all movies back then. BIG mistake.

It seems that, for some reason, the entire audience (besides us) was comprised of mob guys and their wives. It must have been a special outing from New Jersey!

Every scene would have audience members laughing and yelling out comments, i.e. "that guy's supposed to be Louie" or "that never happened!", or "this isn't when they whacked him!" . It was disconcerting, to say the least. And you didn't want to "shush" any of theses guys.

The combination of the audience, the heavy violence in the movie, and the fact that I was stoned added up to a somewhat scary experience, and I did not really appreciate how good the movie was until I saw it again a few years later. Now I think its a classic, and II was even better. The atmosphere, detail, and time Coppola took to tell the stories are what made it great, not the violence.

Lots of weird things happen in NYC. Another time I'll tell you about the time I was almost killed by fireworks at a concert of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture in Central Park.;)

[Drewster]

The book is trash.

There's this whole subplot about a woman whose Vagina is too big, and she can only enjoy sex with Sonny, who had a huge penis. (Incidently, I think it was the mother of the Andy Garcia character in III).

But Puzo goes on quite a bit about her, even detailing her surgery to have her vagina tightened. I know it's a metaphor for something, but I don't know what.

The movie is art. It's amazing how FFC made something so beautiful out of trash.
Don't forget that the doctor who did her surgery, and was her lover, was also the guy who fixed Michael's face after the Captain's punch shattered his sinuses.

And the subplot is EXACTLY what makes the movie such a brilliant adaptation. Several elements of the subplot are there, but you have to know what they are and how they tie together; otherwise it's just scenery.

Wedding scene, camera pans past a woman whose hands are moving increasingly apart. Girls giggle. (Sonny's wife demonstrating his endowment, and her reaction on their wedding night. She doesn't mind his philandering one bit.)
Sonny banging a girl against the wall. (This is the girl with the big vagina. He likes her because it's not an issue for her, she likes him because only with him does she feel full.)
Michael's face, swollen nearly beyond recognition.
Michael's face, not swollen but with a scar.
Michael's face in II, no scar.

[Otto]

I've never been able to sit through the Godfather in it's entirety. I think it's a terrible movie, all around. After the first hour, I want somebody to just kill everybody because I don't care about any of them. It's slow, the characters all suck, and I just cannot watch that boring ass crap.

Otto's verdict: The Godfather sucks.

[pseudonym]

So, to The Godfather haters, what movies do you like?

[Otto]

So, to The Godfather haters, what movies do you like?

My list of 1258 movie ratings (dunno if you can see them, but it's worth a try):
http://apps.facebook.com/flixster/u/800811640?filter=all&sort=rating&order=desc

[pseudonym]

So, to The Godfather haters, what movies do you like?

My list of 1258 movie ratings (dunno if you can see them, but it's worth a try):
http://apps.facebook.com/flixster/u/800811640?filter=all&sort=rating&order=desc
I'm not on facebook. Got a top five?

[Otto]

I'm not on facebook. Got a top five?
No, I can't limit it to five. I don't work that way; I like lots of things and I don't really have favorites because there's too many things to like and dislike. I prefer a graduated scale of ratings instead, because it provides a better method of measurement and is simpler to do on a continuing basis. Trying to pick favorites would give only a snapshot of the current moment (which could be affected by mood and current state of inebriation/caffeine level), and thus it would not provide any real insight.

Okay, so I'm a nerd, cope. :)

Anyway, the ones I've rated 5 stars (so far) are (in no particular order):
Sin City
Lord of War
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
The Truman Show
Dune
X-Men
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Young Frankenstein
Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Blade Runner
Donnie Darko
The Matrix
GoodFellas
Tombstone
Bubba Ho-Tep
Apocalypse Now
Clerks
Blazing Saddles
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Big Lebowski
Being John Malkovich
The Shining
12 Monkeys
A Clockwork Orange
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Highlander
Taxi Driver
Full Metal Jacket
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different
X-Men: The Last Stand
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
300
Transformers
The Simpsons Movie
Rejected

[Gus]

RejectedThe Don Hertzfeldt short? I'll forgive the rest of that lame list due to the inclusion of this work of genius.

[Otto]

RejectedThe Don Hertzfeldt short?
Yes, it showed up in the continuing list of movies on facebook using the QuickRate feature, so I clearly had to rate it. Because, hey, I have big spoons too.

I'll forgive the rest of that lame list due to the inclusion of this work of genius.
Calling Highlander lame is a good way to lose one's head, buddy.

[pseudonym]

That's a weird list. You think The Godfather's too slow, but you like Apocalypse Now and 2001?

[Otto]

That's a weird list. You think The Godfather's too slow, but you like Apocalypse Now and 2001?
I made a bad choice of words there... No, I don't think it's too slow, I think it's *boring*. I don't like the story, I don't like the characters, and I don't care whether they live, die, or go shopping. They hold no interest for me. I don't give a crap about Sonny and Micheal; I think they're both morons and there's no reason given for me to care about them. I cannot associate with them; I cannot put myself in their place. I simply cannot get into the film on any level at all.

So, what I'm saying is that it's not about fast action or speed, it's the fact that the story is uninteresting and dull. You can't say that about Apocalypse Now. Admittedly, you could say that about 2001, and many have, but I like it for other reasons.

[Gus]

I made a bad choice of words there... No, I don't think it's too slow, I think it's *boring*. I don't like the story, I don't like the characters, and I don't care whether they live, die, or go shopping. They hold no interest for me. I don't give a crap about Sonny and Micheal; I think they're both morons and there's no reason given for me to care about them. I cannot associate with them; I cannot put myself in their place. I simply cannot get into the film on any level at all.Do you have a family? Do you have a brother? Do you care about anything bigger than yourself? The characters and their lives resonated with me because I've experienced issues of having to choose between the interests of my family and my own best interests. I think most people have and that's why Michael is an interesting character. It's not about the Mafia, it's about people. The Mafia just makes it interesting as a movie and provides a reason for the violence we all love to watch.

[Otto]

Do you have a family? Do you have a brother? Do you care about anything bigger than yourself?
Yes, yes, and yes, however the third question is entirely unrelated to the first two.

The characters and their lives resonated with me because I've experienced issues of having to choose between the interests of my family and my own best interests.
No, I've never had to make that sort of a choice, nor do I expect to ever have to do so. See, the members of my family are pretty darned self-reliant, and so I cannot see their interests and mine ever really conflicting.

Maybe I'd have a different opinion if there was ever any sort of a reason to talk to my family, but there's not, other than to be social. We don't live in the same places, we don't do the same things. Other than names, we all have very little in common with each other. When we do associate, I never have to lie to them as we all simply understand each other completely and are perfectly open and honest. It's not the slightest bit difficult to be around my family in pretty much any way. Friends are much harder to deal with.

I think most people have and that's why Michael is an interesting character. It's not about the Mafia, it's about people. The Mafia just makes it interesting as a movie and provides a reason for the violence we all love to watch.
Which was exactly my point. It's a movie about people who don't act like any real people I've ever known or likely ever will. The characters are completely unrealistic (and therefore uninteresting). Their motivations are laughable parodies of reality, at best. I can't see ever treating members of my family like that, under any circumstances, ever. Nor can I see them doing those sort of things. The whole situation simply could not ever occur in my family.

I like character driven storytelling. I don't like unrealistic characters. These characters are completely unrealistic.

But hey, maybe my family is unique. I don't know, I've only ever had the one family, I have no basis for comparison other than that. If families really do behave the way they depict in this movie, then I consider myself exceptionally lucky and am quite content to continue to hate the flick. :P

[doom1701]

That's a weird list. You think The Godfather's too slow, but you like Apocalypse Now and 2001?
I made a bad choice of words there... No, I don't think it's too slow, I think it's *boring*. I don't like the story, I don't like the characters, and I don't care whether they live, die, or go shopping. They hold no interest for me. I don't give a crap about Sonny and Micheal; I think they're both morons and there's no reason given for me to care about them. I cannot associate with them; I cannot put myself in their place. I simply cannot get into the film on any level at all.


Ironically, that's why I actually enjoy III (well, and I think Sophia Copolla is hot). You finally see Michael begin to show some real emotion. Granted, his coldness in II was part of the storyline (contrasted with how well Vito cared for his family), but I felt sorry for Michael in III.

[Skanter]

I like character driven storytelling. I don't like unrealistic characters. These characters are completely unrealistic.


The main characters in The Godfather are complex, with emotional depth, and fascinating. Even though we may not relate to the fact that they are gangsters and killers, we can relate to their universal conflicts about ambition, loyalty, family, friendship, betrayal.

This is why almost everyone (except Otto) was enthralled with the movie, and why it is generally considered to be one of the best films ever made.