The Godfather: "It's just business"

It's been awhile since I've seen The Godfather. And it is awesome.

I know I really don't have to go into it much, because it's The Godfather. We already know about the Corleones and the whole story. The horse head in the bed (of which I do an awesome "ahh, ahh, AHHHH" impression). The offer you can't refuse. It's not personal, it's business. Totally and completely awesome.

The interesting thing when it's all said and done is the effect the movie had on modern culture. The lines, the expressions, the hand gestures. References to the five families. I myself am considered the consigliere for a nice young guy in Gretna...it all comes from The Godfather. An inspiration for The Sopranos, right down to the detail from its finale where the man passes, looks at Tony, and then heads to the bathroom. For a gun to end it? From The Godfather. From the perspective of American life and the idea of America abroad, it has been an integral part of pop culture.

Also, let it be known: if a pissed off suspected Mafia relative says "you can trust me....would I make you a widow?" DO NOT TRUST THEM. It's pretty obvious they don't mean it. They're going to kill your husband. If this same relative is angry with you but then tells you "it's going to be fine, trust them, just get in the car"..say your prayers, because you are going to eat it within the next five to ten minutes.

There's nothing else to say, so I'll stop.

Cool things about the movie: pretty much everything.

Not so cool things: I would have preferred to see Carlo die sooner. It would have made the character of Sonny more redeemable. And Kay, what were you thinking? "You didn't have anything to do with Carlo's death? Oh good. I believe you." Simple, simple Kay. You should have stayed in New Hampshire. He's a Corleone. Let's not gloss that over, okay?

Next week: Casablanca. And I'm in charge of snacks. Get excited.

Citizen Kane--"Rosebud"

So, you'll notice that you are getting three blog posts this evening. It's taken me awhile to figure this out. Now, on to the review.

Citizen Kane:

It's a pretty high standard to call a movie the greatest movie of all time. You bring a lot of expectation into it. I mean, you don't go into Transformers expecting to be blown away...it's a "summer blockbuster". Not "the greatest movie of all time as judged by people who obviously consider themselves to be experts in the area of film".

That being said, let's get to the point.

I had never seen Citizen Kane before. Had no idea what it was about. Went into it with no information except that if I didn't enjoy it, I was a cinematic dolt. And I did enjoy it. I can see where at the time, it was considered rather groundbreaking, with it's small special effects (aging), the cinematography and set quality, so on. The story itself, interesting. A young man who had been abandoned ends up living his life to encourage the same cycle. He who was thought to have every opportunity ended with nothing, because he just couldn't keep it together. Manipulated as he was manipulated. Filling his life with things and acquisitions, not real relationships. Entering a career on a quest for truth, which then turned into a simple pursuit of power and money. Dying alone, as he spent most of his life. And it all started with that day at the cabin, fighting the cold banker guy with his beloved wooden sled.

Cool things about the movie: the black and white aspect, Orson Welles himself, the loosely veiled reference to William Hearst, the excessive use of the word Xanadu.

Not so cool things: got a little slow, those scenes where he forced his wife to be an opera star were pretty painful, after a while, you get the point he's out of control...let's wrap it up, folks.

And I will admit that if the movie had ended without telling me what "Rosebud" was, my head would have probably exploded.

All in all, a great start.

From the beginning....

I'm not a blogger. Let's just start with that.

A little bit about us: four friends who've broken bread together for over five years (two married to each other, two others just friends, two women, two men). Since the beginning, we've added two kids (adorable, and they belong to the marrieds), one engagement, new homes, new jobs....life.

So, what's the point of this blog? We have embarked on a new journey--to watch the AFI Top 100 movies of all time. Why?

• The marrieds renovated their basement....and it is awesome. If they didn't host movie night, the other two would have just begun squatting in the basement anyway. Might as well make it fun and have snacks.
• Kids reduce mobility. I don't know this personally, but this is what I've heard. Why not just cut the fuss?
• Shouldn't we be trying to become more cultured? Seriously.

Rules:

• If a majority decides they are not interested in the movie, it can be skipped. Three out of four is hard to come by.
• If someone is not able to be present, the other members can decide to postpone or move on.
• If the movie is not available on DVD, it can be skipped. We're not going to get ridiculous and set up a projector and film reel for a Charlie Chaplin movie.
• We rotate the responsibilities for snacks.
• We don't always have to sit in the same chairs *though we usually do.

So, here goes. We will hunker down weekly and move through the list. Top to bottom. Why wait two years to see Citizen Kane?

Four by 100: Four friends, 100 movies, infinite memories.