The Godfather (1972)

Originally posted January 25, 2009 on littletaylorfamily.blogspot.com

The first time I watched this movie, I was 15 years old, sitting cross-legged on my bedroom floor in the middle of the night, in front of a 13 inch black and white television in which I had to hold onto the antenna at the very tip with two fingers in order to get some semblance of a picture. I watched the first scene, at about 11pm, and then didn't move from the floor for the duration of the rest of the movie....all 3 hours PLUS commercials. I remember being absolutely exhausted when I finally laid my head to rest, and my dreams were very interesting for the following few nights. Nevertheless, that was 16 years ago....I decided to revisit the movie, that on many critics lists, is the best movie ever made.

While its not #1 on my list, it is certainly mesmerizing on many levels, even now, 37 years after its original release. I watched The Godfather last night, unedited and without commercial interruption, on my 42" Plasma television, but surprisingly, considering all the "upgrades" in viewing pleasure, the movie still invoked much of the same emotion and feelings I had immediately after my first viewing so long ago.
Things I liked:
The glimpse into the inner-workings of a mob-family is absolutely fascinating. Not during this whole movie, did we see an outsider, or civilian, perish as a result of mob activity. The story focuses on the innermost core of the mob, which is refreshing because that's what makes it so interesting. We get to know the characters so intimately that once the movie is over, you can't hardly believe the changes certain characters have made over the past three hours. Its almost as if you are revisiting a dramatic television series that you haven't watched for a few months. The changes are both gradual and sudden. Its a bizarre feeling as a viewer, and a fantastic job by the director (Francis Ford Coppola). While there is no such thing as a wasted scene in this movie, my favorite is the baptism scene of Michael's God-daughter. I will leave it at that. If you've seen it, you know what I am talking about, and if you haven't seen it, you are in for a treat. The music during that scene is probably some of the best "scene-setting" music I have ever heard.
Things I didn't like:
The mush-mouthed Brando. Every time Brando started talking, I turned on the subtitles. Its all I could do to understand every third word he was saying. Legend has it that Brando stuffed his mouth with cotton wool during screen tests, but during actual filming he wore an appliance made by a dentist in order to make him "look like a bulldog".
Why? Why did he want to look and sound that way? Brando already had an imposing face, and strong facial features. His voice was ALREADY difficult to comprehend...why make it worse. I really struggled with this, especially during later points in the film when he has candid conversations with his sons. I know its ticky-tack, but about the 2nd hour, I started to get annoyed.
My favorite line:
Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall): "Mr Corleone never asks a second favor after he's refused the first, understood?" (A great line at a crucial part of the movie. One really gets the idea how powerful, and violent, The Don really is. And, by the way, the line is delivered with perfect poise...Thank you Mr. Duvall.)
All in all:
Its a dang good film. And yes, one of the best ever. I have heard people say that the sequel is better. I have never watched The Godfather II in its entirety, so I look forward to forming my own opinion. But for now, The Godfather easily gets **** out of 4.

New Stuff (to this site anyway)

In the coming days (maybe even hours), I am going to transfer over some movie reviews I did on my family site so that they are here for your reading pleasure. As always, feel free to leave comments.

Radio Commercial

A guy I work with does a fundraiser every year in the form of a metal concert in his backyard. He asked me to do the radio ad that will air on several different stations here heavily throughout the next few weeks. I have parlayed this opportunity into doing some more ads for the next month or so. Hopefully this turns into something I can do frequently on the side. Let me know what you think!

Some Movie Reviews....

I had a free preview of HBO a few weeks ago, and I took advantage by DVR-ing anything that looked mildly interesting. Some of these are from that preview, and some are from Netflix, as usual.

*Gran Torino (2009)

I have already debated with some about this movie, but I'd like to get the opinions of those I haven't heard from yet. I honestly didn't like this film. There are some elements I can ultimately live with, but as a whole, I felt it was sloppy, poorly written, and horribly acted. Let me preface my following comments by saying, I love Clint Eastwood, but even he has some imperfections (see: Every Which Way But Loose, Pink Cadillac and Space Cowboys). Add this one to the list.

The film isn't offensively bad, but it is a film that enjoyed a ton of hype, and did not come close to delivering. I mean, moving the plot along by talking to your dog? C'mon Clint, you're better than that! Eastwood's character is grossly inconsistent, and I got tired of his one-liner's, followed by an attempt to spit on the ground in anger. I think he did that at least three times in the movie. There are a few scenes where Eastwood is trying to teach his Korean friend how to talk to a man, and it's SO painful to listen to. I couldn't believe what I was watching.

Aside from this, the movie is ultimately predictable, and there are some interesting characters and relationships that are wasted (his two sons, and the priest (even though that whole thing was hard to believe as well)). Certainly not one of Eastwood's best at all. Watch Million Dollar Baby for his acting, and Mystic River for his directing. 1.5 Stars.


*The Hammer (2007)

Adam Carolla pimped this movie HARD on his radio program for months before and after its release. It makes sense; he wrote, produced, and starred in this film that got limited theatrical release, but picked up some ground after it came out on video. It was an independent film with a shoestring budget. Carolla isn't every body's cup of tea but he can can sling some good, acidic one-liner's with the best of them. I mean, there's no way around it, either you like Carolla or you don't. If you don't, you won't like the movie, so don't waste your time. I like him. I find him funny. I'm not so myopic to think that everything he does is gold, but I really liked The Hammer. A 40 year old, fired from his construction job, Carolla decides he'd like to resurrect his amateur boxing days, so he decides to take a crack at making the Olympic boxing team. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the cliches, but for the most part, its a light comedy that is comfortable in its identity. Its not trying to be anything its not. Light, good-natured fun. 3 Stars.

Here are some really short ones:

*Reservation Road (2007)

Great acting (Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Joaquin Phoenix) saves this movie from utter failure. The story is pretty good, but the acting is superb. We've all seen movies like this. So often, actors are merely pawns reciting memorized words, but this film has some excellent scenes. See it for that alone. 2.5 Stars.

*In America (2002)

See this film. See it and love it. It's damn good. 4 Stars.

*Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Good movie. Not great. Certainly not "Best Movie" caliber. Then again, 2008 was not a good year for movies (Benjamin Button, Milk, The Reader, Frost/Nixon). The story is kind of cool, but the footage of the inner-Indian cities was really impressive. I recommend it, just don't expect to be wowed. 3 Stars.