The Godfather Part II

The first sequel to win Best Picture (and some would argue the best sequel of all time) and the last of 4 crime dramas in a row to win Best Picture.  Both a continuation and precursor to the first movie. The movie was nominated for 11 awards and won 6.  It was the clear favorite for Best Picture.
The movie followed the rise and fall of the Corleone family.  It follows Michael Corleone as he sturggles to keep the family together and flashbacks to the rise of Vito Corleone as the original Godfather. Michael trys to expand the family empire by buying casinos in Nevada and trying to get casinos started in Cuba, while still trying to hold on to what power they have in New York.  Along the way he is betrayed by a number of people including his brother.  The movie flashes back to his father's humble beginings and how he rose to power in New York by helping people out and exchanging favors. 

The movie somehow works when in theory it shouldn't.  The movie is over 3 and a half hours long and tells two simultaneous stories. It is like a prequel and a sequel wrapped up in one movie.  It almost makes you wonder if they could have told a better story if they had split it up into two different movies. But the movie flows really well even with the jumping around in time.  I think the origin story is the more interesting story and Robert Deniro as the young Vito Corleone is excellent.  But to see Al Pacino navigate the modern world and trying not to lose his power while his family falls apart is captivating. It truely is a remarkable film and worthy of the praise it gets. 

The other movie that was highly praised that year was Chinatown with 11 nominations and only 1 win for screenplay.  Roman Polanski's crazy movie about a detective who uncovers a murder plot and lots of weird little things.  I have watched the movie a few times and still don't get what is so good about it. It doesn't make any sense and the last line of the movie sums up the movie "Forget it Jake. Its Chinatown". 

Oscar Facts
Robert Deniro's win for Best Supporting Actor was the first time that two actors won an Academy Award for playing the same charecter. Marlon Brando won Best Actor for playing Vito Corleone in 1972.
The Godfather II had three nominations for Best Supporting Actor a repeat of the rare feet that the original The Godfather had done.
Francis Ford Coppola directed two movies that were nominated for Best Picture. Not only The Godfather Part II but also the low budget The Conversation.
Bob Fosse was also nominated for Best Director for Lenny. This is the second time that Fosse and Coppola were both nominated for Best Director. Fosse had beat Coppola in 1972 for Cabaret. They both would be nominated again in 1979 Fosse for All That Jazz and Coppola for Apocalypse Now. They both lost that year to Robert Benton for Kramer vs. Kramer.

By the Numbers
The Godfather Part II was ranked at number 37 in both 1997 and 2007 on AFI's 100 Greatest Films. The only sequel to make it on the list.
Chinatown was ranked at 19 and 21 in 1997 and 2007 respectivly.
On IMDB Top 250 The Godfather Part II is currently ranked at number 3 and Chinatown is ranked 69.

Listomania Sunday: Baseball Movies

With opening day just a week away I thought a list of my favorite baseball movies would be appropriate.

1.  The Sandlot-a sentimental favorite.  Reminds me of playing baseball in my backyard as a kid.
2.  Field of Dreams-  A feel good magical baseball movie. An instant classic.
3.  A League of their Own-"There's no crying in baseball" some great stuff in this movie. Tom Hanks and Gena Davis are both great in this one.
4.  The Natural- Another feel good magical baseball movie. Just recently saw this for the first time but it was great. How can you go wrong with Robert Redford. 
5.  Fever Pitch-While not a movie about baseball exactly it is about a baseball fan. I love this movie because it feels so true. Some Boston fans really are that obsessive. And I think that Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore were great in it. 

The one movie that is noticeably missing that usually makes the top baseball movies is Bull Durham. I still have never seen the movie so that's why it is not on my list.
The other movies that came close are Major League, The Rookie, The Bad News Bears and 61*

The Sting

Sandwiched in between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II wins for Best Picture is The Sting.  The third crime drama in a row but this one with a completely different tone.  From the same team that made Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a feel good crime drama about two lowly con artists that set out to take down a big time gambling mogul. 

While running con games in Chicago Johnny Hooker(Robert Redford) accidentally cons the wrong man. The man worked for a gambling outfit and was carrying a large sum of money that was supposed to be sent to the big boss. Thinking he just scored big Hooker begins to blow his money on clothes and gambling.  When word gets to the boss of that some lowly con men stole his money he sets out to find out who they are. When he kills Hookers friend, Hooker teams up with another con man Henry Gondroff(Paul Newman) and they begin to set up an elaborate scheme to take the boss down. 

Similar to heist movies you never know what their game is. It fun to see them set up all these elaborate traps and hoaxes to get this guy and in the end the viewer doesn't even know what is a hoax and what is real. The movie is very light hearted and doesn't have the grittiness that other crime dramas had in the early 70's it is so much fun.  You get a real sense that Newman and Redford are having the time of their lives and that just makes it that much more fun for the viewer.  Also in the movie is Robert Earl Jones the Father of James Earl Jones. Which was interesting because while I was watching the movie I kept thinking his voice sounded famiar but the face didn't look right. It all made sense when I figured out that he was James Earl Jones' father. Which means while James has never been in a movie that won best picture his dad has. After directing the two in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid George Roy Hill seems to know exactly what to do to get the best performances out of  Newman and Redford.  Of course at times it doesn't make sense but it doesn't have too the joy is watching everything unfold and watching the two leads just have fun.  The movie also had a great score that revived early 1900's ragtime music.  It just added another layer of fun to the movie. 

There was some big competition that year from other movies.  The Exorcist became the first and only horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture. Directed by William Friedkin who won Best Director in 1971 for The French Connection The Exorcist is widely considered one of the best horror movies of all time.  To me it is even amazing that it was nominated because horror movies are generally ignored by the Academy.  It was nominated for 10 awards all together including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Linda Blair.  I don't know how Linda Blair lost because that was some crazy performance that she did.  The movie ended up winning two awards for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Also nominated that year for best picture was George Lucas's breakthrough movie American Graffiti. Nominated for 5 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. It didn't end up winning any awards but the movie also launched the career of Harrison Ford. It was a small beginning for the two who would go on to later create one of the biggest movies in history.

Oscar Facts
Tatum O'Neal won best Supporting Actress for her role in Paper Moon(where she starred opposite her father Ryan O'Neal) at 10 years old she is the youngest winner of an Academy Award.
On IMDB Top 250 The Sting is currently at 98 and The Exorcist is at 203


.

Listomania Sundays: Mafia and Mob Movies

After watching The Godfather for this weeks Best Picture Blog Post I decided to do the best Mafia and Mob movies.

1. The Godfather-the obvious choice. Considered one of the best pictures of all time and the blueprint for tons of mafia movies to follow.

2.  Goodfellas-In similar fashion as The Godfather about a guy who rises to power in an New York Mafia. with great performances.

3.  The Departed-Jack Nichloson is a real bad ass in this movie about Boston Irish Mob. Loosely based on the true story of Whitey Bulger who is still on the FBI most wanted list.

4.  Reservoir Dogs-Ultra violent mob pic from Quentin Tarantino is truly unique and very bloody. With some of the most interesting conversations ever discussed in any movies(ex. The meaning of Like a Virgin and how much to tip).

5.  Millers Crossing-Great movie about an Irish Mob by the Coen Brothers. As with any Coen brothers movies it has great dialogue and crazy situations.

The Godfather

Considerd one of the greatest movies of all time. I haven't seen it in a long time and the movie comes with such high expectations that I wasn't sure if I would still like. But it really does hold up well over time.  It is one of those movies that you can watch multiple times and still find something new.  The plot is complex and intricate. You really have to pay attention to get all the details of what is going on. It is very engaging and really keeps your attention.



In case you dont know what the movie is about. In a nutshell Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone the head of a mafia family in New York City.  As he is getting older other families are trying to muscle in on him and push his family out. It ends up being the relcutant younger brother played by a young Al Pacino who has to take the rise to the role of leader of the family business.  Obviously there is a lot more going on but to get into all the details would take forever.
The movie ended up winning 3 Academy Awards Best Picture, Best Actor for Marlon Brando, and Best Screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo.  The most suprising thing is that it didn't win more awards. All the acting was amazing. Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall all lost best supporting actor to Joel Gray for Cabaret. Al Pacino was great as Michael. He starts off as a war hero who wants to get out of the family business but after an assasination attempt on his father and the murder of his brother he ends up taking over the family. The transformation is played flawlessly by Pacino.  Of course the movie wouldn't be what it is without the great writing of Coppola. The amazingly complex plot works perfectly and produced some of the best quotes in movie history, like "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."

Oscar facts:
Cabaret won 8 academy awards but lost Best Picture. Making it the most awards won for a movie that lost best picture.
The Score of the Godfather by Nino Rota had its nomination withdrawn when it was determined that it was used in another film.
Marlon Brando declined the award and had a women claiming to be Native Amarican read a speech about how Hollywood has portratyed the Native American's poorley in TV and movies. "Sacheen Littlefeather" was really a Mexican actress named Maria Cruz.  Brando became the second person to decline the award after George C. Scott did in 1970 with his award for Patton.
The three best supporting actor nominations ties a record for most nominations in one acting category for a movie.
The only two actors in Sleuth(Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine) were both nominated for Best Actor making it the second of three movies where the entire cast was nominated for an Oscar(Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966, and Give 'em Hell, Harry in 1975 were the other two movies).
Al Pacino lost the BAFTA award for Most Promising Actor to Joel Gray from Cabaret. Looks like they got that one wrong.
Also that year Deliverance was nominated for 3 awards including Best Picture. But was not nominated for any acting awards or for the iconic Dueling Banjo's song.

By the Numbers:
The Godfather was ranked number 3 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies of All time in 1997 and number 2 in 2007. It also ranked at number 11 for 100 Greatest Thrills.
On IMDB Top 250 movies of all time it is currently ranked at #2.

Listomania Sunday: US Politicians in Movies

I was having a hard time trying to decide what list to make this week. Living in Wisconsin the news this week has been filled with politics and protests.  It has distracted me from focusing on movies which I would rather debate then politics. I found myself being very frustrated by the no compromising attitude's of both sides.  Anyway, I was thinking of doing lists of union movies or teachers since they have been in the news all week. But finally occurred to me that I should just do a list of the best movies with politicians.  So here it is.

1.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-A movie about a naive guy who ends up a senator and stands up for what he believes in the face of a political atmosphere that just wants him to go along with the establishment.  This is a great movie about the ideal politician that only exists in a Frank Capra movie. Wish there were some politicians that were like this.

2.  The Distinguished Gentleman-The exact opposite of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington about a guy who uses wacky tactics to get elected just so he can get money and gifts from the corporations and lobbyists. My Government and Politics teacher actually showed this movie in class.

3.  Air Force One-An action movie that doesn't quite fit with the rest of the movies but it fits on the list. Harrison Ford as a kick ass President awesome. 

4.  All the Kings Men- A great movie about how a guy who starts off with good intentions and discovers the only way to get things accomplished is through intimidation and corruption. Eventually it catches up to him and he is brought down. Loosely based on the true story of Huey Long you get to see how power corrupts and can get into peoples heads.

5.  The American President-A romantic comedy about a widowed president who starts dating a lobbyist which starts a media frenzy. Written by recent Academy Awards winner Aaron Sorkin the movie is funny and sweet. 

Movies that just missed the list. My Fellow Americans, Bullworth, The Contender, Frost/Nixon, Milk

The French Connection

I have been slacking in writing this blog for a while. Last week I watched the next 4 movies and have not written any blog posts yet. Now it is one day before I usually post and am going to try to get this one in and hopefully next week get the next 3 in.

1971 started what would be 4 years in a row of crime dramas winning Best Picture. The French Connection is about two police detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy Russo in New York City. The two street wise detectives uncover a drug smuggling scheme with a French connection. Gene Hackman plays "Popeye" Doyle who's is a tough and flawed detective that is constantly in trouble with his superiors for his "gut" instincts. On one of his nights off he goes to a night club and sees some guy who is giving away money like it is water and gets very suspicious. He convinces his partner to follow the guy all night to find out what the deal is with him. The follow the trail which eventually leads to high end drug import ring.

Along with being the first Rater R movie to win Best Picture it is also the first movie to win that had cursing in it and also the first action movie to win. Being a big fan of action movies it is not surprising that I love the movie. I love how "Popeye" is a great detective but also very flawed. Not only does he drink but he is racist and has a thing for women in boots(one of them even manages to handcuff him to his own bed). I love the gritty style of the movie and one of Gene Hackman's best performances. The director William Friedkin did a great job and was one of the youngest directors to win Best Director. The movie is known for its action and for the great car chase scene where Gene Hackman is chasing a train in a car. It is one of the best car chase scenes in film history.
The movie beat two other movies that have maybe gone on to become more popular over time. Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Norman Jewison's Fiddler on the Roof. While I think A Clockwork Orange is overrated I do love Fiddler on the Roof. The academy picked the movie between the classic musical and the edgy ultra violent pic. The French Connection also won Best Actor for Gene Hackman, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.

Interesting Facts:
A Clockwork Orange was the second and last movie to be Rated X to be nominated for Best Picture
The great movie composer John Williams won his first Oscar for the music in Fiddler on the Roof it was his 3rd nomination and has a total of 45 nominations and 5 wins.
Isaac Hayes won best song for "Theme from Shaft"
The Popeyes chicken food chain was named after Gene Hackman's character
The French Connection was name to the AFI 100 Greatest Movies in both 1997 and 2007 at 70 and 93 respectively and also AFI 100 Greatest Thrills at number 8. A Clockwork Orange was also named to the same three lists at 46, 70, and 21 respectively and is also currently at #54 on IMDB Top 250

Listomania Sunday: Pregnant Characters

Well we announced some big news recently. My wife is pregnant. So, I was thinking should do a list of the best movies where a main character is pregnant.

1.  Fargo

2.  Children of Men

3.  Juno

4.  Knocked Up

5.  Rosemary's Baby

Patton

With its now iconic opening 1970's Patton truely makes an impact. It lets you know exactly who Patton was and what his beliefs were. Ironically the beginning was one of the things that the studios at the time didn't like, because it showed an older Patton then the movie goes back to a younger Patton. But it works and really gets you into the movie. Francis Ford Coppola who wrote Patton used a similar style of opening for The Godfather (which also won Best Picture). It is the interesting writing along with great acting and a wonderful score that makes this movie great.


Patton follows the rise and controversies of General Patton during WWII. He starts of the movie as a 2 star General and ends the movie as a 4 star General. In between he has many setbacks. This mostly has to do with his very strict rules for his men and his unique ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. For a while he is used as a diversion to make the German Army think he is going to attack from England when really he was basically removed from command and placed on disciplinary leave for hitting a solider. Eventually he makes his big push and establishes himself as a great military leader.

What I like about this movie is that it is not the typical war movie. Patton is a flawed but also brilliant General. He had one of those personalities that borders on that line between genius and insane. He studied military history and was a great strategist but he also thought that he had past lives and fought in some of those battles. There are a few battle scenes but not many. The movie mostly focuses on Patton and his interactions with the higher commands. With his tendency to stick his foot and question their strategies he was constantly in trouble. But on the battle field there was no one like him. The movie had great performances by George C. Scott as Patton and Karl Malden as his best friend General Bradley. Francis Ford Coppola's script balances the genius and quirky personality of Patton perfectly. Interestingly Coppola first submitted the script for the movie 5 years before the movie was made and it was rejected for being too unusual mostly because of the opening sequence. Eventually someone found his script and used it and he won an Academy Award for best Screenplay.

Oscar Facts
Patton was the first PG rated movie to win Best Picture (only the third rated movie to win)
George C. Scott who won Best Actor declined the award saying competition between actors was wrong. The first person ever to turn down an Oscar.
A very different war movie was also nominated for Best Picture in 1970 the antiwar movie M.A.S.H.
Woodstock won Best Documentary that year.