Godfather

The Godfather Part III - The Coppola Restoration
$19.99
The Godfather Part III suffers from the marvels of the first two films. Brando, De Niro, Caan, Duvall, and many other stars are absent. The Mafia is no longer the central part of this story. And it's actually hard to understand this film without watching the first two films. But does that mean it fails to be a movie overall? Of course, not.

Despite being the weakest in the trilogy, The Godfather Part III makes for a powerful conclusion to this epic saga. It's now 1979, and Michael Corleone is diagnosed with diabetes. He's separated from his wife, and his children are estranged. For years, Michael has felt guilt from not only isolating himself from his own family, but also having his brother Fredo killed. Now, he wants to go perfectly legitimate with his risky business. As you can see, this has now become a tale of redemption and forgiveness.

Francis Ford Coppola does what he does best here. He moves the story along, with some interesting and powerful elements that have not been found in the first two films. The script is still brilliant the third time around; I don't think you can improve anything here. The music sounds reused, but they still become an important aspect in every scene that requires it.

Of course, we cannot forget the cast (whether good or bad). Al Pacino is as amazing as ever. He's still superior in the first two films, but here, we get to see more emotion and more skill. The last two scenes are especially powerful; it still gets me a bit teary-eyed. Diane Keaton is still spectacular as Kay; same goes for Talia Shire as Connie. Andy Garcia becomes a welcome addition in the cast. He's perfect as the late Sonny's son, Vincent. It's very amusing to see Joe Mantegna as Joey Zasa . . . especially if you try hard not to envision him as Fat Tony. Donal Donnelly as the Archbishop can be best described as extraordinary: he's believable alright. B.J. Harrison as the Corleones' new adviser isn't really as great as Robert Duvall in the first two films, but he can still manage to make us appreciate his performance. Finally, we come to Sofia Coppola as Mary. Countless people find her dull and wooden, easily the worst performance in the entire trilogy. While I do find her wooden, she really makes it more authentic. She is oblivious to what's going on in her father's business; she's more of a simpleton rather than an expert in the Mafia business. And I think Sofia pretty much fits that personality here.

It's true that The Godfather Part III is not in the same league as the first two classic installments, but this is still a fitting conclusion, and it is an extraordinary movie. Just make sure you've seen Godfather I and II before you see this one.

Grade: A-

The Godfather DVD Collection (The Godfather/ The Godfather - Part II/ The Godfather - Part III)
$49.99
These are by far the longest, most boring, and overall possibly the worst movies ever.

The Godfather part I comprises maybe 3 or 4 of the most boring movies ever. It's about 10 or 15 hours of stupid, inane BS that nobody could possibly care about. I tried to watch it all the way through, but fell asleep after about 6 hours.

The Godfather part II is even longer, somewhere between 15 and 20 hours, which according to Godfather fans makes it better than the first.

The Godfather part III is so boring and awful that even fans of the first two movies can't stand it.


And keep in mind, I was able to sit through all 4 or 5 hours of Citizen Kane and I actually kind of liked it, so my taste in movies is not the problem here.

The Godfather Returns
$7.99
The Godfather Returns is a very good continuation of the original novels from Mario Puzo. Mr. Winegardner explores the various incidents that were left unmentioned or vaguely outlined in the previous books and grants and insight into the family that left some readers wondering what had happened. Well written

The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration
$19.99
I am one of the few middle-aged males in the USA who had not seen this film until now. I watched to find out why people think it's one of the greatest films ever. Even Kubrick, whose films I love, thought so. I expected to be offended by a celebration of mafia violence and the underworld, but I was wrong. It was serious, boring, and utterly pretentious.

Yes, the actors are good, but who can take this story seriously? One commenter discusses the great drama of Michael Corleone's transformation from the 'good son' to the head of the family. From where I sat, it seemed to happen instantaneously and without conflict. Also puzzling was why his New England girlfriend, Kay, is so faithful to him through his desertion, despite being troubled by his activities. Just WHO is she?? Then there's the Irish Tom Higgins - we are supposed to just accept that a non-Sicilian, non-ITALIAN is the chief advisor to a Don who puts family and community above all. How multi-cultural! Of course, we don't get a clue about what his odd position might mean to Tom. He's a one-dimensional character like Kay.

I found the idyll during Michael's exile in Sicily laughable. (Was the mistaken car-bombing of his wife a allusion to The Big Heat, in which Marlon Brando's sister plays a character who meets the same fate?) Apparently the pull of blood and soil is too much for a Corleone to resist.

I gave this three stars because if you like watching incredible melodramas with some well crafted rub out scenes, this if for you. That is, if you entranced by the Mob, and can't get enough of it, this film will entertain as promised. It's not incompetent or truly bad, but just vastly overrated by a public that for some reason gets a vicarious thrill out of watching savages live outside the rules (how tiresome) of society.